1

I

I I

CHAPTER EIGHT

Oil Finishes

NATURAL OILS HAVE been used as wood finishes since around the time of the ancient Egyptians. The oils used are dertved from plants. The most useful oils are called "drying oils" (Illus, 8-1). When used alone, drying oils provide a penetrating finish that soaks

into the wuud. .

Drying oils are also used in combination with other ingredients to make various types of finishing products. When resins are added to oils, a varnish is the result. When pigments are added to oils, then the material is called

. paint.

This chapter covers the use of oils as a penetrating ·finish. Penetrating finishes have several desirable characteristics. Because they soak into the wood, they help

. to strengthen the wood at the surface. Since the finish extends below the surface of the wood, shallow scratches and abrasions will not completely remove the protective finish as they might with a surface-film type of finish, and they are easy to apply. .

The chemical process which causes drying oils to harden is called "oxidation." This is different from "evaporation." Solvent-based finishing products dry by evaporation. Shellac is a good example of evaporative drying. Alcohol is the solvent: it evaporates upon exposure

to air, leaving only the shellac resin on the surface of the wood ..

When an oil dries by oxidation, a chemical process causes oxygen from the surrounding air to be drawn into the oil and to unite with it. Oxidation is much slower than evaporation. As the oxygen unites with the oil molecules, it causes the molecules to link together into long chains. This process is called "polymerization." Polymerization is the same process used to make modern plastics. When a drying oil hardens, it becomes a natural polymer with many of the same properties as modern plastics .

In its raw state, an oil dries very slowly. Driers added to the oil can speed up this process. In the past, lead was often used as a drier in oil, Lead has proven to be a dangerous health hazard, so today other types of driers are

used. .

Heating the oil will also speed up the drying process.

Boiling the oil causes the polymerization process to begin: this will cause the oil [0 thicken. The oil is then cooled and placed in an airtight container. When the oil is applied to the wood and exposed to air, it will resume the polymerization process at the point it left off when it

w~~ -

In old instructions, oil that has been boiled or has had

Illus. 8~ 1. Drying oils have been

. used for centuries as wood finishes. Shown here are four types of oil that are discussed in this chapter. From left to right, they are walnut, linseed, red, and brown oil,

76

78

Oil Finishes

Poppyseed Oil

Poppyseed oil comes from the seeds of the opium poppy. Poppyseed oil was used in the 1700's because of its pale color. Poppyseed oil doesn't dryas well as linseed oil. It may resoften after drying, especially in the presence of heat. Poppyseed oil also has more of a tendency to crack. The main reason poppyseed oil was used was because it was light in color and didn't yellow or darken with age; in all other respects, it is inferior to linseed oil.

Tung Oil

Tung oil is also called China-wood oil or China nut oil. It is the product of the nuts of the tung tree. The tree IS native to China and it has been cultivated there and in surrounding areas for centuries. It has been used in China (or many years. It was first exported to the United States in the 1890's. Soon it was in such great demand that shortages developed. the supply of tung oil in the United States did not fully meet the demand until commercial tung tree farms were planted in Florida in the 1920's.

'rung oil probably has the most desirable characteristics of all of the drying oils. Since its widespread introduction, it has rapidly overtaken linseed as the most useful oil in finishing furniture. The oil is amber in color and it will darken with age, so it is not suitable when a colorless oil is needed; but for all other applications, it is a superior oil. It is very tough, elastic, and water-resistant. The tungoil finish will be resistant to alcohol, mild acids, and

acetone. .

Raw tung oil dries very slowly, but it will penetrate

deeply into the wood and eventually harden. It can be used as a wood finish, but usually a mixture of raw tung oil, cooked oil, and thinners are used. Cooked oil is tung oil that has been heated. The heating process thickens the oil by stimulating the polymerization process. Cooked oil can be used to build a film on the surface and produce a high gloss. Various tung-Oil products are sold for different purposes; the main difference between these products is

. the percentage of cooked oil in the formula.

A pure tung-oil finish consists of mostly raw tung oil with a little thinner added. There is no cooked oil in it. It is often preferred by experienced finishers. It dries slowly and is more difficult to apply than some of the other types of tung-oil products described below, but it can produce a high-quality finish.

Tung-oil sealer is a very thin oil that may contain about 20 percent cooked oil. It is used to achieve deep penetration below the wood surface before heavier-bodied oils are used.

Low-lustre tung oil produces a finishthat has virtually

no gloss. It contains about 25 percent cooked oil. This type of oil is very easy to apply, and it penetrates deeply into the wood. Additional coats of oil will increase the durability of the finish, but they will not build to a gloss.

Medium-lustre tung oil contains about 35 percent cooked oil. It will build to a satin gloss after several coats have been applied. Additional coats will increase th~ gloss. A medium-lustre oil produces a hard surface, but it doesn't penetrate as deeply as the low-lustre finish. When deep penetration is desired, the first coats can be a tung-Oil sealer or low-lustre oil.

High-gloss tung oil contains over 50 percent cooked oil, It will quickly build (Q a high gloss, but it takes more skill to apply than the other types. It must be applied quickly because it will begin to gel soon after being applied. If the surface is rubbed after the oil gets tacky, lap marks will be visible in the finish.

Safflower Oil

Safflower oil is derived from the seeds of the safflower plant, which is native to Asia. It wasn't used in the United States until 1949.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is derived from sunflower seeds. It is a pale yellow drying oil. When dry, it is softer and gummier than linseed oil.

Soybean Oil

Soybean oil is pressed from soybeans. It has a pale color and does notturn yellow, but it is slow-drying and doesn't dry as hard as linseed oil,

Perilla Oil

Perilla oil is produced by the seeds of the Perilla ocimoides plant, which grows in China, Japan, and the surrounding area. Perilla oil is very similar to linseed oil, but it dries more quickly.

Oiticica Oil

Oiticica oil is produced by the Licania rigida tree, which grows in Brazil. It is similar to tung oil in appearance and properties.

APPLYING AN OIL FINISH

The directions given here are for a linseed-oil finish, but they generally apply to any type of oil.

You will have many oily rags after you have applied an oil finish. These can bea fire hazard unless you dispose

80

Oil Finishes

feel is necessary to achieve the finish you want. Each ad- Apply the first coat following the general directions

ditional coat of oil should be wiped on in a thin coat and given above in the section Open-Pore Oil Finish. The sec-

then buffed off completely. Let each coat dry overnight, ond coat of oil should be applied with a filler when you

to give it a chance to absorb oxygen from the air before are working with open-grained woods. Brick dust is a tra-

you apply another coat. ditional filler used on red-colored mahogany. Thomas

After the final coat has dried overnight, burnish the Sheraton recommends brick dust as a filler in his Cabinet

surface by rubbing it hard with a soft cloth. This will bring Dictionary, published in 1803. See Illus. 8-4 for~his di-

Out the lustre of the finish. Using this procedure, you can recrions on applying an oil finish.

get a soft satin gloss, It is even PO:5SI:M:;::·····.::,;,+::··-::::;:::~~:···:,~"':;=::::,:·:·······.............. , .............................................................•

to get a medium gloss, but if you want a high gloss, you will have to use the procedure described in the next section.

High-Gloss Oil Finish

During the 18th century, a high-gloss finish was very fashionable. Linseed oil was often used to produce a high-gloss . finish. The secret to producing a high gloss with an oil is to fill the pores of the wood and to use a specially prepared oil called "fat oil" for the final coats (Illus, 8-3).

Open Pore

Filled

Illus. 8-3. To produce a high gloss, you must fill the pores. The-mahogany sample on the left has an openpore finish. The sample on the right has had its pores filled with oil and pumice.

TH~

CABINET DICTIONARY By T. SHERATON,

Aulhvr vf the Cabind-Makt.:r and UpnQlstm;:r's DraWing Booft

The general mode of polishing plain cabinet work IS however, with oil and brick-dust; in which case, the oil is either plain linseed or stained with alkanet root-SEE ALKANET ROOT If the wood be hard, me oil should be left standing upon it for a week; but if soft, it may be polished in two days. The brick-dust and oil should then be rubbed together, which in a little time will become a puny under the rubbing cloth, in which state it should be kept under the cloth as much as possible: for this kind of putty will infallibly secure a fine polish by continued rubbing; and the polisher should by all means avoid the' application of fresh.brick-dust, by whichthe unskilful hand will frequently ruin his work instead- ofitnproving it: and to prevent me necessity of supplying himself with fresh brick-dust he ought to lay on a great quantity at first, .. carefully sifted • through a gauze stocking~ a,nqhe- s.~p.lJld. nonceH the oil be too dry on thesurface of.thewprk~efore he. begin, for in . this Case it should bere~gHed;thatltlIlay comgqse _ .asuffi~ienr-quantityofthepol~~i!lgsiibs~rice,

~[~~~gi~~tt'~i~i(~

Illus, 8-4. This excerpt from Thomas Sheraton's Cabinet Dictionary describes the process he recommends for applying an oil finish to mahogany ..

Brick dust is made from red-clay bricks. Break up the brick with a hammer, and then grind the bits to dust with a mortar and pestle. Place the dust in a pounce bag and sprinkle the dust on the surface of. the wood. The pounce bag will act as a filter, trapping any large pieces. Pumice is another traditional material; it makes a good filler for wood of any color.

The procedure given below works well on closed-grain woods and open-grained woods with small pores. It ¥Pll take two or three applications of filler to completely fill

82

Oil Finishes

Illus, 8-7. Fat oil is linseed oil that has been thickened to the consistency of honey.

block to rub the surface until the dust nibs are gone. Wipe off the oil and pumice residue; then polish the surface with rottenstone or tripoli. Finally, give the work a coat of soft beeswax polish and buff it to a high gloss.

OIL-FINISH VARIATIONS

Oils may be mixed together with other oils or other ingredients to produce penetrating finishes that have better working properties, different colors, or more durability than the straight oil. The modern Danish oils and penetrating oil finishes that are sold commercially are these types of finish. Penetrating finishes made [rom several ingredients have been around for many years. The following sections describe how to make and use a few of them (Illus. 8-8).

Oil and Beeswax

A simple formula that has been used since at least the 1700's mixes 2 ounces of beeswax, one pint of spirits of turpentine, and one pint of linseed oil, Cut the beeswax into small pieces; a block plane shreds the beeswax well. Put the shredded wax into a glass container and pour on the spirits of turpentine. Seal the lid and let the container sit on a windowsill that receives sunlight for several days, shaking it occasionally until the beeswax is thoroughly dissolved. Now, pour in the linseed oil and mix the in-

gredients completely. To apply the finish, follow the general directions given above for the open-pore oil finish. You can apply several coats of oil first and then use the oil and beeswax for the final coat.

Red Oil

Red oil is linseed oil that has been tinted red with alkanet root. It has been traditionally used to enhance the color of mahogany. Thomas Sheraton recommended a red oil made with alkanet root, dragon's blood, and brazilwood, but most formulas simply use alkanet rOOL

To make red oil, bruise a few sticks of alkanet root by hitting them with a hammer or in a mortar with a pestle; then put them in a jar of spirits of turpentine or naphtha. Seal the jar and let the solvent absorb the color of the alkanet root for several weeks. Pour some of the colored solvent into another container, straining it through several layers of cloth.

Add the red solvent to linseed oil. The.solvent will thin the oil. Usually, the thin consistency is desirable, because it lets the color soak deep into the wood. If the oil is too thin after adding the solvent, you can leave the lid off and cover the mouth of the jar with cloth as described in the section on fat oil, to thicken it.

Apply the red oil as the first and second coat of oil following the same procedure as described for a standardoil finish.

Tinted Oil

Oil-soluble aniline dye can be used to tint oil to any color desired. The aniline dyes are more lightfast than the natural dyes, so by using a red mahogany aniline dye stain mixed with oil you can produce a red oil that will keep its color even after years of exposure to light. Brown-tinted oil is also useful when you are working with woods other than red mahogany. You can choose any of the colors available in oil-soluble dye stains.

The oil-soluble dyes come in a powder form. This powder is not completely soluble in oil; it must first be dissolved in a solvent; you can use spirits of turpentine or naphtha to dissolve the dye. Mix up a small amount of the dye and let it dissolve overnight. The next day, strain the dye through several layers of cloth to remove any undissolved particles; then add the dye to linseed oil a little at a time. Mix the dye into the oil and keep adding dye until you are satisfied "With the color.

The tinted oil can be applied just like ordinary linseed oil. The oil will color the wood like a stain, but it penetrates deeply and it has a very transparent color, so it doesn't obscure the grain of the wood.

FINISHES AND FILLERS

There are many finishes, each of which bas strengths and weaknesses. They vary in ease of application, water resistance, solvent resistance, dirt resist~nce, surface buildup, gloss, durability, toxicity and ease of repair. The most commonly used finishes are oils, varnish and urethane, oil/varnish mixtures, wax, wiping varnishes, shellac and lacquers.

OILS

TwO types of oil are used for ftrushing furniture. linseed oil, which is pressed from flax seed, anattlngoil(alsdknowfl as china . woocioil), which comes [romthe .. C"'.'~C",,""'. TIiotightung

• Ease of repair. Stains and scratches can be sanded out and re-oiled without stripping the entire surface. However, on woods that changecoloi because of oxidation or

VARNISH AND URETlIANE

Varnishes are surface coatings, traditionally made by cooking oil. and resin together and combining the mixture with thinner (mineral spirits), Modem

BUIlDING A SMALL BENCH 157

Shellac is sold as d.ry flakes or

LACQUERS "Lacquef'descfibes abroad .: family ofsyntheti¢firiishes. These include mote traditional nitrocellulose-based 1~' lC:Otlel:~ men·ewwill:e~l~sl~Ja~~offi~;

Fil1ef~.are:fin~;~ained.pastes or po:vtd~n;'thatp<intietintedto matchthe,\'ibod.Theyare ..

fill •. bcl6~eapplYing

. .

premixedwith.alcohol.In liquid

form; shellac has a shoritshelf me: it loses the ability to dry hard.

/

BUIIDINGASII1ALLBENCH 159