"Maloof" finish compared to Danish oil

[MikeG.]

Sam Maloof's* 1/3 oil, 1/3 varnish, 1/3 white spirit mixture seems to my untrained eye to be a fair approximation of Danish oil (a mixture of oil, varnish and thinner + a few other bits 'n bobs). Why is it then that advocates of Maloof's * method suggest leaving it 24 hours between coats, but Danish oil typically specifies 4 to 6 hours between coats?

Follow up question....... I am finishing a saw handle using the Maloof mixture, but the finish is too flat for me. I want it to shine a bit more (I used a gloss varnish in the mix). It's a saw handle, so a wax is likely to be a bit soft. What do I do to get it to glow a bit? I can burnish it somewhat with wood shavings, but the intricate nooks and crannies prevent this being too successful.

* Does anyone else find it a little annoying that this traditional mix has been claimed by Maloof's followers as somehow his creation?

 

[Droogs]

D/O has chemical driers added to it to help evaporate off the solvents in it. If you've thinned the mix it will just take a few more coats to build up enough body of the finish to be able to reflect light to give a nice shine.

 

[MikeG.]

D/O has chemical driers added to it to help evaporate off the solvents in it. If you've thinned the mix it will just take a few more coats to build up enough body of the finish to be able to reflect light to give a nice shine.

It's got 7 on already! Bog oak, being partly black, seems to need an extra bit of gloss compared to other timbers. I'm reluctant to paint on a neat varnish after the long thin build-up, but I don't see the current approach improving things, gloss-wise.

 

[Droogs]

how old is the varnish you used? After 7 coats if you aren't getting the effect you want, for me, I would strip back a redo. first give the bog oak a really good clean with acetone, bog oak can have a lot of silica in it which I've been told(by an armourer friend who uses a lot of bog oak for sword handles) can affect the quality of finish

 

[MikeG.]

The varnish is fine. It's got a nice gloss on a scrap of pine I tried it on. I cleaned the oak (twice) with white spirit, not acetone. After all this effort I'm really reluctant to strip back and start again. The finish is fine otherwise, just not glossy enough.

 

[AndyT]

I've never done exactly what you are doing, on bog oak, but when I have used commercial Danish oil on shelves and suchlike, I have found that I could get a bit more shine by buffing hard with a cloth. Best results with something fairly coarse like a bit of old denim or canvas.
If you really want to get in the nooks and crannies you could try using a stiff brush, or even follow the Americans into the rediscovery of a polissoir.

 

[lurker]

I found a stack of jute sacks like they used to put spuds in “when I were a lad”.
They make good wax on wax off polishing rags.

You can find similar thin weave stuff under old chairs and the like, so I imagine a source of new stuff would be upholsterers

 

[sunnybob]

oil based poly gloss, diluted with white spirit.
5 teaspons of gloss to 2 of white spirit. Wipe it on, wipe it off. allow to dry overnight.
Repeat three times.
Job done,

 

[MikeG.]

Yeah, but I also want the oil element, Bob, to highlight the grain of the brown part of the bog oak. This is such special timber that it's a shame not to show it at its best.

 

[sunnybob]

No oil was harmed in the making of this box
https://pbase.com/john_cooper/image/166860329
Or this one
https://pbase.com/john_cooper/image/167048385

8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

 

[Steve Maskery]

Interesting, Mike.
I've made some Mackintoshesque motifs from that bog oak and I'm having the same problem as you. I've used hardwax oil and it's not good, certainly not as good as I would normally get on ordinary oak.

I'm considering using a black wax with wire wool, but it is quite intricate, lots of nooks and crannies.

 

[MikeG.]

No oil was harmed in the making of this box
https://pbase.com/john_cooper/image/166860329
Or this one
https://pbase.com/john_cooper/image/167048385

8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

Don't get me wrong, Bob. I do use wipe-on poly regularly and get some spectacularly nice finishes, as you have with your boxes. However, bog oak is a rather odd fish. One of its features is that there is a deep, deep black part, and a warm deep brown. The black element kills some of the reflectivity of wipe-on poly, but the brown shows up really nicely. The brown part has a beautiful grain, which is enhanced by oiling, but the grain is all-but invisible with the black. As a further complication, the medullary rays "reverse out" compared with ordinary oak. Finishing it is therefore something of a complication, and finishing it for a flashy saw handle is even more so. I've never put 7 (now 8) coats of any finish on anything before in my life (as far as I can remember), and as such am disappointed that the results aren't spectacular. It looks absolutely stunning when wet, and I just want to capture some of that sparkle in the dried finish.........and the Danish oil/ Maloof- finish route, whilst easily the best results that I've had with the wood, aren't coming up glossy enough for me at the moment.

I'd be really interested to hear what Custard is doing finish-wise with his stash of bog oak.

 

[MikeG.]

.....I've made some Mackintoshesque motifs from that bog oak.......

No photos, so no, you haven't. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[AndyT]

Another thought - you might like Tru-oil. It's an American product and is, I think, based on linseed oil, but modified so it builds up quite quickly to a full gloss finish. Although sold as good for wooden stocks on guns, guitar makers also use it as it gives them good control of the final level of gloss. A search on here should bring up posts by Jim Hendricks who was enthusiastic about it - you'll find him on Instagram these days.

 

[lurker]

I wonder if microcrystalline wax to finish off, would do the trick?

 

[Steve Maskery]

You've obviously not subscribed, Mike!

 

[MikeG.]

I wonder if microcrystalline wax to finish off, would do the trick?

That would involve the ultimate sin, Lurker: spending money! :lol:

 

[MikeG.]

.....subscribed......

To what?

 

[lurker]

I wonder if microcrystalline wax to finish off, would do the trick?

That would involve the ultimate sin, Lurker: spending money! :lol:

A little goes a long way.
I have a tin that cost 10 quid and I think it will see me out.

 

[NickM]

Another thought - you might like Tru-oil. It's an American product and is, I think, based on linseed oil, but modified so it builds up quite quickly to a full gloss finish. Although sold as good for wooden stocks on guns, guitar makers also use it as it gives them good control of the final level of gloss. A search on here should bring up posts by Jim Hendricks who was enthusiastic about it - you'll find him on Instagram these days.

I’ve used truoil on some walnut rifle stocks and it produced a lovely glossy finish on those. It seemed quite hard wearing too (e.g in the pistol grip of the stock, although years of sweaty palms have dulled it somewhat) so I would think it might be a good choice for a saw handle.