Help Required With Oil Finish On Oak Platter

[Duncan A]

I've just finished making a platter out of an "interesting" piece of oak. The end result is quite pleasing to my eyes, including as it does heartwood, sapwood, burrs, punky wood, bark inclusions and checks aplenty, but I'm having trouble getting an even finish with Chestnut Finishing Oil.
This is largely due to the varying absorbencies of the different parts of the platter, but also with capillary action lifting oil back to the surface through "eyes" and cracks.
Basically a mess. It's not too clear in the pictures but some areas are still matt, some have too heavy a coating of oil, some have blobs where the oil has pooled or risen back up, or come through a crack from the other side. All of this following three coats, lightly sanded in between, wiped off with a cloth a few minutes after application, in a warm indoor environment.
The oil is reasonably thin but it is several years old. I know, I know!
The platter is about 600mm along it's longest axis; top lip 450mm diameter. If necessary, I could mount it back on the lathe with a friction drive of some sort.

I would greatly appreciate any advice on how best to improve the finish.
   Sand back, start again with fresh oil?
   Leave to cure fully, sand back apply way on the main areas?
   Leave to cure fully, sand back and spray with lacquer?
   Giving up and crying is not an option!

Thanks in advance
Duncan

[Wood spinner]

I would sand back and use a couple of coats of sanding sealer , Burnish with wood shavings in-between coats , Build up a sealing barrier before using  something like Danish oil , Leave each coat of Danish oil to dry then wipe off any excess , Polish then apply a wax over the top , Thats all I can suggest , Good luck , It deserves the extra effort as it is a niece turning 

[John Peachey]

I would sand back and use a couple of coats of sanding sealer , Burnish with wood shavings in-between coats , Build up a sealing barrier before using  something like Danish oil , Leave each coat of Danish oil to dry then wipe off any excess , Polish then apply a wax over the top , Thats all I can suggest , Good luck , It deserves the extra effort as it is a niece turning 

I would agree with most of this, apart from trying to put a wax polish on, as you are likely to get wax trapped in the crevices/gaps.

John

[otterbank]

I would let that coat of oil dry and then sand it again, just go lightly on the softer parts. Buy new oil and apply sparingly.
I’ve found once my Danish oil gets to about six months old it’s not quite so reliable, I still use it but drying times vary.
The first coat that I flood on a burr or such like need to be wiped off quite a few times to clear the excess that leaks out of the knots and eyes.
That’s the way I deal with burrs or pieces like yours, many other ways to deal with it I imagine but that works for me.
Good luck
Michael

[Duncan A]

Thanks for the advice gents.
Sounds like I'll be doing a fair bit of sanding!

Allen: I'll have to test compatibility between sanding sealer and the oil if I'm going to go down that route, but it's worth trying as it should even up absorbence of the oil between the various wood types. I didn't use wax in the first place because of all the crevices and gaps - picking out pieces of wax and cloth or paper didn't appeal, but I won't need to wax if the oil applies and dries evenly.

John: You're right about the wax, see my comments above.

Michael: Definitely seems like I should try fresh oil; possibly also try wiping off the surplus more thoroughly so there's less excess finding its way out. It was useful to hear that you've found a method that works for wood of this sort - it should be possible.

I'll sand back and try again with some fresh oil before trying the more radical approaches and will report back progress. Possibly not until after Christmas as I've plenty of other projects on at the moment.

Thanks again,
Duncan

[Wood spinner]

I keep an old toothbrush in my workshop for getting into small spaces , works for me. If you don't need wax that's even better.

[BrianH]

My advice is to forget any idea of 'coats ' of oil. You are trying to saturate the timber and every time you see an area going matt give it another drink until it keeps a similar level of 'wetness' as the rest, then wipe and leave overnight. Do this several times before even considering a final finish.
All the best with it
Brian

[Paul Hannaby]

putting sanding sealer on top of oil is asking for trouble - don't do it!

As you have already said, the different areas are absorbing differently and there are no shortcuts here. Apply a generous coat of oil, after 20-30 minutes wipe of any excess and leave it for 24 hours. Repeat until the finish is more consistent.

[jay]

      What about adding a bit of Japan dryers to the next coat of oil? . It isn't food safe but i doubt if that matters I used to do this when I made my own Danish oil . Weather  Japan  is available in this country I don't know, it contains cobalt 

[Dave Wraight]

I agree with Paul  - big no to sanding sealer - just be patient - I had a big piece of oak burr which eventually had 4/5 coats of oil but i applied the oil then left for  a week before the next coat.

[seventhdevil]

let this oil cure before you do anything except wipe off any excess that has bled back up.

sounds like it just needs longer between coats. 

i leave mine for 48 hours or on oilier timbers a week or more between coats.

as others have said you NEVER USE SANDING SEALER ONCE OIL HAS BEEN APPLIED...

also you don't add oil on top of sanding sealer...

[Richard_C]

A very good point.  Depending on the the of oil and the solvents used (Danish oil can be almost anything) the polymerisation reaction carries on long after is is dry to the touch and during that process it hardens.  If you put another coat on before it is fully cured you risk softening that which is already there. and making matters worse, not better.  With Danish oil I get best results by applying a good coat, letting it dry then buffing as normal.  Then I leave it well alone for a few days, in winter maybe a couple of weeks and/or bring it indoors, before applying a second, thinner, coat of oil or a smear of microcrystalline wax.  Sometimes I look at it and find a second coat isn't needed, just buff it up again.

Recently I've been using Chestnut wipe on Melamine for speed, applied over sanding sealer just so I don't use loads but I know some people use is as a combined sealer/finish. It doesn't seem to mind a cold winter workshop.  You can fine sand and recoat well within the hour.  Pretty forgiving as long as you apply it faster than fast, the solvent dries very quickly so it can 'drag' if you tarry.  I wonder if Melamine would have helped here?  Probably too late now over oil but for next time perhaps.

[Duncan A]

Some useful ideas out there, thanks everyone.

For now, I plan to sand down to a uniform surface with a fine abrasive, buy some fresh Finishing oil and settle in for the long haul of multiple thin coats.
I've been waiting 12 - 24 hours in a warm house between coats, but may give it longer than that in light of some of the comments.
Possibly, I may also give more absorbent areas additional coats to assist in evening out the finish across the platter.

This will probably give me a high gloss finish by the end of the process so I hope it looks OK or my next question may well be how to satinise it!

I didn't think melamine would be practical given the size and varied nature of the platter surface, but maybe I should have considered it as it worked fine when I once used it on a decent sized lump of mallee burr - see pictures. Oddly, the method I used was to whack it on generously and allow it to self level as it evaporated. Although full of eyes, the burr was homogenous which probably helped.

[ken rodgers]

I prefer a Matt finish on burrs, especially oak and therefore I do not use sanding sealer and only use lemon oil. Several coats are given over 1 to 2 weeks hand buffed in between.At this time of year I bring them indoors to help the drying process.
In the rare event of needing to polish, a very fine coat of micro crystalline wax is applied and gently rubbed over using a finger nail brush to clean out cracks etc.

l have even applied lemon oli over the top of the wax, then buffed with no adverse effect noticed.

[Duncan A]

Well, after a long time on the back burner,  I finally got around to finishing this platter.
There were a number of useful suggestions (above) and also some very helpful advice from Terry Smart of Chestnut Products which I've partially copied below as there may be some useful tips in there for others:

"You've suggested a few alternatives, and the option to leave the oil to fully dry (should only be a few days) and apply a wax over the oil is the best one. I'd be inclined to use a fine abrasive (such as one of our NyWeb pads) to bring the surface to as uniform finish as possible, then apply something like WoodWax 22 and buff that up to the shine you want. It's possible to apply a couple of coats, or even use Microcrystalline Wax on top of it.
............
I understand your reservations about using the wax. A couple of suggestions to avoid those issues - apply the wax with a brush, something like a shoe brush, to avoid a build up in the crevices (that, say, a cloth could cause). Then, assuming it's our WoodWax 22, buff it up almost straight away using a firmer bristle brush (we sell these, or you can use a firm shoe brush). This should remove any surplus wax, avoiding the white spots.
Or, you could use our Medium Brown WoodWax 22, which will have minimal colouring effect on this piece, but doesn't dry white in concentration.

I'm not a fan of mixing oil types, they have different make-ups and don't always co-operate with each other when it comes to adhering properly. You would probably get away with it, but I'd do this as a last resort."

In the end, I rubbed it down lightly with a green meanie (from a floor polisher!), then went over it with white NyWeb to give a pretty good matt finish with no oil blobs remaining. Because the oil had had so long to dry, I then sprayed it with four coats Chestnut acrylic satin lacquer and it ended up with the colour and satin finish that I was after.

Not the usual approach, but it worked in the end, and I'd like to once again thank everyone who contributed their thoughts.
Duncan