Expert: Jamie Yocono - 7/30/2008

Question
Dear Jamie,  After 20 years of no oiling, preceded by 10 years of 6 monthly oiling with Teak oil, I finally, 3 days ago, stained the faded front and top of my Rosewood veneer Danish sideboard. I have used a mixture of your favourite Watco Danish oil (in Natural finish) and the dye given to me by the finisher who re-stained the matching dining table 6 years ago. The staining has taken well and I am pleased with the front: the colour, grain and sheen. I used 3 coats (various strengths of the stain/oil mixture), all applied with cheesecloth. For the top, for the 3rd coat I used a foam brush and did NOT wipe off the excess oil. After 3 days the front part is dry and dull whereas the back is a little too shiny, and the stickiness of the shiny parts has dissipated. These appearances are patchy. Having now read your various answers and not needing further coloration shall I flood the top, with the foam brush, and use, very lightly, fine sand paper or steel wool whilst the top is wet, and then wipe off the excess with a clean cotton dish towel? If so, please confirm. If not, I would appreciate your alternative advice.   Thanking you in anticipation,  Ameen

Answer
Ameen,

You are completely on the right track, the only error you made along the way was to not wipe of the Watco. When allowed to dry on the surface, it gets tacky and shiny, and will attract dust for a long, long time.

You need to get rid of it, and the easiest way to do that is with a fresh coat of oil, as you suggested. You'll probably need to put some time and energy to eliminate it, it's probably like a sticky glue.

Sometimes, if the Watco sludge is really bad, you can employ a scraper to help. I like old plane blades, but even a nice wide chisel will work. Use the scraper to lightly scrape off the oil. In just a few passes, you will scrape off what would take you hours to eliminate with sandpaper.

So my best advice - apply some oil, let it sit a little while and dissolve the sludge. Then gently scrape the wood. Once the surface is relatively clean apply a little more oil, sanding lightly.

Finally - wipe that wood clean. Absolutely clean, no residue whatsoever should remain. Let it dry, and if you see small spots of oil bleeding out, wipe them off. Eventually, the bleeding will stop.

OK, I hope this helps. You're headed in the right direction, your only mistake was not wiping off that final coat. And... this is important, please dispose of your rags properly.. Consult your can of Watco if you're unsure of the proper method.

Oh - have you seen my Watco videos on my wood blog? Those might be helpful to you. Try this: http://wooditis.blogspot.com/2008/05/watco-danish-oil-come-oil-and-laugh.html

Good luck!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
www.wooditis.com
Las Vegas, NV