Bleeding oil

[duncanh]

I recently turned a burr elm bowl and when I applied the oil finish (Chestnut finishing oil) and wiped it off as normal the areas with the burr continued to bleed oil well after the rest of the bowl. I've noticed this a few times in the past with elm and oak that had pippy patches. The latest bowl is still bleeding oil about 4 hours after I applied it.

Is there any way to reduce this as I have to keep going back to the piece and rubbing off the new excess that has appeared? Any areas that I miss dry with uneven finish. The wood is dry and some of it has been cut since the early 90s.

Duncan

 

[Mark Hancock]

Hi Duncan

If you appy the oil while the bowl is still on the lathe you can then after wiping off the excess turn on the lathe to spin any oil in the burr holes off. While it's spinning burnish it with a soft cloth. Do remember to stand out of the line of fire when starting the lathe :wink:

 

[geoff_tulip]

a lighter coat of oil may be the answer- i am not a big fan of oiling on the lathe - all my work is done off the lathe - i dont really see the advantage - filling the grain with the slurry is only really any good if the wood is the one colour, it is also messy and limited in application.

once the bowl is finished i take it into the house and oil lightly - applying more coats (4) for a better finish and rubbing back the raised grain in between. the process is lengthly but is gives a supreme finish - but if you patience it could be the only finishing method you will ever need.

 

[duncanh]

I prefer to finish off the lathe as well as it lets me turn the foot to the shape I want rather than just leaving a chucking dovetail. I tend to apply 3 coats of oil each (with a brush), wait 5 minutes or so, remove excess with kitchen roll, wait another 5 minutes, remove excess. Wait 24 hours and then apply the next coat.

It could just be that I'm putting too much on each time but I would have thought that removing the excess would get rid of most of the oil that hadn't soaked in.

I wouldn't want to use sanding slurry to fill the grain on a burr as there are way too many holes. I do have a couple of small off cuts that I could experiment with though.

Duncan

 

[ctb]

I am not a great lover of oil finishes, but I found this for you, hope it helps

http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/oil-finish.html

 

[duncanh]

Thanks for that. Looks like there's lots of useful info to read through.

Out of interest, what type of finish do you tend to use?

Duncan

 

[ctb]

I have tried most but much preffer sanding sealer diluted 50/50 with cellulose thinners buffed to a shine then soft wax evenly applied left to dry the polished to a shine.
For food items I use foodsafe oil, but tend to soak them well and not buff to a shine inside and wax on the outer


It's all a matter of choice, find a finish that you like and stick with it.

Chris

 

[joekid]

some woods dont take oils too well, others lavish it, ive used naturally oily or resinous woods which repel the stuff, check first, good luck