# Danish oil not drying



## Pond (18 Dec 2012)

hi,

I oiled a new oak coffee table with Rustin's danish oil in my (cold) workshop yesterday. I gave it two coats (admittedly I only left it for about an hour before the second coat) and it wasn't drying at all. Too cold, I thought.

So I brought the table into the house last night at about 6pm. It is now 10am and it is still very tacky! I wiped any excess oil off straight away, btw. 

I know it would take a while for the timber to warm up and thus the oil, but is this usual?

Also, presuming it does eventually dry, is it OK to lightly sand the oiled top before waxing, as I want a good shiny finish?

Ta


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## marcros (18 Dec 2012)

how old was the oil?


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## Pond (18 Dec 2012)

Brand new, came from APTC last week!


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## marcros (18 Dec 2012)

was it given a good shake?


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## Jacob (18 Dec 2012)

Too thick, too cold, too soon with second coat.


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## Woodfinish Man (18 Dec 2012)

Not sure 100% about Rustins brand but normally Danish Oil should be left atleast 8 hours between coats, this is especially the case at this time of the year.

Sure it will dry, may take a few days, and there's then no problem in lightly sanding it and applying wax polish once it does.

Hope this helps.

Ian


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## Pond (18 Dec 2012)

Jacob":1dqqs776 said:


> Too thick, too cold, too soon with second coat.



Apart from that, I did everything right, then?


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## Pond (18 Dec 2012)

It did say 6-8 hours between coats, but because the first coat soaks in so quickly, it appeared dry (to the touch at least).

Note to self: be more b*oody patient.

If I sand just the top, will it lighten the colour, as I can't sand the whole thing now it's assembled.


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## Woodfinish Man (18 Dec 2012)

If you just lightly denib the top it shouldn't look any different to the rest of the unit. If has been very well sanded in the first place you may not need to denib it at all?


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## Pond (18 Dec 2012)

Due to the extended drying time, there is a lot of dust stuck to the oil. When dry, I will see if it brushes off.

Thanks for all the advice, as usual! =D>


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## Hudson Carpentry (18 Dec 2012)

I use nothing but rustins and it don't like the cold and you would have to wait for the wood to warm up. I built a drying booth last year for this. Simple sheets of king span doweled together with 2 60watt bulbs in. Works a treat.

You can get away with putting a coat on every 2 hours for the first 3 coats atleast but you brush/wipe the oil on and wipe it off within a minute. Just make sure the surface isn't even a tiny bit tacky before you apply the next coat.

If the surface of your table is rubbery from the failed oil your best scrapping the failed areas then sand with 240 first just so you don't gum the paper to quickly if you missed some.


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## Jacob (18 Dec 2012)

Hudson Carpentry":25hruq97 said:


> I use nothing but rustins and it don't like the cold and you would have to wait for the wood to warm up. I built a drying booth last year for this. Simple sheets of king span doweled together with 2 60watt bulbs in. Works a treat.
> 
> You can get away with putting a coat on every 2 hours for the first 3 coats atleast but you brush/wipe the oil on and wipe it off within a minute. Just make sure the surface isn't even a tiny bit tacky before you apply the next coat.
> 
> If the surface of your table is rubbery from the failed oil your best scrapping the failed areas then sand with 240 first just so you don't gum the paper to quickly if you missed some.


Or paint stripper. It's quite benign - only takes off the surface deposits. Brush on, leave for a bit, spread sawdust to soak it up, brush off with stiff plastic brush. No scraping/sanding necessary.


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## Pond (18 Dec 2012)

Jacob":2a8y52t4 said:


> Or paint stripper. It's quite benign - only takes off the surface deposits. Brush on, leave for a bit, spread sawdust to soak it up, brush off with stiff plastic brush. No scraping/sanding necessary.



Jacob,

I have no doubt you know your stuff; but I do not have the confidence to pour Nitromors all over my beautiful new table! :shock:


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## Pond (18 Dec 2012)

BTW, it's now 5.30pm and still tacky!

I would like it finished before xmas!


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## Jacob (18 Dec 2012)

Pond":2sgafl0m said:


> Jacob":2sgafl0m said:
> 
> 
> > Or paint stripper. It's quite benign - only takes off the surface deposits. Brush on, leave for a bit, spread sawdust to soak it up, brush off with stiff plastic brush. No scraping/sanding necessary.
> ...


Try it on an out of sight bit. It's very effective and much less disruptive than scraping, sanding or anything else I can think of. It doesn't penetrate the surface and will leave a clean finish with oil still in the wood (but not _on_ it).

PS The sawdust is important to keep it under control and not running and dripping. Put it on well before it has dried and rub it in - wear (synthetic) rubber gloves etc. Planer shavings even better as it scrapes as you rub it in/off.


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## Bills Elm (20 Dec 2012)

Pond":2cycltm6 said:


> BTW, it's now 5.30pm and still tacky!
> 
> I would like it finished before xmas!



Pond

Just a thought but check that it's still in life! ie "date of manufacture" sometimes finishes if left for a long time, or even that have been stored at the wrong temp for too long will never dry??

I know this from experience I have put on 2 coats of Rustins Danish within 30 mins of each other with no probs and it wasn't even that warm.


Bill


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## mrpercysnodgrass (21 Dec 2012)

one thing you can do with oil if it is not drying is to load a clean rubber with terebine driers and pass it lightly over the surface a few times. you can also add a few drops of it into the oil before applying if you have a cold workshop.

''Terebine Driers are an additive that can be added to most traditional solvent-borne alkyd coatings such as traditional oil-based gloss and undercoat, and traditional polyurethane varnishes.
Terebine Driers speeds up the oxidation process in these paints, speeding up the drying process as they absorb oxygen. This is sometimes useful when you are forced to apply coatings in adverse drying conditions, particularly cold weather which tends to retard this chemical drying process. Add upto a maximum of 55ml to every 5 litres of prepared paint.
However, you should note that this is a compromise, and that the speeded up oxidation process may shorten the life of these coatings, as they embrittle (harden) through oxidisation. Adding too much Terebine driers can lead to premature embrittlement of the paint coating film (cracking and loss of adhesion) substantially reducing the normal maintenance period. Used sensibly however, Terebene driers are an important weapon in the painter and decorators armory.''


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