Hello,
I am not sure if I am posting this in the correct area, so please forgive me if I am. I was referred to this site by another person that thought my question could be answered….
I work at a furniture store, and I am having a custom work table built for a customer that is going to use it for working on his guns. He has been told that Teak Oil is the best finish for the work surface as the gun oil will not cause any ill affects to the finish?? I have no idea about Teak oil or what Gun oil can do to a finish. Looking for anyone with experience with Gun oil and its affects on Stained finishes. The table will be solid Hard Rock Maple and we are looking for the most resilient finish against Gun Oil.
Replies
Who knows what Teak Oil is? I think most brands are just oil/varnish mixes, with nothing special about them. Using and oil/varnish mix would be problematic since the combination is soft enough that it should not be used to build any film on the surface. Consequently, it isn't likely to really seal the wood from the gun oil.
For better sealing a good phenolic resin varnish, such as Behlen Rockhard or Waterlox Gloss would be very tough and attractive. With three or four coats a substantial film would seal the surface well. The potential downside of a film finish is if there is risk of mechanical damage to the surface film. If the film integrity is broken mechanically, the oil could penetrate, and damage wood under the finish generally making a mess. I'd give the varnish a good curing period, perhaps a month or so, before subjecting it to substantial amounts of gun or or other solvent containing materials.
Edited 11/13/2008 1:37 pm ET by SteveSchoene
yeep,
If the customer has said he wants teak oil, imo it will be foolish to even look for anything else. If, on your recommendation, another, "better", finish is used, and it fails, for any reason, to give satisfaction, who is to blame? Who will pay for the re-do? On the other hand, if you finish with teak oil, per the customer's request, and it fails to perform, whose fault is it? Who will pay for the re-do?
The customer is always right.
Personally, I don't think gun oil will harm any cured wood finish. Many furniture polishes contain oils, silicone, and petroleum products, similar to gun oil. An oil-type finish will however be less likely to show scratches from tools etc used to work on the guns. Bore cleaners, such as Hoppe's #9, are another story. They contain strong solvents, ammonia, etc. I'd guess they'll go thru or at least soften most finishes. At least teak oil is easily renewed (by the customer, even) after that bottle of solvent gets tipped over....
Ray
My first thought was a true Teak wood table top. It will put up with most anything given to it. May not look the same but survive. Purpleheart I would think also. Purpleheart was used for truckbeds and train cars long ago.. Hard to hurt it in ant way,,,, I think...
You may want to refine which "oil" he's referring to. Lubricating oil or cleaner like CLP. The lube you're fine with anything. The CLP'd have me flipping throught the pages of Catalyzed Coatings Quarterly.
Ok, I made that up, but you get the point.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Yeep, as Steve pointed out, Teak Oil is more a marketing phrase than a type of oil. I find that is usually just a penetrating finish with some teak colored pigment added. That being said Watco makes a teak oil which is just their Danish oil with stain, and it soaks in rather than building up a film. That would be what I preferred on a worktable. It is the most durable and easiest to repair. Gun oil will likely soak through any finish if left on there long enough and darken the wood the same as linseed oil, and the cleaners will remove most finishes as well. I agree with Ray, if the customer suggested Teak Oil, go with Teak Oil, or they will blame you for every little blemish that develops later.
Woody
I have some so called Teak Oil from Rockler.. Nice finish but takes forever to dry!
I for one think as close as possible to a true Teak Oil you can get.
The problem is that there IS no such thing as a "true" teak oil, since the entire concept is just a marketing device. Teak oil doesn't come from teak wood or trees in any way shape or form, and by all reports has nothing particularly special to help it deal with the challenges of an oil based finish curing over an oily wood like teak. (That may be why it took so long to dry.) Teak oils designed to extract cash from boaters have UV inhibitors, but that will be of little effect since as an oil/varnish finish it can't be allowed to build any thickness on the surface that might give the UV inhibitors a chance of protecting the wood. While most is just an oil/varnish mix, some is just mineral oil, or mineral oil with wax neither of which even cure. See Bob Flexner, Understanding Wood Finishing, revised ed., P. 80-81.
By the way, the Teak Oil that Rockler sells, made by Behlen, has over 50% possibly up to 70% solvent, some linseed oil, something called "naturally occuring oil" listed as proprietary, and resin, also listed as being proprietary.
Edited 11/15/2008 8:48 pm ET by SteveSchoene
the most resilient finish against Gun Oil.
The metal parts of the gun? Sorry, I was thinking again..
My thought is wood likes oil.. Now find a gunsmith oli that leaves no color?
If the gun is used often.. I think our hand oils do strange things also. BUT matched to the owner!
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