Finishing with Danish Oil

[Joe W.]

Wanting to check in and get a sanity check on my thinking . . . 

I've been using different finishes for a variety of items over the past year or so; even making my own mixture of Danish Oil, using equal amounts of Mineral Spirits, Gloss Poly, and pure Tung Oil.
Which got me to wondering whether or not applying multiple coats of that mixture is a waste of pure Tung Oil. 
I am assuming the initial coat seals the wood, preventing any additional coats of the Tung Oil from penetrating the wood (and changing the color even more).  
I am thinking any additional coats could be just Mineral Spirits and Gloss Poly, as the initial Danish Oil/Tung Oil has already changed the color of the wood.  Any additional coats would just make it more shiny.

Thanks in advance for any/all opinions.
     

[Sycamore67]

I like Danish oil but it takes a long time to dry.  I have switched to shellac or spray can lacquer.

Edited yesterday at 12:05 AM by Sycamore67

[kmmcrafts]

My experience has been that for the most part dipping the project once is enough for most types of wood.. but there are some types of wood that soak up like a sponge and once only changed the wood color but put very little to no sheen on as if it had no poly or whatever on it at all. I remember specifically a piece I made with spalted maple that I had to dip 3-4 times to get a even sheen on it.. Probably should have just let it dry with the one or two coats and then topcoated it with poly but I just kept dipping it. 

I guess a lot depends on the look you're after.. I assume the one coat will protect the wood okay but if you're going with a expectation of a certain sheen then more coats or topcoats might be required. 

I don't use it much anymore as many ornaments I make now I paint details on and the chemicals in the D.O. melt and make the paint run so I pretty much use Lacquer.. Might try using shellac again for this but might make paint marker run too if I spray too heavy as I think my paint markers are alcohol based paints.. Getting hard to find Lacquer in spray cans as the environmentalist have been making it hard for the stores to sell it or companies to make it..   

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

2 hours ago, Joe W. said:

Wanting to check in and get a sanity check on my thinking . . . 

I've been using different finishes for a variety of items over the past year or so; even making my own mixture of Danish Oil, using equal amounts of Mineral Spirits, Gloss Poly, and pure Tung Oil.
Which got me to wondering whether or not applying multiple coats of that mixture is a waste of pure Tung Oil. 
I am assuming the initial coat seals the wood, preventing any additional coats of the Tung Oil from penetrating the wood (and changing the color even more).  
I am thinking any additional coats could be just Mineral Spirits and Gloss Poly, as the initial Danish Oil/Tung Oil has already changed the color of the wood.  Any additional coats would just make it more shiny.

Thanks in advance for any/all opinions.
     

Joe I was and still am a huge user of Danish oils over the years. That basically was the finish of my choice. It has gotten very expensive over the years as well as most finishes. But a little goes a long way. Now over the years I found a few things that may help make decision for you. First you will never get a high gloss finish from Danish oil alone, no matter how many coats you put on. So you have to make decisions as to what look you are after. Making your own seems to be cheaper than already mixed stuff but it really is not. Plus the mixture is never equal parts and driers are used also. Now this is not to say you can mix up a product that works well for yourself and you like it. By all means go for it. You can control the sheen by adding more or less poly when mixing your own too. 

But with that said. A few things come into play many times when doing any wood finishing. The type of wood plays a huge roll. The open grainess (if that is a word) is huge because that is what allows finishes to be absorbed and how much. Along with that the sanding procedure you use such as the final grit of sandpaper plays a part in that you seal and close the grain pores more with the higher grits you use and this allows so much more product to be absorbed or less absorbed. Danish oil as well as all oil products will change color of woods or enhance the grain look because they are a yellow tint. This adds a nice warm look and feel to the wood as it also seals the wood fibers. 

Now to your question. No to dipping or wiping more than one coat. You are correct when you said one coats seals the wood. Yes it does. Now what Kevin experienced and what you see when doing additional coats is building up of the materials used in the finish such as stains, poly or tung oils. This can cause pooling and leave unsightly shiny spots and uneven sheen. So you can enhance the sheen with poly or lacquer. Danish oil can be top coated with either because the amount of poly used in mixture is so small it basically is locking the grain and that is all. So I suggest use one or the other if you want to enhance sheen properties. Satin, semi gloss or gloss all can be used. Or you can continue doing what you do with using more coats of Danish oil but seems an expensive way to build up sheen. 

Now what I use to do is dip my projects in Danish oil all the time and leave sit for about 5 minutes. Then I would pull them out and let them drip in a pan that catches runoff which I can always reuse. After that I wipe down with a clean lint free cloth and let air dry. Before I go to stack in a final resting place I make sure to wipe down once again to make sure there is no pooling. Many times woods like oak can bleed excess oils for quite some time after the final wiping so that needs to be watched. Now I always sand my projects to 220 grit. This closes the pores enough that one coat of Danish oil is all that is needed to give a nice soft sheen. But many times on certain projects I will polish them with Watco wood polish and this takes the sheen up a nice notch and really gives the wood a nice feel. Have been doing this for many years. Now I always did my dipping an finishing out doors because that stuff does leave an odor. It is also why I have to leave the projects sit for at least a week to dissipate that smell before I sell.  But back then I had my methods and worked well for me. Everyone develops their own methods and discovers their own dos and don'ts. Good luck. 

PS. I guess it can not hurt to put the safety reminder about using finishes and storing and drying of rags. They can self combust so dip in water  or air dry out doors. Store finishes safely. Do not do finishing work in closed in basements with gas fired appliances. The vapors are just as dangerous as the products themselves. Build up of vapors can be ignited. Work safe and use your head. 

Edited Saturday at 02:18 PM by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Joe W.]

6 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Now I always sand my projects to 220 grit. This closes the pores enough that one coat of Danish oil is all that is needed to give a nice soft sheen.

Hello John, and thank you for your information.
You confirmed what I had ben thinking - that the initial coat of Danish Oil is sufficient to warm/color the wood.  From there it is a matter of what sheen is desired.

I started making my own recipe of Danish Oil last year and like the results I got on the few pieces I have put it on.  But after reading your comments, I think after applying my Danish Oil formula, I'll just apply poly, or perhaps some other type of finish, such as lacquer.

The finishing process for me is an on-going education.
Recently had my first experience finishing a couple benches made from old reclaimed barn wood with Boiled Linseed Oil.  Could not get over how much oil the wood soaked up. 

Made sure to leave the rags outside on the ground to dry out.     

Thanks again for your response.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

5 hours ago, Joe W. said:

Hello John, and thank you for your information.
You confirmed what I had ben thinking - that the initial coat of Danish Oil is sufficient to warm/color the wood.  From there it is a matter of what sheen is desired.

I started making my own recipe of Danish Oil last year and like the results I got on the few pieces I have put it on.  But after reading your comments, I think after applying my Danish Oil formula, I'll just apply poly, or perhaps some other type of finish, such as lacquer.

The finishing process for me is an on-going education.
Recently had my first experience finishing a couple benches made from old reclaimed barn wood with Boiled Linseed Oil.  Could not get over how much oil the wood soaked up. 

Made sure to leave the rags outside on the ground to dry out.     

Thanks again for your response.

Well Joe I could have expanded my response but sometimes I get long winded. people have a tendency to skip over the post then. being you brought it up I will expand here. You mention BLO. This is another way to go being you want to control your own shine. BLO is half the price of Danish oil and does the same thing with sealing the wood and being an oil will also warm the wood color. But has no sheen because no poly is in the mixture. This is what people use if they are going to work toward a sheen higher than you get with Danish oil. Danish oil sheen is so subtle. It is below a satin gloss. So something else to think of. Again Lacquer or poly can be top coated over BLO. As I mentioned I used Danish oil all the time. I loved the subtle shine I got with it. I sanded to 220 grit which made a huge difference because it closed pores as I said. I use a ton of red oak but have also used mahagony and maple but being a softer woods they would have needed extra help in the sheen depart if I wanted to have that soft warm glow. Danish oil is used because it can save steps and finishing materials, but again does not have a high sheen. The poly in the mix is too small. You can add more in your mix and may work better for you but off the shelf stuff you will not get a high shine. I said I used wax to help the shine somewhat. But I did not like high shines on my scrollsawn projects because you can not get the same shine inside fret work as you can on the top layer. Never happen. So again this was my reasoning. Now if you you want to control sheen inside fret work then I suggest spraying and not dipping or wiping on. Now take all this stuff I wrote as my opinion. But will say I have finished many of projects with all kinds of woods from domestic to exotic which is a whole other story. Good luck.

[Scrappile]

@JTTHECLOCKMAN Nice write up.  Should be added to the HOW-TO section here on the village.

[Mike Crosa]

Agree.  

[edward]

I use Danish Oil all the time brings out the wood color and grain!

[Joe W.]

On 6/14/2025 at 10:13 PM, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Well Joe I could have expanded my response but sometimes I get long winded. . . . Good luck.

John,  I for one, appreciate more detail, and thanks for that. 
There are often a wealth of knowledge in comments like yours that you just can't find in books.
I'm always on the lookout for ways to cut costs, and I'll do some more experimenting with BLO and compare it to my Danish Oil formula. 
Based on your comments, it sounds like there isn't a noticeable/significant difference in the look between the two, as compared to say, off the shelf amber shellac.
 

Also agree with Paul and Mike - this topic would be a good place for inclusion in the HOW-TO section.    

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

19 minutes ago, Joe W. said:

John,  I for one, appreciate more detail, and thanks for that. 
There are often a wealth of knowledge in comments like yours that you just can't find in books.
I'm always on the lookout for ways to cut costs, and I'll do some more experimenting with BLO and compare it to my Danish Oil formula. 
Based on your comments, it sounds like there isn't a noticeable/significant difference in the look between the two, as compared to say, off the shelf amber shellac.
 

Also agree with Paul and Mike - this topic would be a good place for inclusion in the HOW-TO section.    

Wow Joe you are going down different paths here. I agree Danish oil and BLO will give the same look as each other because BLO is main ingredient in Danish oil. It is the driers and the poly that makes Danish oil a better choice in some instances that I already explained. But there are ways around that to enhance the sheen as I mentioned.

But do not compare Danish oil or BLO to shellac at all. Two different finishes for many reasons. But main one is BLO and Danish oils are penetrating finishes as with shellac it is a surface finish. Man I could write another book but will try to keep simple. Shellac is a finish that is high suspect to cracking because it dries harder. It will or can flake off certain woods or conditions because wood expand and contract. It is dissolved with alcohol and is only somewhat water resistant. It basically needs a top coat to protect it. The color even the amber will not compare to Danish oil or BLO. People use it in our craft because of quick drying and less smell. But most our projects are not handled alot either so it holds up. But with Danish oil it penetrants the wood fibers and clings to them deep into the wood and thus makes it a tougher finish in that it is more flexible and moves with the wood and the poly even though a small amount will make it more water resistant and not affect by alcohol. It has been used outdoors too but I recommend a top coat if you do that. You can say same about BLO without the poly. But when adding poly seals the wood even further.   Again the use of top coatings is to enhance the sheen. Now let me say this too. Not all Danish oils are the same. Some use different ingredients and amounts but it is the oil that give that warm wood look that is desired many times. I suggest anyone wanting to see differences in finishes to compare side by side with same wood from same board and make up your own minds. Again I will stress the grit you sand with can change the looks of any stain or finish. By the way Danish oil comes in different colors as well which has oil stains added to it. BLO does not. Now Varnish has not mentioned here. That is another top coating in the lines of Poly but mainly used outdoors. I hope some of this makes sense. Finishing woods for projects is an art in itself. We as scrollers look for something fast, least smell, and easy to apply to enhance our work. All finishes have their pros and cons but are used for different purposes and applied many times in different ways. I always loved lacquers over poly any day of the week because each layer melts into one another to become one strong layer. Easier to apply and no sanding between coats is a huge plus. To me the more coats of lacquer the deeper the look is achieved. To some this is not a factor but fine furnishings this matters. Anyway have fun. There are many books out there on the subject if you want to dive deeper.  Experiment is the best way to see subtle differences.