Danish Oil-fact or fiction?

[299t]

I've been told that when you use Danish Oil as a finish, it will eventually crack and peel over time.Any truth to this, or could it have been due to improper application?

[William Young (SE BC)]

I have never heard of it cracking or peeling. It is basically boiled linseed oil with a little urethane added and in my area carries a very high price tag for what it actually is. .
Some prefer it as a complete finish and is usually a dull finish unless you apply many coats to get a little shine.
Personally I use a semi gloss lacquer over a seal coat of 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits (BLO/MS) because semi gloss is the type of finish that both me and my customers prefer in my particular area.
Whenever I tried to sell clocks finished in Danish oil alone they were not accepted. But when I re-finished them with a nice smooth semi gloss finish they sold right away.
Also , a hard film finish like lacquer or straight polyurethane will not attract dust like a danish oil only finish will so it makes it easier to dust them off.
But don't take me wrong. Danish oil is a wonderfull product for some applications. On some of my turned bowls I soak three or four coats into the wood and let sit for a couple weeks to cure and then power buff and it comes up to a wonderful shine.
Unfortunately fretwork is not suited to power buffing especially when all the pieces are assembled so I refrain from using it as a finish on fretwork.
W.Y.

[lucky788scroller]

I would say probably fiction on the first part, and about improper application is true. It will not give a good shine, unless multiple coats are applied. And, after the first coat, each subsequent coat will take a little longer to dry up.I suppose it is possible it could crack if you had a batrillion layers on, but that really isnt practical.I use danish oil on all of my scrolling things, but only one coat. After a light coat of it, and its fully cured,I then topcoat it with a spray on lacquer or poly. The oil is used for me to bring out the real beauty in the wood, and to seal the pores. The topcoat (usually 3 or 4 light coats) is to add the desired shine, and further protect the wood. dale

[William Young (SE BC)]

Dale;
Does this mean that two great minds think alike At least on this topic
Please don't take me seriously. I'm only kidding.

But your reason for using danish oil for a base coat is the same as what I use the BLO/MS for. But then I'm too cheap to use danish oil as a base coat for sealing the wood and enhancing the grain pattern because they charge about $17.00 a litre for it around here.
W.Y.

[lucky788scroller]

Id say its bound to happen sooner or later. The reason i use danish instead of BLO is the smell, its like comparing the smell of deisel fuel to gasoline to me, Id prefer the gas.

[earlinjax]

We have a lot of walnut furniture we bought unfinished in the '60's and I used Watco Danish oil as a finish. So far no cracking and no problems. I would say it stood the test of time.

Earl

[GrayBeard Phil]

I heard that rumor.

I thought it had to do with people who applied Danish Oil, or the so-called 'lemon oil' (Boiled linseed oil with lemon sent,) annually to a shellac finish table. There could be a reaction between a shellac finish and BLO, the shellac finish cracks.

Phil