WATCO Danish Oil Cure Time

[BadBob]

I make toys and puzzles mostly. I cut a puzzle that I wanted to have a contrasting color on a couple of the pieces. I used WATCO Danish Oil for one of the colors. It has been two weeks, and it still smells.

How long does it take for WATCO Danish Oil to cure completely?

Checked their website, but no joy. They say ready to use in 8-10 hours. Ready to use is not cured. If I can smell it is still outgassing.

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, BadBob said:

I make toys and puzzles mostly. I cut a puzzle that I wanted to have a contrasting color on a couple of the pieces. I used WATCO Danish Oil for one of the colors. It has been two weeks, and it still smells.

How long does it take for WATCO Danish Oil to cure completely?

Checked their website, but no joy. They say ready to use in 8-10 hours. Ready to use is not cured. If I can smell it is still outgassing.

I usually wait 3-4 days between coats. As to odor it may never go away.

[redwine]

I very seldom ever use this oil anymore for that reason of the continuing smell! Customers would pick up an item and would get a wiff of the oil and put it back! The oil does dry quickly especially here in the southwest during the summer time! 

Erv

[OCtoolguy]

I just picked up something I made that was dipped in Watco and once dried I sprayed it with Zinnzer's shellac. No smell at all.

[kmmcrafts]

I've found it depends a lot on the type of wood and how long you let it set in the oil.. 

Wood types that really soak it in.. may take several weeks. I mess with cherry mostly but recently in the last couple years started using poplar for puzzles. The cherry it'll dry out fairly quick like 3-5 days. Poplar might take a couple weeks.. and don't even think about red oak or spalted maple.. In those woods that really soak it up, I usually try to just do a very quick dip and wipe off so it's not soaked in deep into the wood as that is when it takes forever to dry out. Also, humidity plays a huge factor.. 

Now there are also different VOC's in Danish oil.. and the one type dries about 3 times faster than the other ( or it seems ), LOL.. BUT the slower dry one also leaves a nicer luster / sheen 

Edited March 22, 2022 by kmmcrafts

[BadBob]

18 hours ago, OCtoolguy said:

I just picked up something I made that was dipped in Watco and once dried I sprayed it with Zinnzer's shellac. No smell at all.

Doesn't the shellac change the color?

[John B]

2 minutes ago, BadBob said:

Doesn't the shellac change the color?

Bob, you can get normal Shellac (orange) of White Shellac (Clear) The white has undergone a process to remove a lot of the wax and bleached for use on blond timbers etc.

[BadBob]

17 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I've found it depends a lot on the type of wood and how long you let it set in the oil.

The piece is poplar. I brushed it on and wiped it off almost immediately. No dipping. I have some sanding sealer that is almost completely clear. I think I am going to try coating it with that.

[BadBob]

3 minutes ago, John B said:

Bob, you can get normal Shellac (orange) of White Shellac (Clear) The white has undergone a process to remove a lot of the wax and bleached for use on blond timbers etc.

I use lots of shellac. Mostly amber and all of it is Zinsser brush in the can from big box stores. The shellac they sell as clear is not clear. It is pale amber. According to the manufacturer, the only shellac they have that is dewaxed is the sanding sealer. The sanding sealer is as clear as it gets, and it isn't clear. There is no such thing as clear shellac, as far as I can see.

 

Yes, I know they label it as clear, but it isn't.

[BadBob]

18 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

Now there are also different VOC's in Danish oil.. and the one type dries about 3 times faster than the other ( or it seems ), LOL.. BUT the slower dry one also leaves a nicer luster / sheen

The can I have has stoddard solvent in it. I used stoddard a lot in the military it is slow to evaporate compared to other solvents. It has been a long time, but I think this is what I am smelling. Stoddard is some nasty stuff. I think this can is going to hazardous waste disposal on my next trip.

 

[kmmcrafts]

42 minutes ago, BadBob said:

The piece is poplar. I brushed it on and wiped it off almost immediately. No dipping. I have some sanding sealer that is almost completely clear. I think I am going to try coating it with that.

 

I sometimes topcoat with waterbase Polyurethane ( stuff in the blue can ).. it dries to touch within about 20-30 minutes but cures ( no smell ) usually within a day or so.. and the smell isn't too strong anyway. 

[John B]

1 hour ago, BadBob said:

I use lots of shellac. Mostly amber and all of it is Zinsser brush in the can from big box stores. The shellac they sell as clear is not clear. It is pale amber. According to the manufacturer, the only shellac they have that is dewaxed is the sanding sealer. The sanding sealer is as clear as it gets, and it isn't clear. There is no such thing as clear shellac, as far as I can see.

 

Yes, I know they label it as clear, but it isn't.

I never use the premixed stuff. I always purchase the flakes and mix my own with Metho. I placed clear in brackets, because I have seen it labelled that way, but it is white shellac.
Clear Poly also has an amber hue. unless you use water based. It is what it is.

[Bill WIlson]

2 hours ago, BadBob said:

Doesn't the shellac change the color?

If an oil based finish has been applied, the color has already changed somewhat.  I doubt you will notice much more by topcoating with clear shellac.  Yes it does impart a slightly amber tint, but the Danish oil has already done that.

If you wanted to take it s step further, you can buy shellac in flake form and mix your own.   Flakes come in a much wider variety of tints and there are ones that are more clear than what is used in the Zinsser pre-mixed shellac you buy at the Big Box.

[redwine]

I did fail to say that the few items that I have dipped in the danish oil, I now spray over with gloss or satin lacquer so no longer have the odor . It doesn't bother me  anymore as I have very little since of smell anymore unlike my wife that must have the since of smell like a hound dog! 

Erv

[OCtoolguy]

5 hours ago, BadBob said:

Doesn't the shellac change the color?

No, it just gave it a slight sheen. 

[BadBob]

I have an open support ticket on this subject with Rust-Oleum Product Support. They said "generally goes completely away in a few weeks."

I was asked several questions about what I was doing and told me they would look further into the issue.

A few weeks is way to long for my purposes. 

 

[Bill WIlson]

I've heard that it can take at least 30 days for Watco to fully cure.  This is subject to conditions.  You need low humidity, warmer temps, air flow around the entire piece and good ventilation.  Less than ideal conditions means longer cure times.

Years ago I built a china hutch for my wife, for our 25th anniversary.  I finished it with oil based varnish, inside & out.  It took years before the smell inside the hutch went away completely.  That's when I learned never to use oil based finishes inside enclosed spaces like cabinets, drawers, boxes, etc.  

[BadBob]

Here is what Rust-Oleum Product Support said:

 

Quote

 

Hi Robert,
 
Thank you for providing the requested information. At this point you can take warm soapy water and apply with a sponge or cloth. This should help in eliminating the odor.
 
Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Regards,

Roberta
Rust-Oleum Product Support
800-385-8155

 

 

I am going to try this. I post the results.

 

 

[BadBob]

8 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

I've heard that it can take at least 30 days for Watco to fully cure. 

I found posts that said it would take that long, but I could never find the original source. I should dig out my finishing books and see if it talks about this.

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, BadBob said:

Here is what Rust-Oleum Product Support said:

 

 

I am going to try this. I post the results.

 

 

Hmm, soapy water huh.. I'll be interested in your results on that if you try it.. I feel your pain on time lines being I sell online and mostly use Danish oil finish.. In the summer months I can set the project outside in the sun for a few hours and usually I can have the smell gone within 2-3 days.. During the cold winter.. that's another story and not going to happen. Most times in the cold climate if the need to ship it is within a few days I will just use a different method to finish but I do like the way the Danish Oil makes the wood grain pop. A lot of times in the cold I use the mineral oil and beeswax mix or a polyurethane spray. 

I heat the shop with a wood pellet stove.. setting the project out in front of that where the blower blows the heat out.. most times I can still achieve a 3-5 day no smell and if I do smell slightly and I need to ship. I will top coat with the water base poly and that takes care of the smell. I hate top coating though.. so this soapy water I might have to give a try on some scrap to see what happens.  

[dgman]

I don’t use Watco Danish oil. I use a 50/50 mix of Boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. The mineral spirits thins the oil and usually dries within 24 hours. I will then topcoat with semi gloss spray lacquer. If I need to ship right away, I’ll let the lacquer cure for two days before shipping. So, if I have a special order, I give a lead time of two weeks.

[OCtoolguy]

44 minutes ago, dgman said:

I don’t use Watco Danish oil. I use a 50/50 mix of Boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. The mineral spirits thins the oil and usually dries within 24 hours. I will then topcoat with semi gloss spray lacquer. If I need to ship right away, I’ll let the lacquer cure for two days before shipping. So, if I have a special order, I give a lead time of two weeks.

Dan, is there a substitute for the mineral spirits? I was at H/D today and checked again but still no go. They have paint thinner and another product called paint cleaner if I recall. I've never seen it before. 

[dgman]

I don’t know as I have never used anything else. What you need to do is venture out north to L. A. County and see if you can find some. Here in Ventura Co. it is readily available. Maybe look on Home Depot’s web site of the nearest store in L.A. county. I know you hate the thought of venturing out into traffic to L.A. county, but it might be worth it.

[kmmcrafts]

I've used the 50/50 mix in the past because everyone was talking about it being better than Danish oil.. I honestly had a hard time telling the difference.. still stinks for a few days.. Only thing I could come up with is the fact that the homemade mix really should have a top coat.. and Danish oil has poly or varnish? in it already and really no need to top coat.. at least that is what I've been told.. Top coats on most fretwork looks terrible in my opinion plus I have no "good" area that is dust free ( paint booth ) to spray it.. Work okay in the summer outside so long as no rain in the forecast etc. and definitely not an option in the winter. 

I've read somewhere that you can add a small amount of wipe on poly to the 50/50 mix and you basically have the same thing as Danish oil.. have yet to give that a try.. 

[Bill WIlson]

There really should be no mystery regarding the various finishing products available to the hobbiest woodworker, but it seems like manufacturers love to promote the myth that their product is a blend of secret ingredients with mystical powers.  A lot of is it just marketing hype and a fair amount is confusing at best and misleading at worst.

If you use any oil based finish, the smell may seem to go away within a few days, under ideal conditions.  However, put that piece in a box for a couple days and I suspect you will find that it is still off-gassing.

The best short term solution is to top coat it, once the recommended drying time has been achieved.  However, you need to top coat it with something that won't compound the problem.  For example, it would be self defeating to apply BLO to a piece, then follow up with a top coat of an oil based polyurethane. That's why lacquer and shellac are popular choices.  People use the oil based product to pop the grain and a top coat to protect and seal it.  Waterborne finishes are another option, but I don't like applying them directly over oil.  I prefer a barrier coat of shellac first to prevent any problems with incompatibility between unlike products.  For scroll saw projects that don't get a lot of wear and abuse, using shellac as the sealer and topcoat is ideal for me.