Applying Danish Oil

[leslie5555]

Hi I have been restoring Pye black box wooden cabinets by stripping off the old varnish and finishingwith 4 or 5 coats of danish oil, iI am on my 4th one now and with each one they look better as my experience increases.
But the thing is I have been using lint free cloths to apply it as per instructions on the tin, but I get through quite a number of them during the process and they are expensive to buy, has anyone else successfully used another method of applying it that is cheaper?

[G6Tanuki]

My approach with Danish Oil - on things like the cases of Pye P75s - is to drench the wood with the oil using a paintbrush so the wood/veneer is truly saturated. Go over it several times in a half-hour timescale. Then once it's had a chance to soak in, wipe off the excess with a lint-free cloth**1** [I generally use the polyester kitchen-wipers you get in packs of four-for-£2 at Tesco]

Then leave everything for a week or so to allow the oil to work its way in and for the outer layer to harden.

Then buff it. You don't want to try buffing it if the surface is even the slightest-bit tacky to the touch. If handling the case leaves fingerprints on the oiled surface, leave it abother week!

Slow and Steady gives the quietly self-satisfied lustre. You shouldn't need several coats.

**1** Dispose of oily cloths safely: Danish Oil and Linseed Oil contaminated cloths can oxidise and generate enough heat to self-combust. I wrap mine in cling-film to exclude the air then put them inside an old tin can and use plenty of duct-tape over the top just to be secure, before putting it into the wheelie-bin.

[paulsherwin]

I normally wipe down with rags from the rag bag rather than buying special ones. You can tell by examining the rag if it's likely to shed lint. A pair of cotton pyjamas or an old cotton bedsheet will yield lots of suitable rags.

It's true you need to take care over disposal, but I leave the used rags out in the open air for a few days before binning them. By that stage they've largely dried out and the danger of a serious exothermic reaction has gone.

[Nukeybrown]

B&Q sell lint free on a roll, think it's about 100 sheets for £5 in the decorating aisle. I use them for everything from cleaning Rexine to applying oil. Couldn't be without a roll.

[Michael.N.]

Don't let the cloth dry out. Put it into a metal container that seals well, exclude oxygen, add a cap full of turps subs. It will be still soft until the next application of oil, 6 hours later. If you are really worried about the fire hazard (very unlikely in a sealed metal container) just store it outside.
Danish oil is very simple to apply. Just wipe on, wipe it off. If you expose the cabinet to daylight it will accelerate the drying, probably best not to expose it to direct sunlight though. If you do a couple dozen applications you can rub it down, go through the grits and get it looking like glass. That's if you really want that look, not my personal favourite but some folk love it. Danish oil is just an oil varnish that's been laced with gallons of solvent, hence why it's so thin.

[FIXITNOW]

I just use kitchen paper roll never really had a problem

[Michael.N.]

The other thing you can try is to boil (or simmer) the dry cloth in a strong bleach/water solution. Bleach is a fairly strong alkali and may dissolve the varnish. It certainly works on hardened shellac/french polishing cloths but I've not tried it on oil varnish. Thoroughly rinse the cloth after. Keeping the cloth sweet is probably still the best option though, you use less danish oil that way.

[leslie5555]

Thanks for the replies lots of ideas to think about

[Phil G4SPZ]

I apply several thin coats of Danish Oil by brush, not cloth, allow to harden, then rub down with 00000-grade wire wool. Carefully remove all specks of wire wool then apply another two or three coats. After a week or so, burnish with Liberon Burnishing Cream (I'm told that T-Cut works well, too).

I did my first full refinishing job with Danish Oil about five years ago on a pre-war Ever Ready 5019. It's spent the past three years exposed to sunlight in a museum showroom window, and it still looks good.

Phil

[M0TGX Terry]

The only thing I've done with Danish oil so far is my Invicta AR49. (See Success Stories for pictures). All I did,as I didn't know any better,was to slap it on thickly with an old paintbrush then leave it for a week before buffing it up with normal domestic spray polish and a yellow duster. It shines nicely and lets the grain show through, so it'll do for me. I try not to use steel wool, as even the tiniest bit left behind seems to find its way to a highly visible location before rusting into a nasty brown stain. There's also the danger of it getting into speaker voice coils,from where it can be VERY reluctant to emerge. If you need something gentler than glass paper, try Scotchbrite. This can be bought in sheets, but I use the green scratchy side of washing up sponges ("Sorry dear, I can't do the washing up, the sponge seems to have vanished").

[crackle]

Use a man made cloth/rag to wipe off as it sheds less fibres.
Old cotton garments that have been washed and tumble dried many times are terrible for shedding fibres.
Mike

[Soviet Stan]

I use the sponge brushes intended for refinishing rifle stocks.

[dseymo1]

As an aside, I've often sucessfully applied polyurethane varnish using a similar technique.

[sp10mk11]

A question what is the best way to remove the old Danish oil so you can re-apply it, I have a similar problem with a speaker cabinet that has had hot cups stood on it?
Thanks
Gary