I’m finishing a cherry table and I seem to have put on too much linseed oil. It has formed a gummy coating on the surface. Does anyone know the best way to remove this? I was planning on trying to rub it down with a cotton rag dampened with mineral spirits.
Any ideas?
Replies
Don't wait. The mineral spirits will only work before it cures. I'd use a plastic pad with spirits, then rub down with the rag. If it's very thick, start with a scraper. Don't know how thick or how long it's been sitting. Once that's cured you'd need paint stripper or sanding to remove it.
Don't worry about taking off too much, as you can always add more later. However, if any of the gummy coating remains for too long, it's difficult to fix.
Bear in mind, there's no way to put on too much linseed oil. The key is that it is not a film finish, and all the surface oil must be removed in 10-30 minutes. You need to check it again in an hour or so, to see if any more has bled onto the surface, and rub that off.
Gerry
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled