Danish Oil

cwag, May 26, 11:18pm
i have had a laminated table top made from macrocarpa and have finished it with danish oil. Thinned first coat with white spirits, then rubbed on 3 more layers of undiluted oil. Fine sanding between coats.

End result is good but have ended up with some patches that are more shiny than others. This has happened in patches on individual laminates so is not caused by the different characteristics of individual pieces of timber.
Any ideas how to overcome this?

nzjay, May 27, 12:48am
I think you'll find that the shiny areas compared to the rest is probably a change in the way the grain of the wood is presented. If there was an underlying knot for example, the timber grain tends to curve around the knot and if sawn through that curve, the grain is pointing up at a different angle to the rest of the grain in that area. Also may tend to be tighter, more dense grain at that point as well.

I would suggest applying several more coats over some time and see what happens. If shiny areas still there, a very light sanding, with the grain, using a VERY fine sandpaper, just a scuff to break the surface may do the trick. Then a quick buff with a slightly oil damp rag perhaps.
I have a glued up rimu table that tends to do the same. It does even out in time.

zoopa, Dec 30, 3:52pm
Try a thin coat of thinned oil, rub it in with high grit paper, then wipe off