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Thread: Danish Oil - curing time ??

  1. #1

    Danish Oil - curing time ??

    A few months ago, I built a miniature chest of drawers for the purpose of storing tea bags and sweetener packets in my kitchen. I chose Watco Danish Oil as a finish for the drawer bodies, which were made of poplar and plywood.

    I got a little over anxious to start using it, so I filled it with its intended contents a few days after finishing. That was sort of a mistake, as the tea bags took on the finish scent. I immediately tossed them.

    But it's been about 3-1/2 months and the finish scent is still there. Anything I put in there takes on the scent. What did I do wrong?

  2. #2
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    Did you put the Danish Oil on/in the drawers? If so, that was your error. Oil finishes will stink for months when applied to interior cabinet parts. I would wipe any interior parts you put oil on with Naptha, several times, using clean rags each time. Let that dry for at least a day, and then apply a coat or two of Sealcoat shellac to those parts. Let those coats dry and that should do it.

    John

  3. #3
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    Any oil based product is going to off-gas "forever", so you'll need to seal the drawer boxes with shellac or a water borne finish to mitigate the odor transfer issue. Oil based products really shouldn't be used on the interiors of anything that will store clothing or food for that reason.
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    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
    Thanks guys. For the record, what finish should I have used on this?

  5. #5
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    I would have used shellac.

  6. #6
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    Shellac or water borne is what I use and recommend for interior parts like drawers.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
    Anything on the outside. Shellac or nothing on the inside. I have also had luck with lacquer on the insides. Come to think of it even waterborne enduro clear poly does not appear to off gas. I suspect this is just something oilbased finishes do.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    Anything on the outside. Shellac or nothing on the inside. I have also had luck with lacquer on the insides. Come to think of it even waterborne enduro clear poly does not appear to off gas. I suspect this is just something oilbased finishes do.
    As Prashun states, Enduro has no odor after it's dried and will give you a tough, slight amber finish (it is a more expensive material). As well as the recommendations above, the WB poly I use almost all the time for drawers is General Finishes High Performance

  9. #9
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    Just to be clear, Andy, which Enduro you use makes a big difference. Enduro Clear Poly and PreCat Lacquer have very low odor, but EnduroVar is pretty stinky for quite awhile after it first dries, at least a week. It does go away, but it's surprising how long it stinks when used on the inside of a drawer.

    John

  10. #10
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    John, maybe my lack of sensitivity, but I've never noticed an odor for Enduro-var the next day :-)

  11. #11
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    I shellac the insides of carcasses and leave drawer boxes bare unless cleaning is an issue. Then I shellac them too.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Giddings View Post
    John, maybe my lack of sensitivity, but I've never noticed an odor for Enduro-var the next day :-)

    Seriously? Your olfactory senses are shot.

    John

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