Does Watco Danish Oil Finish have a shelf life or expiration time? Last
night I applied Watco to a small cherry bowl according to the instructions
on the can and Bill Grumbine's video. This morning it still felt soft and I
could still smell the finish. I have no idea how old the can of Watco may
be, it has been sitting on a shelf for years. I'd appreciate and information
you can pass on.

Thanks, Harry

"Harry B. Pye" wrote in message
groups.com...
Does Watco Danish Oil Finish have a shelf life or expiration time? Last
night I applied Watco to a small cherry bowl according to the instructions
on the can and Bill Grumbine's video. This morning it still felt soft and
I
could still smell the finish. I have no idea how old the can of Watco may
be, it has been sitting on a shelf for years. I'd appreciate and
information
you can pass on.


Oxygen is what cures the finish, so oxygen in an opened container might have
caused some sedimentation and loss of dryer. Second thought is that water
and oil don't mix, so if the wood was a tad damp, it'll have to get over it
before the Watco cures.

REALLY old stuff? The original had a phenolic resin that would actually
cure with water around, phenol being an alcohol. One of the few things I
could get to stick to PEG-soaked stuff.

Harry,
I have never used the Watco (I use a similar product from Deft). If it
is cool or cold in your shop, that will slow down the curing process.
Also, it will be dry enough to touch in 12 to 24 hours, but the
solvents don't evaporate out for a couple of days, and the curing
process takes a week or three, depending on how many coats, and the
temperature. I have found that older finish gets tacky faster than
newer finish. To prevent oxidation of the finish in the can, you can
use Bloxygen (an inert gas that you spray into the can) or pour the
finish into one of the collapsable plastic containers (like boxed wine
comes in -this tip came from Dr. Roger Michaelson).
robo hippy

"Harry B. Pye" wrote in
groups.com:

Does Watco Danish Oil Finish have a shelf life or expiration time?
Last night I applied Watco to a small cherry bowl according to the
instructions on the can and Bill Grumbine's video. This morning it
still felt soft and I could still smell the finish. I have no idea how
old the can of Watco may be, it has been sitting on a shelf for years.
I'd appreciate and information you can pass on.

Thanks, Harry



Was it cold last night in your shop? We got down to about 40 here, with
humidity. Waterlox didn't cure completely overnight either, and that was a
thinly wiped coat. Shellac on the other test piece did just fine, however.

Give it another warm day, with ventilation. Or bring it inside.

Patriarch

On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 19:30:42 -0400, "Harry B. Pye"
wrote:

Does Watco Danish Oil Finish have a shelf life or expiration time? Last
night I applied Watco to a small cherry bowl according to the instructions
on the can and Bill Grumbine's video. This morning it still felt soft and I
could still smell the finish. I have no idea how old the can of Watco may
be, it has been sitting on a shelf for years. I'd appreciate and information
you can pass on.

I used to use Watco Danish Oil quite a lot, and applied according to
the instructions on the can it was _usually_ dry to the touch
overnight. However, if the wood or weather were damp, if it was cool
or the wood was already an oily one, (not the case with cherry,
though) it would remain "damp" feeling for days sometimes. I'd give
it at least a week before I'd consider doing something else to it.





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I used to use Watco Danish Oil quite a lot, and applied according to
the instructions on the can it was _usually_ dry to the touch
overnight. However, if the wood or weather were damp, if it was cool
or the wood was already an oily one, (not the case with cherry,
though) it would remain "damp" feeling for days sometimes. I'd give
it at least a week before I'd consider doing something else to it.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I think I'm suffering from
impatience. The bowl was quite dry, it was a blank from Woodcraft. I put the
Watco on while sitting at my kitchen table so the room was comfortably warm.
I kept the bowl 'shiny wet' for the better part of an hour before wiping off
the excess. On the can it says it dries in ten hours. The following morning
it was quite a bit dryer but you could still smell it. It is a little better
today.

I plan to use the Beall buffing system on it and am reluctant to rub
anything into the surface until it is quite a bit dryer. Like I said, I'm
probably impatient.

Thanks again, Harry

"Harry B. Pye" wrote in message
groups.com...
Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I think I'm suffering
from
impatience. The bowl was quite dry, it was a blank from Woodcraft. I put
the
Watco on while sitting at my kitchen table so the room was comfortably
warm.
I kept the bowl 'shiny wet' for the better part of an hour before wiping
off
the excess. On the can it says it dries in ten hours. The following
morning
it was quite a bit dryer but you could still smell it. It is a little
better
today.

I plan to use the Beall buffing system on it and am reluctant to rub
anything into the surface until it is quite a bit dryer. Like I said, I'm
probably impatient.


There's the problem. You overapplied. Inside trying, outside drying will
prolong the process quite a bit.

If you're going to buff, wait a couple weeks, or until a close sniff doesn't
overwhelm.

When the Danish oil has been heavily applied and not wipe after 10 - 15
minutes it will start to jelled to a tacky surface. Leaving this coating
to dry will not improve the finish of the surface and may create some lumps
and still remain sticky. At time when I apply the Danish oil and someone
calls me on the phone I over exceeds the 10 -15 minutes. When I come back
to it I use solvent to remove the tacky oil. If the Danish oil has been
left more than a day without wiping I remove the hard sticky finish with
mechanical devices and start over. The mechanical devices maybe open coat
sand paper, medium to fine steel wool or a scraper.
One person can handle the coating timing when doing wood turning items.
When doing large wood object like bookcases and the likes two persons is
better. One applies the Danish oil and the second person wipes according to
the scheduled time.


"George" george@least wrote in message
...

"Harry B. Pye" wrote in message
groups.com...
Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I think I'm suffering
from
impatience. The bowl was quite dry, it was a blank from Woodcraft. I put
the
Watco on while sitting at my kitchen table so the room was comfortably
warm.
I kept the bowl 'shiny wet' for the better part of an hour before wiping
off
the excess. On the can it says it dries in ten hours. The following
morning
it was quite a bit dryer but you could still smell it. It is a little
better
today.

I plan to use the Beall buffing system on it and am reluctant to rub
anything into the surface until it is quite a bit dryer. Like I said,
I'm
probably impatient.


There's the problem. You overapplied. Inside trying, outside drying will
prolong the process quite a bit.

If you're going to buff, wait a couple weeks, or until a close sniff
doesn't
overwhelm.

It took some time for me to learn the cardinal rule of using Danish oil -
and they tell you right on the can. You MUST WIPE it off after it sets for
15 to 30 minutes. This time depends on temperature, humidity and the
technique you use. You can often get away with not wiping the first coat -
maybe the second. But when the finish starts to build you must wipe. My
son and I built a quilt rack for his girlfriend a couple of years ago and I
didn't follow the rule. It took days to dry. Good news was I finally set
it in bright sunlight in our sunroom and it cured in a day or so.