Tell me about Watco Danish oil

[tjclem]

I am using it for the first time on my first fretted bass. So far it seems pretty interesting. I wiped on a lot on the neck then kept putting it on for the next 1/2 hour. I wiped off the excess. Nice stuff so far......t

 

[PilbaraBass]

I used a product available here in Australia, Feast Watson Scandinavian Oil. It is an all-in-one finish that is a mixture of danish oil and oil-based polyurethane.

It too, is a wipe on, and it penetrates a little and cures HARD like a good poly should. I put about 6 coats of it on my recent wishbass refinish project. The great thing about it is that whether I had bare wood or remnant nitrocellulose, it covered the same with no differences.

Left the bass with a nice satin finish.

danish oil is a curing oil and is made with either linseed oil or tung, or both. does the watco oil contain any poly?

found this little bit of info on:

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it illustrates that you can mix danish oil and oil-based polyurethane (as is already done in the Feast Watson Scandinavian oil product)

by Hendrik Varju
photos by Christopher Campbell
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FINISHES (part 2)

In the case of curing oils, such as linseed and tung oil, wait until the finish dries fully, then add the next coat. It will take at least five coats to see any sort of a sheen, but you can apply as many coats as you want. For non-curing oils, such as walnut and mineral oil, you can apply a second or third coat if you want the wood to soak up more; otherwise, just one or two coats will do.
When you apply oil to cutting boards and salad bowls, the oil will disappear after several washings with soap and water, so keep a bottle of the oil under the kitchen sink and add another coat whenever the wood looks dry.

Oil/Varnish Blends
Danish oil, also called “oil/varnish blend,” is made by mixing a small quantity of varnish with a larger quantity of a curing straight oil, such as tung or linseed oil. It’s thinned with mineral spirits (i.e., paint thinner) and metallic driers speed up drying time.
By mixing an oil finish, which is easy to apply, with varnish, which is harder to apply but more protective, you get the best of both worlds. There’s more protection than a straight oil finish because each coat builds a thin film. You can add to the protection by buying an off-the-shelf Danish oil and adding varnish, such as oil-based polyurethane. I suggest a mix of 25 per cent poly to 75 per cent Danish oil. Don’t add more than 25 per cent poly: the mix will be harder to apply.
An oil/varnish blend is great for everything except high-wear items. It isn’t suitable for a kitchen table, for example, which will see lots of spills and abuse. But it’s a beautiful finish for projects such as gently used coffee or end tables, beds, night tables or mirrors.
Applying these blends is as simple as applying straight oils: you just wipe on, then wipe off. The difference is that the finish should be left for just 10 to 15 minutes before wiping off the excess. The varnish component becomes gummy if it’s left thick for too long. Allow at least 12 hours of drying time between coats; 24 hours is better. Keep in mind that colder temperatures and higher humidity increase drying time for all finishes.

 

[JSPguitars]

That's what I like to use. I get the 'natural' kind......and stay away from the colored stuff. I've developed a fondness for the smell now too
it's an easy finish for a noob like me. Use some wax at the end, and it shines up nicely. It's also very easy to 'fix', just sand and reapply, etc.
Just don't get too carried away with application. You can apply a lot at first, let soak, then wipe away. BUt, after a couple coats, apply just enough and let COMPLETELY dry before applying more coats.
I had some ash that got really funky-moldy looking (mostly in the porous part) after applying too much of it and had to let dry/resand the whole thing.

 

[PilbaraBass]

That's what I like to use. I get the 'natural' kind......and stay away from the colored stuff. I've developed a fondness for the smell now too
it's an easy finish for a noob like me. Use some wax at the end, and it shines up nicely. It's also very easy to 'fix', just sand and reapply, etc.
Just don't get too carried away with application. You can apply a lot at first, let soak, then wipe away. BUt, after a couple coats, apply just enough and let COMPLETELY dry before applying more coats.
I had some ash that got really funky-moldy looking (mostly in the porous part) after applying too much of it and had to let dry/resand the whole thing.

hmmmm...interesting...nothing worse than funky-looking ash

 

[martinedwards]

I'm finishing my fretless now with Danish oil as we have buckets of the stuff here in the school workshop. brings up the grain a treat.

 

[PaleMelanesian]

+1 on letting it dry. I had a project (not a bass) that I used Watco Danish Oil on. I put 5 coats in about 3 days, and it took about 6 months before it was completely dry. I'd say it was 90% dry after about a week, and then it just sat there.

Once it did dry, it was a good finish. Now I prefer using a wipe-on poly instead of an oil (pure poly rather than oil-poly mix). It dries faster and cures harder.

 

[Wolak]

That what I used to finish my bass. I found some good instructions on the web on a process which involved wetsanding with the danish oil to fill the wood's pores. It came out very smooth. Once it was finished I put 2 coates of Minwax paste wax on it. It gave it a nice shine and a super smooth, slick and dry to the touch feel. . .especially on the neck.

Check out:
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[klocwerk]

That what I used to finish my bass. I found some good instructions on the web on a process which involved wetsanding with the danish oil to fill the wood's pores. It came out very smooth. Once it was finished I put 2 coates of Minwax paste wax on it. It gave it a nice shine and a super smooth, slick and dry to the touch feel. . .especially on the neck.

Check out:
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Great link, thanks!

 

[tjclem]

I found that link a while ago. The only problem with that link is it assumes you are dealing with one color wood. Can you inagine what it would look like if you are doing an Ash body with a Wenge top? You would have a gray slurry all over the Ash. I am doing a Mahogany body with a Walnut top. I am temped to try the wet sanding, the bass wil be mine it is not for a customer.

 

[FBB Custom]

The wet sanding technique should be okay for mahogany and walnut. It's pretty much okay for most colorfast woods. Watch out for cocobolo and padauk no matter what finish you use.

 

[tjclem]

The wet sanding technique should be okay for mahogany and walnut. It's pretty much okay for most colorfast woods. Watch out for cocobolo and padauk no matter what finish you use.

Isn't the idea to create a "slurry" of wood dust and finish that will fill the pores?..t

 

[Wolak]

Tom,
Do one color wood at a time starting with the lighter wood. Get a good slurry with the lighter wood and let it dry. Then a day later do the darker wood. I did it with maple and mahogony with no bleeding.

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

Isn't the idea to create a "slurry" of wood dust and finish that will fill the pores?..t

Yes. Certain woods bleed like crazy and colour everything else. I found out the hard way when I was wet sanding my 8 string which has a nice padauk accent next to some white limba.

 

[tjclem]

Thanks all. I am using the natural color. It did soak a lot up. I will re-apply later today and try the wet sanding. I like it so far. The wife is thrilled that it doesn't "stink up the house" If she is happy I am happy.

 

[tjclem]

I justdid the wet sanding with 600 grit. Do I just let the slurry of dust/Watco dry? If I wipe it down won't I just wipe the mix out of the grain I am supposed to be filling?

 

[PilbaraBass]

+1 on letting it dry. I had a project (not a bass) that I used Watco Danish Oil on. I put 5 coats in about 3 days, and it took about 6 months before it was completely dry. I'd say it was 90% dry after about a week, and then it just sat there.

Once it did dry, it was a good finish. Now I prefer using a wipe-on poly instead of an oil (pure poly rather than oil-poly mix). It dries faster and cures harder.

I used an oil-poly mix (see previous post about Feast Watson Scandinavian Oil) and it dried hard as a rock in about 1 week, and I live in a VERY humid tropical climate.

I've had the finish on now for nearly 2 months and it's held up very well...I even put it on the purpleheart fingerboard

 

[tjclem]

Did you do the wet sanding? If so did you wait 'till it dried before wipeing off the excess?

 

[PilbaraBass]

Did you do the wet sanding? If so did you wait 'till it dried before wipeing off the excess?

My project had clear nitrocellulose laquer on it originally. This provided a great sanding sealer. I was after the more satiny finish and after the initial sanding up to 400 grit, I opted out of wet sanding.

the purpleheart fingerboard was unsealed...i threw some on to see how it looked (intending to sand it off later)...I liked it so much, I put on 2 more coats. I did a little bit of dry sanding with 400 grit after the first coat just to clean up the board a bit, but I didn't wet sand.

In your case, I'd let it dry before wiping it down...for the final coat, however, I would do no sanding, just a light application to even it out.

remember, what I used was a little different in that there was polyurethane mixed in. I don't think your product does.

 

[Wolak]

I read to let the slurry dry slightly and then wipe against the grain. I'm sure you can also let the slurry partially dry and then scrape the excess off with a "credit card". If all of the pores do not get filled and then you just repeat the wetsanding process with a finer grit sandpaper.

The only problem that leaving too much slurry on the would could create is more fine grit sanding.

 

[Wolak]

One thing I forgot to mention is that after you scrape the slurry or wipe against the grain, you want to let the slurry completely dry in between each time that you wetsand.