Passing through Bunnings yesterday (Keysborough), and came across a sales table with a few cans of Organoil’s Danish Oil.
I’m not sure if they know that Organoil is being re-released or not, but I wasn’t going to tell them, seeing as they had it marked down from $25 to $10 for 1L, and from $75 to $35 for 4L.
I bought 2 x 1L cans, and 2 x 500mL cans for just $30.
Danish Oil
If you are wondering why Danish Oil, oil finishes can be stunning if done properly, (and still show the timber off nicely, even when just slapped on! (And it has a nice aroma to boot)
Components
From the label, it is a combination of Tung, Linseed, Pinewood and Citrus oils. Their description where it includes the term “original, heavy oil formulation” is a bit stupid – makes the uninitiated think that it is like slapping heavy black mineral oil on their work, which is far, far from the truth!
Tung Oil, as I saw in Bunnings, seems to be relegated to treating decks. Unbelievable. Sure, it would do a good job, but it is like using Jarrah for the deck and painting it (which I have also seen). Tung Oil can produce the most amazing finishes on fine furniture when applied with care and finesse.
While there, I also bought a bottle of Linseed Oil so I can use it in an experiment with Triton Oil (also known as Hard Burnishing Oil) and Danish Oil to see if I can replicate the dangers of spontaneous combustion of oil-soaked rags.
Linseed Oil
The label on the bottle sure promises some results!
Spontaneous Combustion
I have a computer-plotting thermocouple temperature probe ready for the experiment as well, so on a day when I have plenty of time to monitor the result (and deal with any consequences), I’ll see if I can’t get some rags to spontaneously burst into flame, just to prove that it can, and does happen.
Filed under: Safety, Tools | Tagged: Danish Oil, Linseed Oil, Oil, Spontaneous Combustion, Tung Oil |
Stu's Shed 
Nice aroma all right, but it’s just a wee bit overpowering. 20 minutes playing with that stuff (in the open air) and my head’s ready for a pillow. 🙂
That’s when it REALLY starts working 😉
I am just starting to experiment with the Danish oil (for staining) and tung oil for finishing.
It sounds like the one you found have them combined?
If done right. Something like 2-3 coats of Danish oil and 3-4 coats of tung oil I hope to get that really really good look.
but haven’t tried applying it yet. That may be a good topic to show how to do 🙂
The products here are a combination – it would be very interesting to see how they compare to applying one over the other (wish I was more an expert on finishing, but I’m still learning (always will be!)
An old video I have seen on Tung Oil (recently re-released on DVD by Taunton Publishing) demonstrates some incredible results, so it is definitely a finish worth becoming intimately familar with.
I would be interested if you completed the spontaneous combusion experiment, and what the results were. Email me if you get a chance.
Larry Gelner
Thanks for the prompt – had a window of opportunity today, so some results are actually forthcoming, although not what I was expecting!
Two suggestions: 1) avoid using RAW Linseed oil for furniture finishes. Changes in temperature and humidity affect the unstable raw oil, and will actually age the wood prematurely. It’s also a high maintenance finish. Much better suited for the job is RECTIFIED Linseed oil, (Artists Linseed Oil), which is, generally, chemically altered in a high pressure, high temperature benzine bath. This process chemically alters the oil, rendering it much more stable while also making it more impervious to changes to atmospheric changes. Rectified linseed oil maintains the desired properties – easy to work with, deep penetration, rich luster- while eliminating problem associated with raw oils.
2) Fun with spontaneous combustion is a long term affair. Just continue to throw all your soaked rags in a corner. Don’t stir them like it’s a compost heap, just leave them. Then, one day, could be a year, could be five, you will have the suprise of you life – the pile will spontaneously combust! Be sure to warn all your neighbors and your insurance man you are a stark raving mad idiot, and enjoy!