# Danish Oils



## timber (14 Sep 2016)

Rustins or Liberion which do you chaps recommend for good penetration in oak. Thin maybee with white spirit ???
Thanks


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## MattRoberts (14 Sep 2016)

I've used colron on oak before with good results. No need to thin, just leave it on for a couple of minutes then wipe off the excess. You can apply further coats if required


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## Phil Pascoe (14 Sep 2016)

Bestwood. http://tungoil.co.uk/shop/bestwood-danish-oil-5-litres/


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## Phil Pascoe (14 Sep 2016)

I actually had an online conversation with a lady from Liberon who told me they don't recommend Danish Oil on oak, but I didn't get a reply when I tried to find out why. I've never had a problem with it (not specifically theirs).


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## ED65 (14 Sep 2016)

timber":37j9n63w said:


> Rustins or Liberion which do you chaps recommend for good penetration in oak.


What are you finishing? Thinned varnish will give you much the same effect, often faster, while additionally offering superior protection (more resistant to scratches and water).



timber":37j9n63w said:


> Thin maybee with white spirit ???


Any oil-based finish can be diluted as much as desired (primarily to ease application, not for penetration reasons), but Danish oils are already a diluted finish so there's often nothing to be gained by thinning them further. 

Exceptions would be when you're applying it in cold weather and it's become viscous, or the product is old and some of the original spirits have evaporated so the DO is thicker than it was originally. Just to mention though in the former case warming the tin in hot water is probably a better option.


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## ED65 (14 Sep 2016)

phil.p":23sk1ro2 said:


> I actually had an online conversation with a lady from Liberon who told me they don't recommend Danish Oil on oak, but I didn't get a reply when I tried to find out why.


Difficulty in removing the excess from the grain?


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## marcros (14 Sep 2016)

i think that it is related to the BLO in the mixture. I have no knowledge, but recall this thread boiled-linseed-oil-and-oak-t33865.html


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## custard (14 Sep 2016)

Theres no such thing as "Danish Oil", it's whatever a manufacturer wants it to be. Consequently you'll find a wide difference between different brands. There's also nothing to stop a manufacturer from changing their formulations if they want to save on material costs or can't source a particular ingredient. 

While they are all "long oil" formulations, some are _extremely_ long oil, while others are quite a bit less so. Some use more driers, some less. Some add UV inhibitors, some don't. I once worked at a workshop that had the commercial heft to squeeze some answers from manufacturers, but it's still a pretty opaque subject.

Best advice is find a decent name brand you like and stick to it. Personally I always thin the first coat 50% with white spirits, then two more coats full strength. 

Good luck!


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## Phil Pascoe (14 Sep 2016)

Yeah ... possibly. I emailed back but didn't get an answer. The number of times it's cropped up since make me think I should have persisted.
Custard - the only answer I got was that it's different resins that make the difference between Danish Oil and Finishing Oil. Terry Smart was helpful, but Chestnut don't make Danish so he couldn't give a definitive answer. I tried Mylands but their email address didn't work. I didn't try Rustins.


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## custard (14 Sep 2016)

phil.p":1u6cokd3 said:


> I actually had an online conversation with a lady from Liberon who told me they don't recommend Danish Oil on oak, but I didn't get a reply when I tried to find out why. I've never had a problem with it (not specifically theirs).



Good example of an ultra "long oil" formulation. I don't see the point of this particular one when you could just roll your own from Tung Oil and thinners. I know brands at the far opposite end of the end spectrum that are high build, glossy, fast drying, and UV retardant.


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## custard (14 Sep 2016)

phil.p":16vsefr8 said:


> Yeah ... possibly. I emailed back but didn't get an answer. The number of times it's cropped up since make me think I should have persisted.
> Custard - the only answer I got was that it's different resins that make the difference between Danish Oil and Finishing Oil. Terry Smart was helpful, but Chestnut don't make Danish so he couldn't give a definitive answer. I tried Mylands but their email address didn't work. I didn't try Rustins.



If it's something you use regularly then try Blackfriars, its not cheap and it may not be to your taste but it's certainly different!


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## Phil Pascoe (14 Sep 2016)

marcros":2na05vkc said:


> i think that it is related to the BLO in the mixture. I have no knowledge, but recall this thread boiled-linseed-oil-and-oak-t33865.html


Yes, worth reading, that one. I think Sgian Dubh may be right. (He usually is  )


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## Phil Pascoe (14 Sep 2016)

Yes, Blackfriars do some very good stuff - QD90 is reckoned to be an excellent alternative to Hammerite. I'm happy with Bestwood - and at that price, it's got to be good.


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## thetyreman (14 Sep 2016)

whatever brand you get, it's always a good idea to thin it with turpentine or mineral spirits for the first coat or two.


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## woodpig (14 Sep 2016)

There's a recipe of sorts here if you want to blend your own.

http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/vi ... ?tid=12156


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## timber (14 Sep 2016)

It is for the finish on some brown oak that I felled about 40 years ago, I was making a walking stick on my Legacy Ornamental Lathe.
I did make one before on the Trend Router Lathe that has now gone,spirals down the length of the stick.Finished with Danish, 3 coats ,it came up well.
Axi seem to stock only Liberion, hence the question, a pound postage can't be bad !!! could not get to the nearest shop for less than a fiver?
Thanks for the responses everyone
Timber


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