Hi folks
New to the world of wood turning and hoping to draw on the experience of this community. Can anyone tell me the differences between Danish Oil and Finishing Oil and what they are best used for?
Thanks in advance, Kev
Hi, welcome to the hobby. Not sure if you’ve had any responses, can’t see any. Both are generic terms for oils and they are the same sort of thing - Chestnut products use the term finishing oil out of respect to the original supplier of danish oil in the UK, Ronnie Rustin.
Both are dilute solutions of varnish in a solvent often with other additions like a UV filter or tung oil.
They are good for finishing all sorts of wood - they can produce a satin finish which is more desirable for large projects - high gloss can obscure both detail and grain. If several coats are used allowed to set fully they can be buffed with a three stage system such as the Beall system to produce a high gloss. The finish is tough and water resistant to some extent (so different to wax in that resp ect). However it takes some time to set esp in the cold, smells of solvent while it dries, and goes off over the course of a year at which point the varnishes have polymerised - stuck together in an irreversibe reaction, and it’s useless. There is a lot in the internet about the pros and cons of different finishedm I use mainly wax over sanding sealer, spray gloss lacquer over sanding sealer X and danish oil on bars wood. I also use a non setting butcher block product on cutting board and food prep items
Thanks for taking the time to respond Glenn. A very helpful response.
