[jartzh]

I am working on a bar slab and decided on antique oil as a finish. The instructions say to rub with 0000 steel wool between coats . Since you rub on a coat ,it is real thin. So wouldnt rubbing it with steel wool just remove what you rubbed on the day before? What am I missing?

[squbrigg]

I often rub with steel wool and use the finish as a lubercant. When you finish one layer, wipe dry across the grain and the edges. Let dry and then do it again and again, rubbing less and less as it achieves build up and gloss.

Bob

[brian bailey]

jartzh,

I use Min-Wax Antique oil for a finish on a lot of the furniture that I build.

One thing to keep in mind is that the oil is not a film finish such as a varnish or laquer.

What it does though is soak into the wood and hardens there.

Any additional coats as you suspect will be rubbed off if you use sand paper or steelwool.

This is how I apply the oil as a finish.

1. Apply a generous first coat with a brush and keep at it until you get tired of doing it . What I'm looking for is areas that drink the oil right up, I'll keep those areas flooded with oil. As long as you keep the finish wet it won't start getting gummy on you, so you have quite a bit of working time.
   I use Scotts, Shop paper towels to wipe up the oil when I'm satisfied with the first coat. I then let it dry overnite.
   Note: Dispose of the oily rags properly!
   
   
2. Apply the 2nd coat, this time rub the wet oil with 4/0 steelwool. Make sure you rub with the grain. Wipe off excess oil with the paper towels, caution on the disposal again.
3. Apply 3rd coat, this time I wait until the solvent in the oil mostly evaporates off. The remaining oil will be the consistency of a heavy weight motor oil.
   If the oil gets to sticky, just apply some fresh oil to it so it's workable.
   Again using the paper towels, I carefully wipe the oil off, wiping with the grain. Do this with a low angle light so you can see any streaks in the finish.
4. After the finish is dry,in a couple of days, I'll then go back over the finish with 4/0 steelwool dipped in Johnson's Paste wax. Make sure that you only rub with the grain. After the wax has dried I buff it out.

The below picture of a blanket chest was finished by this method. I like this finish as it is easy to apply and maintain.

Hope this is of some help to you.

[jartzh]

Brian,
After I steel wooled it , I wiped all the oil I could off with paper towels. But its been a week and it is still kind of tacky. It feels ok unless you leave your arm on it then it sticks. Got any ideas?

[brian bailey]

jartzh,

Something is not right!

The finish should not be tacky, especially after a weeks time.

I'm assuming that you are using Min Wax Antique Oil.

You say that you wiped all the oil off, so excess oil on the wood shouldn't be the problem.

How's the humidity in your area? If it's high 80 / 90% that will slow the drying time, but after a week, I don't believe that's the problem.

I would suspect you might have an old can of finish and it is not curing properly. That would be my guess.

The nice thing about this finish is it's easy to repair. Lightly sand or steelwool the tacky areas and reapply the oil from a fresh can and see if that doesn't solve your problem.



Below is a picture of a cherry hall table top that I just started to finish.

I applied the first coat of oil yesterday about 4 pm. This morning it was completely dry and ready for the next coat.