Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Feb 10, 2006 10:25pm | #1

   Bill,

   The only way to remove oil from wood is to make the oil as thin as possible either with heat, or more often by saturating the wood with a solvent, and then drawing out the oil or oil/solvent mixture into an absorbent.  On small spots, a spray on stain remover for fabrics called K2R works very well.

   For what you are trying to do, with larger pieces of wood, you could try submerging the wood in a solvent such as naphtha for awhile and then packing the piece in sawdust or a "kitty litter" type oil absorbent.  Each time the process is repeated, with fresh absorbent, more of the oil would be removed, but it simply isn't possible to remove all of the oil.  Naphtha or any other solvent you use is dangerously flammable so this work must be done out of doors and away from any source of ignition. 

   You may also find that wood you got reasonably cleaned up will become oily again as oil from deeper in the wood migrates to the surface over time.

   Wish I had a better answer, chestnut is a beautiful wood to work with.

   John White

   
   

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   Edited 2/11/2006 10:22 am ET by JohnWW

1. 
   werrell | Feb 11, 2006 07:38pm | #2

   Hi John,

   Thanks for the advice.  I'll have to think about whether buying this wood is worth it; especially since it's so saturated that (as you advise) I think even more than one treatment with the naptha wouldn't prove satisfactory.

   Thanks again for posting a response!

   Bill

1. 
   JohnWW | Feb 11, 2006 11:36pm | #3

   You might consider it for outdoor use, fences or garden structures perhaps, that wouldn't get handled a lot.  Chestnut has good weather and rot resistance and the oil would probably make it even better, as long as it didn't attract rodents or the like who might find it tasty.

   John White

   Edited 2/11/2006 5:26 pm ET by JohnWW