hawkeye10 Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 I did a test about a hour and a half ago using Watco natural and BLO and so far they seem about the same as far as looks go. In your opinion is there a difference if so what is the difference? PS - That is BLO and mineral spirits mixed 50/50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 The diferance is the mix is cheaper! ounce for ounce, it is way cheaper, when you buy the items by the gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 The main difference is 2 different products. Danish oil has polyurethane in it to give a warm gloss to the project as BLO does not. Danish oil has blo in it but other ingredients too. I use a ton of Watco Danish oil for just about all my projects. It leaves them with a soft glow and smooth to touch feel. Sometimes with things like shelves magazine racks and things of this nature I will top coat with Watco satin polish. I do use BLO when I want to pop the grain of wood but want to top coat with either a lacquer or a poly. That stuff does not interfer with the top coat and I do not have to put a shelac to break that bond. SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 I use 50% BLO to make the wood pop and it is less expensive. On most I finish with polyurethane or shellac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted January 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 I use 50% BLO to make the wood pop and it is less expensive. On most I finish with polyurethane or shellac. Denny do you dip, spray, wipe, or brush shellac? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Hey,Guys and Gals , which dries faster ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Denny do you dip, spray, wipe, or brush shellac? I do it the easy way, spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 BLO dries faster. But not by much. You still need to let that cure before top coating. If you are going to top coat than of course it is cheaper. But if you are using the Danish oil as a top coat then hands down that is the way to go. As I said i do not often top coat scrollsaw projects but if I do I will use the BLO instead of Danish oil because of the mixing of materials as I mentioned. I use lacquer and not poly for top coating on 99.9% I always dip my projects. I always spray my top coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 If you want a product that can be used as a top coat, you can use Watco. BLO doesn't make for a very good final finish. If you just want a color or grain enhancer, you can use either, but BLO is much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 I'm mentioning this because I'm not sure, but does the difference between the two methods differ for different woods? In other words, I know poplar is soft and soaks up the finishes fast and dries quickly. But what about oak or cherry? I know cherry is dense and the blo mix provides a nice sheen, but I've never tried Danish oil on cherry. Comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 No problem with any woods. I use it on exotic woods all the time. My go to wood is red oak. I use that more than any other wood. The other woods are accent woods. Just have to wipe to get rid of any puddles. Blo is the same results. This is mahogony and maple and it is so hard to show a finish but it is one coat dipped. soaks in well and just a light wipe is all that is needed. I make all sorts of wood combinations in these baskets. Doug and Lucky2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted January 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 No problem with any woods. I use it on exotic woods all the time. My go to wood is red oak. I use that more than any other wood. The other woods are accent woods. Just have to wipe to get rid of any puddles. Blo is the same results. This is mahogony and maple and it is so hard to show a finish but it is one coat dipped. soaks in well and just a light wipe is all that is needed. I make all sorts of wood combinations in these baskets. WOW John those are beautiful. JTTHECLOCKMAN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 Dan, regarding the differences in these finishes used on different woods, BLO and Watco are both products that are meant to soak into the wood. The Watco will build a film finish, but only after a lot of coats. Danish oils in general are designed to give wood a low luster, hand rubbed look. That said, the grain of the wood will impact it's ability to absorb the oil probably more so than the hardness. Pine is notoriously hard to finish, because it doesn't absorb evenly. Oak is much harder, but has an open grain, which will absorb oil much more readily and evenly. Cherry and maple have a tighter grain and do tend to splotch more than oak does. Oil on cherry really pops the grain, but you may have to apply more coats of a Watco finish to get an even sheen than you would with oak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Scroller Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 BLO takes a day or longer (depends on the environment) to dry. I normally wait at least 3 days if I am going to apply a final finish like poly. BLO is really more a wood treatment then a final finish. JTTHECLOCKMAN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 One other factor that needs mentioning when finishing with Danish oil, the grit you sand to can have an effect on how many coats you need to apply if you are looking for a even smooth coat. I always sand to 220 grit on scrollsawn projects. The higher the grit the more you close the pores of the wood and the more the material sits on top. It is the same for different wood species. The closer the grain the tighter the woood pores and the less liquid is allowed to penetrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted January 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 I assume most everyone sands their boards before they scroll saw them. I know I do. I sand to at least 220 grit. In my test I did this week with BLO and Watco I found that I like Watco the best at least on oak, Watco gave me a more smooth finish with what most people call a warm glow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 I always sand my boards before and after scrolling. Most times I am dimensioning my lumber so that requires resawing, planing, and sanding to just get started before i put the pattern on. Then after cut I always run a random orbit sander over to rid of fuzzy and any tape residue if there is any. Then I blow the dust off and out of the frets with a small compressor. doing this outdoors at all times. Then pick a good day to dip and and let dry out doors. Oils will smell for a long time. So I make sure to do these projects in the summer time so I can leave a window open in the basement after I bring them in. After a few days the smell dissipates. I love my Watco. I loved it much better before they decided to stop making it and when they came back they made a slightly different formula. I could tell the difference right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 I forgot to take out the trash. My wife asked why. I told her that my noggin lacked storage space for all this info you guys are providing. This is great stuff. There is no doubt I'll be trying Danish oil in the near future. BTW, how many Danes does it take to make a quart of oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 I suppose this is a good time to add the obligatory PSA about BLO and rags..... Please be sure to dispose of oil soaked rags properly to prevent spontaneous combustion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted January 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2017 I suppose this is a good time to add the obligatory PSA about BLO and rags..... Please be sure to dispose of oil soaked rags properly to prevent spontaneous combustion. You are right Bill. I hang mine up to dry and if I can I reuse them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 27, 2017 Report Share Posted January 27, 2017 Throw them in a bucket of water is another way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Throw them in a bucket of water is another way. i do the water myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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