Drying Mahoney's Walnut oil finish

[Tom Lewis]

Has anyone used Mahoney's utility finish with walnut oil? The directions say it is slow drying and needs Ultraviolet light to dry.
Any suggestions or comments on how to use and dry this finish? Thanks.

 

[Mjonesrdg]

Mahoney oil

I used it...ONCE! After several days of waiting, I resorted to putting it into full California Sun. After a week of daily rotating, it was still sticky. I cannot imagine why I would choose this material again, what with all the excellent time-tested finishes available.

Returning the product to the retailer is more hassle than it is worth to me. I took note with interest that the catalog description reads: "hardens quickly".
Clearly, "quickly" is a VERY subjective term. And, perhaps, one that is used loosely in Utah.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

 

[dbonertz]

I have been using Mahoney's finish for 2 years and have never had a problem with it drying. I apply the finish liberally and let sit over night. The next day I will apply another coat and let sit again over night. I live in Colorado and it is very dry here as in Utah so maybe that has something to do with it. It looks as though you are in New Mexico which I believe is also dry. Are you doing something differant when sanding (sanding sealer or ?) that may not allow the finish to penetrate. I on occasion have used a lacquer based sanding sealer mixed 50/50 with lacquer thinner and still did not have a problem with the Mahoney's oil for a final finish.

 

[Ed_McDonnell]

You can't really have a meaningful discussion on finishing without specifying the type of wood you are trying to finish. All finishes are not suitable for all types of wood.

Ed

 

[robo hippy]

I have been using Mike's walnut oil for a couple of years also, on all sorts of woods for my utility bowls. I slop a lot of it on, and some of the wax also and let it sit over night. I will wipe it down the next day and be done with it. It seldom gets any direct sunlight. There will be a bit of a waxy feel to it, but that is all. It is fine for direct handling. It never seems to get as dry and hard as a Danish type of oil that I use on my furniture pieces, but I love it for my bowls.
robo hippy

 

[Mjonesrdg]

oak pitcher with Mahoney Oil

Used on oak, on this piece. Was that the problem? Doesn't work on oak? I'm sure that I am the problem, not the oil. I just never had any problems with any other oil. For this piece, I resorted to overcoating with Waterlox. It was "good-to-go" the following Morning.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

 

[jdsilwones]

I tested this Walnut oil to see if it would harden where raw walnut oil would not. After two weeks it was starting to polymerize. This was a controlled test I use as a benchmark for any finish I'm considering and removes the wood type as a variable. Two weeks is a long time when working on your own stuff but for production work, which will be sitting out for at least that long, this is not a problem.
Best of luck,
Dave

 

[Ed_McDonnell]

This was a controlled test I use as a benchmark for any finish I'm considering and removes the wood type as a variable. Dave

Well, maybe not. A puddle of polyurethane will harden up in no time at all. Put poly on Florida Rosewood (or any other dalbergia species) and you'll be waiting a heck of a long time for it to cure (if it ever does). The type of wood can make a big difference.

Back to walnut oil. Although the bottle says it is slow drying and needs warm temps and UV, it also says it is safe to use it before it cures. I didn't end up with a sticky finish when I used it on some oak, but I don't put on a real thick coat trying to build up a surface finish.

I coat the surface and wait about 10 minutes, applying more in areas where it really soaks in. I then wipe down the bowl and set it aside to dry overnight. I don't leave a film of oil on the wood. I repeat the process the next day. The day after that I'm done or buff it a bit for a little shine.

It seems to work for me.

Ed

 

[Sean Troy]

Never had a drying problem. In fact, it's my favorite finish ! I have used it for several years on many different types of woods.

 

[Peter Skellenger]

Mjonesrdg---I would suggest asking Mike Mahoney about his product before writing it off so quickly. I am pretty sure he would be more than happy to make sure the return hassle with the retailer is a non issue and I also think he would be very willing to figure out why it's not working out for you if you just ask him. He has a little bit of experience with utility production turning and this finish seems to work fine for him.

 

[Don O. Jr.]

Walnut Oil

I have some of the same Mahoney oil and used it on some cherry and maple bowls. Several weeks after finishing a large cherry bowl I took it to an event and put it into their instant gallery. When I picked the piece up after the event, there was a ring of oil on the paper table cover ! I would be mortified if this ever happend to someone's favorite table cloth! I went home and checked the brush and cup I had used to apply the oil and they were both still as liquid as if right from the bottle. In my case this oil did not harden at all. I still have the brush and it it still just as liquid as the day it started over 2 MONTHS ago. I have serious doubts that this oil ever truly dries. In my case, the retailer is no longer in business so returning it is not an option. I doubt I will EVER use this oil again. Absolutely terrible results for me. Hope others have better luck.

Is it possible I just got a bad bottle or batch ?

 

[Mjonesrdg]

Walnut oil

Hi, Peter...

In fact, I did ask Mike...in person... at the AAW Sym. in Portland this year, and no, he was not at all helpful. I've done some research since my last post on this subject and found out (on Daly's web site) about a thing called "bleed back" . The condition is prevalent with open grain woods...such as my oak...and shows up as tiny beads of 'sweat' days after the finish was applied.

I also learned a bit about rancification of nut oils (walnut included) and the potential for allergic reaction among a small percentage of the population. Further, I get it that, walnut oil, as a "straight oil" is probably not the right choice of product for my kind of work and accordingly, my expectation of Mahoney's oil was out of line. I make very few "utility" bowls. And finally, if I were to make salad bowls, there are alternatives (such as beeswax) that produces a similar finish appearance without the concerns noted above.

If any of you would like the unused portion of my bottle of Mahoney Oil, let me know, I'll box it up and send it to you for Christmas. No charge. I won't use it again.

If my postings on this subject ring of sour grapes, consider the work that went into that tough, old, endgrain-hollowed oaken pitcher and that Mahoney himself told me that it was likely ruined by encapsulating the walnut oil with the tung oil, that it might start smelling rancid, and if used for food or drink, might make someone sick. (might be I'm getting old and cranky too)

For deeper study, you can Google Mike Mahoney's web site, Daly's Sea-fin, and there is a bit from Russ Fairfield over on the WC boards this morning.

Mike Jones in Nor. Cal.

 

[Peter Skellenger]

Mike- I am suprised Mike mahoney was not helpful to you.... very suprised... maybe the stress of the symposium had something to do with it... who knows. I just know that I have been equally suprised at how helpful he has been to me. At least you tried....

 

[Dave Roller]

The first bowls I made were made from a piece of 3"x8" hard maple I had in my shop for several years. I finished all three with Mahoney oil. Two have done just fine. The third is still "sticky." I have no explanation for the third bowl. They were turned and finished within a week of each other and the oil was applied from the same bottle in the same manner.

I keep them to remind me of all the mistakes it's possible to make as one learns. Well, maybe not all the possible mistakes!

 

[JHCameron]

On Cherry Salad Bowl

Recently,

I finished two cherry salad bowls with Mahnoey's Utility finsh "Heat Treated Filtered Walnut Oil". It dried very fast; overnight, excellent results. It is quite dry here in Michigan, which might of helped.

 

[jdsilwones]

hold you're horses....

Ed, you should have read the quote of mine you posted. I think it says the wood is a variable of the finishing process. My point was that if you remove as many variables as possible, including the wood, you can get a good idea what the finish is capable of doing. In my case it took several weeks for Mahoney's walnut finish to even start to polymerize. I would think the chemicals in some woods could slow the curing process just as wet wood can slow the drying process. I would not think the opposite though. BTW it is amazing how small quantities of additives can modify the curing process!
Wilber

 

[robo hippy]

I found Mike to be quite helpful when I asked him about his finish. One thing I learned is that it is made from the leaves and husks of the nut, and not the nut meat. I have had blead out problems when I used mineral oil, and have found some blead out on freshly finished bowls that have sat in a box for a week or 2. Easy to wipe off. When I used the Mineral oil, there would be rings on my wood shelves and on table cloths. No problems with the walnut oil unless it is freshly oiled.

robo hippy

 

[Martin Braun]

I've had good results with Mahoney's Walnut Oil. I have noticed it doesn't cure right away, so I usually let the piece sit for a few months to cure. Leaving the piece out in the sun helps too. Keep in mind I don't just wipe it on, I usually saturate the piece pretty good, because I'm going to use it in my kitchen for a long time. I have a salad bowl that I refinished with it, and it's held up nicely for a couple years now. We use a lot of ranch dressing, and it was starting to penetrate into the bowl & get rancid. The walnut oil does a nice job of keeping it out.

 

[Michael Kuehl]

I too have had mixed results with Mahoney's walnut oil. One thing I have done is apply the finish liberally, let it sit overnight, and then remount it on the lathe and with a dry paper towel rub it in with the lathe running. The friction heat seems to help dry and seal the piece.

 

[Tom Lewis]

Thanks for all the information. the directions say UltraViolet light cures the finish. Could that be the key to drying the finish?

 

[MichaelMouse]

I leave my stuff - not Mahoney but standard pressed - out in the sun after flooding to work things in. Gets both heat and power light that way, I suppose. Like any other oil, you want to wipe off what returns to the surface to prevent a skin over uncured or uncuring goo. Good way to see what's going is to put drops of your test finishes on some clean glass and let nature take her course. I find that the no preservatives oil skins in a day or two, depending on RH and temperature, and to a cured film in about a week. If you use the grocery store variety, read the label.

I would not use it, tung, or raw linseed on really porous woods like oak. It'll run into the big holes and then ooze back out as gravity and temperature move it. Fortunately, as others have mentioned, a finish with some siccative in it will harden the whole thing, giving you a long oil flexible but soft finish. One has to wonder what a drop or two of the siccative alone might do.

Allergy is to the proteins, not the oil, of course, which is why solvent extracted (cheap stuff) is the safest, even though it's not "organic" and politically correct. Beeswax might contain the same spores as honey, and is not recommended for children. Not to mention its other problem, that of waterspotting.

 

[Malcolm Smith]

It was always my understanding that Walnut oil was most suitable for cutting boards and salad bowls because it doesn't dry the way other common oils do. I keep some in my kitchen for this reason. If there's something wrong with tung oil, I haven't discovered it. I twice apply it to turnings with drying time in between and then go through a polish and wax routine which produces a very nice finish that lasts quite well. Mixing it with some solvent will produce better penetration. The wax is carnauba which I believe is the hardest of the waxes we have available to us.

The biggest problem with some oils is that they produce an undesireable color change. Any finish that doesn't list the oil used, for this reason, probably is a poor choice.

Malcolm Smith.

 

[Vernon Oberle]

I usually use a shellac sealer for my first coat, put a couple of coats of mikes walnut oil and let them dry a couple of days. I either stop there or i spray it with a lacquer or varnish finish it I want a shinny finish. I have had a couple of pieces where the oil didn't cure right away but most do.

If you remember on oak they recommend using gel stain because of the bleed back problem with regular oil stain.

I think you will find nothing works on everything.

Vernon

 

[Dave Roller]

I too have had mixed results with Mahoney's walnut oil. One thing I have done is apply the finish liberally, let it sit overnight, and then remount it on the lathe and with a dry paper towel rub it in with the lathe running. The friction heat seems to help dry and seal the piece.

I do pretty much the same thing except I use a small piece from an old chamois which I've soaked in the oil.