There's no getting around it. To get a proper finish that you'll be proud
of, the process of applying an oil finish will take anywhere from a week
or longer--especially if you live in an are of high humidity. I live in
Colorado where the typical humidity year round is in the single digits or
teens. I can apply and reapply finishes in a shorter amount of time that
those living in, say, New Orleans.
With that in mind, here's how I deal with Sam's finish. First, start with
Watco Danish Oil. Follow the instructions for applying the finish until
it stops soaking the stuff up. Depending upon wood type, this may take
three to four applications over a two day period. Once you are satisfied
that the surface won't take up any more finish, let it dry for at least 24
hours. By the way, I use 000 steel wool to apply the first application of
Danish Oil after having used 320 grit wet-or-dry as a final sanding. If
you find that minor sanding imperfections happened that you weren't aware
of after apply this initial coat, you can get rid of these by wet sanding
with 320 repeatedly to see if you can get these sanding marks to disappear.
I apply Sam's finish with 0000 steel wool on the first coat. I let it
stand until it feels kind of sticky and wipe the surface with a rough rag
like a bath towel. The next coat is with cloth, letting it set up as
before. I've found that with this process you'll need a six coat
minimum--there is no maximum since I've renewed this finish from
time-to-time months if not years after the initial finish process. You
can finish it off with a wax if you like. If you do this and scuff marks
develop over time, you can get rid of the wax by applying the oil with 000
steel wool.
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"Hyjanks" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
There's no getting around it. To get a proper finish that you'll be proud
of, the process of applying an oil finish will take anywhere from a week
or longer--especially if you live in an are of high humidity. I live in
Colorado where the typical humidity year round is in the single digits or
teens. I can apply and reapply finishes in a shorter amount of time that
those living in, say, New Orleans.
With that in mind, here's how I deal with Sam's finish. First, start with
Watco Danish Oil. Follow the instructions for applying the finish until
it stops soaking the stuff up. Depending upon wood type, this may take
three to four applications over a two day period. Once you are satisfied
that the surface won't take up any more finish, let it dry for at least 24
hours. By the way, I use 000 steel wool to apply the first application of
Danish Oil after having used 320 grit wet-or-dry as a final sanding. If
you find that minor sanding imperfections happened that you weren't aware
of after apply this initial coat, you can get rid of these by wet sanding
with 320 repeatedly to see if you can get these sanding marks to disappear.
I apply Sam's finish with 0000 steel wool on the first coat. I let it
stand until it feels kind of sticky and wipe the surface with a rough rag
like a bath towel. The next coat is with cloth, letting it set up as
before. I've found that with this process you'll need a six coat
minimum--there is no maximum since I've renewed this finish from
time-to-time months if not years after the initial finish process. You
can finish it off with a wax if you like. If you do this and scuff marks
develop over time, you can get rid of the wax by applying the oil with 000
steel wool.
We also live in Colorado. Wife refinished a antique table with 3 inserts for
our dining table in 1971. She used a mixture of equal parts of boiled
linseed oil, turpentine and vinegar. Let it soak for awhile then rubbed it
down. Set for several days then redid again. If I recall this was done 3
times. Had to redo one time one treatment about every 10 years. Have used
this table for all meals ever since. Holds up very well. The turpentine was
to thin it to soak in better. The vinegar emulsified it an cut down the
odor. WW
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