Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 01, 2009 06:30am | #1

   I can understand that you can't find such a product.  I know I have never heard of such a thing by that name.  Perhaps you are thinking of a "pickled" oak stain, that has white pigment. 

   But flat grain is flat grain, and will always look like flat grain.  Quartersawn has distinctive "flakes", and riftsawn has straight, parallel graining.  Quartersawn, riftsawn and flatsawn are essentially all the same color, though the differences in the grain patterns would be made more apparent with a pigment stain in a contrasting color. 

   Perhaps you could explain the projects you are planning in considerably more detail. 

   I

    

    

1. 
   awillima | Apr 01, 2009 08:39am | #2

   I don't think it is a pickled stain, once upon a time Watco made it, but no more. As for the projects I was thinking of a cantilevered bar stool much like this onehttp://www.semigoods.com/servlet/Detail?no=86There is another furniture manufacturer called De la Espada who actually uses what they call White Oil on their white oak furniture. I think as an option on some Hans Wegner chairs you can get them White oiled or what they call Soaped. Maybe its a different process who knows they look very similar.At one time there was an article in the FWW archives where the author used several different kinds of hand rubbed oil and gauged their effectiveness and ease of application, but of course now that I could actually use the information I can't find it, not blaming FWW it's just I can't remember who wrote the article.

   Edited 4/1/2009 2:11 am ET by awillima

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 01, 2009 04:55pm | #3

   Is this the article you have in mind? http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011178032.pdfItl

   It was by Chris Minick and tested a variety of wipe on finishes in the July/August 2005 issue.  As I recall, it generated a fair amount of discussion here on Knots.  I haven't yet found the magic keywords to call that thread up.

   There are three very distinct classes of wiping finishes that were combined for testing in that article.  Oils, which in a practical sense means just BLO and pure Tung Oil;  Oil/varnish mixes which are available in a wide range of commercial products, including some labeled Danish Oil, and some called Tung Oil Finish; and finally wiping varnishes.   

   Oil and oil/varnish mixes will give substantially similar appearances in the final product, since they should be applied, allowed to penetrate for a short time, and then vigorously wiped from the surface.  These are meant to be "in-the-wood" finishes.  If left on the surface any film will be sold, almost gummy.  The oils offer almost no protection from water.  Oil/varnish mixes offer a little more.  You can make your own oil/varnish mixes, combining BLO with oil based varnish and thinning to what ever you consistency you like.

   Wiping varnishes are very different.  These are thin varnishes, designed to be wiped on.  But, they do not need to be wiped off.  They can build a film on the surface, that depending on the number of coats can look and perform similarly to brushed on varnish.  These can be much more protective.  In addition to the commercial products you can make any oil based varnish into a wiping varnish by thinning to wiping consistency. 

1. 
   awillima | Apr 03, 2009 02:49am | #4

   Yes, that's the article I was referring to. I found the article again almost by accident after I posted the first thread. The oil I was thinking of from the article was the Hydrocote Danish oil, because the author gave it the ugly award with its bleached, washed out look, which is what I was hoping for.However, Highland Hardware no longer carries that specific finish, they carry a great number of Hydorocote products, but not the Danish oil.

   Edited 4/2/2009 7:53 pm ET by awillima

1. 
   Gretchen | Apr 03, 2009 05:27am | #5

   Does Watco make their old "neutral" oil? Non-colored. Sounds like the same thing.Gretchen

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 03, 2009 02:26pm | #6

   Watco "neutral" is still oil based and will have that degree of darkening.  The Hyddrocote Danish Oil was waterborne and wouldn't darken to that degree.  Of course that's because it had no oil in it.

   On FWW.com main site, there is a video by Peter Gedrys that shows how to keep the very light unfinished wood look on maple by using a waterborne acyrlic finish.  I suspect that is the way the OP should proceed.  The "danish oil" aspect was a misnomer anyway since the Hydrocote product had nothing at all in common with the oil/varnish mixes commonly called danish oil.