# Shine on Watco Danish oil finish



## fourtay22 (Aug 18, 2013)

Hi all

I am finishing a credenza with walnut veneer with Watco Danish Oil (dark walnut color). After 2 coats I notice that it does look appreciably darker due to the stain in the Watco Danish Oil and "satiny" soft. 

Question is... can I bring it to a nice shine and luster without putting poly on it? I placed Howards Feed and Wax on it to see if it would make it "shiny" but didnt seem to make much of a difference. Maybe I am using the wax wrong.... but thought it would have same effect as waxing a car :smile:.

I have read about wet sanding to make oil finishes "shiny" but not sure if this is a good idea on veneer.

thanks in advance


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Was it dry? Don't know how veneer takes Watco but, I give it 72 hrs to dry on solid wood before applying wax.
I just use Johnsons wax on mine. It gives it a nice luster but not really shiney.


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

Watco is intended for and formulated to be a penetrating in-the-wood finish. Once you have applied the first coat and it has been wiped and then dried, you should end up with a sort of soft, warm sheen. Adding more than two coats will not encourage a higher sheen as the first coat has sealed the surface minimizing or preventing any further absorption of the finish. As Watco is not an on-the-wood finish it will not develop a gloss sheen. For a gloss sheen you need to apply a film forming finish like varnish, shellac or lacquer.

If you want a higher sheen, you can let the Watco fully cure and then apply a couple of coats of a film finish of the gloss you want. Using a wax will not appreciably add to the sheen and will now cause problems if you attempt to apply a film finish.

Let me suggest for the future, always test your complete finishing plans on scrap from your project or in an inconspicuous spot. Never let your project be your test or learning experience. Experienced finishers never just jump into finish on any project.


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## Fred Hargis (Apr 28, 2012)

I've never heard of Howard's Feed and Wax, so I looked up the MSDS. It doesn't list silicone, the nemesis of all finishes, so you may able to top coat over it (like Howie said, try this elsewhere first). But a top coating doesn't have to be varnish (poly, in your phrase). It could be a non-poly varnish, or the shellac and/or lacquer named earlier, or even a waterborne. But of these, the shellac (if it's dewaxed) is the only one that will stick to anything so you can be sure it will adhere to the wax you applied. Shellac is only high gloss, if you want to dull it down you have to do so mechanically. Please note: just because the MSDS doesn't list silicone doesn't mean it isn't there...they only have to list the hazardous materials. That's what makes the testing elsewhere so important, though the shellac should go over it just fine. If it does have silicone, it will need to be removed to use the other finishes without a coating of shellac.


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## fourtay22 (Aug 18, 2013)

Anyone hv thoughts on wet sanding veneer and if it will add anything to the oil finish or just burn calories if already pretty smooth to touch.

On related note if a complete stripping of existing finish is done on veneer, is there a need to sand it before staing with danish oil if the veneer is in great condition and free of finish or is rubbing with steel wool good enough for danish oil to "take" to the veneer.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Anytime you strip a piece of furniture it should be sanded whether it feels rough or not. The Watco oil finish is a oil/varnish mixture. It more or less is watered down varnish so you could build a film finish if you kept applying it. I don't believe I would wet sand it. You might rub it with a automotive scotchbrite pad with some of the watco oil. I would stay away from steel wool. It breaks down and will mix bits of steel in the finish. If you use the scotchbrite just keep it in a ziplock bag between coats so it doesn't harden. If you have the color where you want it I would continue with the natural watco so you don't add any more color.


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## surfing813 (Aug 24, 2013)

just finished this little laptop table. it has two good coats of medium walnut danish oil, followed by one coat of wipe on poly. i love how it turned out, and its got great sheen, but still falls well short of the "plastic" look. i'm quite new at all this, so just my .02...

sorry the pics are upside down! dunno how to fix that one...


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