# Danish Oil not drying.



## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

I'm refinishing an end table and I matched the color by using golden oak Danish oil. It has been sitting for 24 hours and the oil is still not dry. I've never run into this before. Is it because I sealed the wood with shellac sanding sealer? If that's the case do I just leave it alone?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Well, rub off the excess as directed.

Most of the "danish oil" finishes are varnish mixtures that cure
by oxidation. I think I've only ever used them on unsealed wood
myself, but I expect the presence of shellac under the oil
would slow curing.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I suspect that is the problem. I've never tried to use Danish oil on wood that was sealed in any way.

If you are satisfied with the way it looks, I would just give it more time. Eventually it will cure.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

if the wood is sealed the danish oil cannot soak into the pores of the wood.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Hey Charlie, I never used Danish oil on sealed wood either. But the combination on the shellac and golden oak oil was a perfect color match. Maybe I should have done the oil first then the shellac.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

Danish Oil Demystified.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Interesting.
BUT IT"S STILL NOT DRY
It's getting there though.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

You didn't say which brand of Danish Oil - they are not all alike.
Some brands are designed to dry very slowly and are not meant to build a top coat.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Watco. I've used this brand for a long time and like it. I wasn't trying to use it as a top coat. I used it this time and always just to add color. I guess using the shellac as the sealer coat was the wrong way to go. Oh well, live and learn.
Thanks,


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## peteg (Sep 2, 2010)

I have used it quite a bit on turnings, most turners I know will apply the oil and then wipe of fairly quickly for the very reason you are experiencing. If it is still wet you can wipe it back with a rag dampened with Meths, I use meths to thin Danish for most first coats, you can go about 20% meth to thin. The shellac would have sealed up the end grains well & truly & should stop any blotchy oil take ups.
Good luck


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## rusty2010 (May 26, 2011)

Danish oil is not meant to be applied over shellac. The base products do not adhere to each other. Remove the oil. If you need to change the color of shellac, try adding Transtint dyes. Work your way into the color slowly.


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## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

Did you wipe the excess off?


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

What did the directions on the can say regarding application of the product ?
If I remember correctly , the last time I used danish Oil , it was to be applied to "clean, bare, wood ".
"Flood the surface and allow to soak in for X amount of time and repeat as needed, wiping off any excess oil that doesn't absorb into the wood". 
I believe they stated that the finish was "in the wood" as opposed to "on top of the wood". 
I would have put the Shellac on after the oil had dried completely for a few days.
By posting your problem , I'm sure that you've helped a lot of others to avoid this issue : ) 
Thank you .


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Ok everyone, first I would like to thank everybody that replied and gave me advice. Not only on this topic but on the "Orange Peel" post as well.
That darn table is done. It came out quit well.
Lessons learned: 
1. Do not put Danish oil on top of shellac. I didn't think this would be a problem because you seal wood with shellac to control blotching before you stain. Obviously stain and Danish oil are not the same.
2. Don't rush the finish. I have a huge problem with patience. The first coat of water based poly I put on a little dry to raise the grain. I sanded it back with 320 grit paper and applied the second coat wet. I let it dry for about 2 hours. It being 98 degrees and 7% humidity I thought that would be sufficient. It wasn't. The third coat orange peeled something offal.
So I striped the whole thing down to bare wood, colored it to match the other pieces and then top coated it with 4 coats of lacquer.
Thanks again.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Oh, one more thing. Please remind me to NEVER offer to refinish a piece of furniture again,EVER. I'm not equiped for it and there is no money in it.


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## rusty2010 (May 26, 2011)

Doninvegas,, never offer to refinish a piece of furniture again,,


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks for the reminder.


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## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

You can use shellac under coat of danish oil. Just make sure you thin it down with denatured alcohol.
When dried I never a problem not sanding it, then top coat with watco danish oil.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

I think that was part of the problem. I didn't thin the shellac down. I used it right out on the can.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

My only objective was to match the color. I noticed that the combination of the 2 was a perfect match.


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## rusty2010 (May 26, 2011)

You should look into the transtint dyes and waterborne conversion varnish. It's a different world, but worth the effort


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## bilbaggins (Sep 11, 2011)

*Hey this is all helpful as I recently had the exact same problem with drying.*

I did a guitar body in oil and it simply wouldnt dry. A disaster loomed!

I thought the Danish Oil had "gone off" but it appears to be a time issue.

After carefully checking the manufacturers data i knew I was applying it right-put in a cry for help but they never responded… grrrr!!!-anyway in the end I just rubbed it with more oil and a soft cloth a couple of times and eventually it dried. Looks fine now.

I had applied turps based sanding sealer to bare wood then the oil. I just did this the same way to some wood handles and it dried overnight-they look beautiful!

Applying the oil to the bare wood is possibly the best solution allround methinks. Just rub it out with a scourer or steel wool, wipe off straight away, allow to dry to no-tack then apply another bunch of coats till yr happy with the finish. Tinting the oil is also fine as mentioned elsewhere above…

In the old days I used a Estapol Scandanavian clear matt first then rubbed the oil in with fine steel wool on all my show-wood furniture. Never had a problem.

I recall using "driers" in the oil speed things up. Terabine sound familiar??? Use it in small amounts tho. Check the diggers web site for info on terebine.


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