# how long would it take danish oil to dry completely?



## anqi (Dec 2, 2008)

Would it take more than 2 days? Thanks


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## BigTim (Jan 17, 2008)

Watco (danish oil I use) says 72 hours. Of course if your shop is cool or damp, it could take longher


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## ropedog (Mar 26, 2008)

i have had danish and tung oil take more then a week to fully dry.


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## Al_Killian (Feb 15, 2008)

Last coat I usally let sit for atleast 3 days, perffer 5 days.


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

it shouldn't take that long to dry. remember that its a natural oil so it will dry but never cure. so you don't want more than 2 coats of it. those first coats will soak into the wood and dry quickly but after that good luck getting it to dry. after that you want a few coats of poly to protect the wood.


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## anqi (Dec 2, 2008)

hi, teenagewoodworker,

What coats of poly did you refer to? I am new to woodworking world. Would poly make it to semi-gloss? or what do you recommend? thanks for all of your comments.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Anqi, the easiest option that I would recommend would be to put on a wipe-on polyurethane topcoat. This is one of the more forgiving finishing routines. You can buy it at Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc. but, to be honest with you, it is much cheaper to simply make your own. You simply take polyurethane and dilute it with mineral spirits. I generally cut it to 50 percent of its original strength and wipe it on with a clean cotton rag or heavy duty paper towel. With a wipe on product, because it is thinner you will have to put on multiple coats to build the finish but, since it dries so quickly, this is easily done. If you are putting on multiple coats of polyurethane then you will need to lightly sand between coats to rough up the finish since poly adheres to the previous coat through mechanical bonds. I generally prefer to use 320 grit to lightly scuff the dried poly.

As far as the sheen goes, you can get polyurethane in satin, semi-gloss and gloss. Rather than buying multiple finishes I prefer to simply get the gloss and, if I want a lesser sheen, knock down the sheen by buffing it with 0000 steel wool until I get the sheen I am after.


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