Staining Ash on my 1968 Morris Minor Traveller
Hello,
To start at the end: Can I stain Ash that has had previous application of “Danish Oil”?
I recently imported a Morris Minor Traveller which is a “Woodie” station wagon made in England. The wood frame on the car was in poor condition so I bought a replacement kit from a well known supplier. Because of The Plague and other shortages only a “disassembled” kit was available last Fall. A friend of a friend in England, an experienced Morris Man, installed the kit for me. He had a devil of a time getting the joints to fit as well as they are. This kit seems to have been a collection of random pieces that comprise the whole of what’s used to make up the frame.
Anyway…as a result it’s mostly nice but some joints have gaps. I’ll be sealing those ends to prevent water intrusion but I’d like to darken the wood to minimize the appearance of them. I’d like to achieve a sort of honey golden appearance. The installer prefers Danish Oil for these and applied a coat or two. I think I’d like to stain the wood and varnish. Is that possible now that it’s had the Danish Oil on it? If not is there a compatible Danish Oil that would give me the appearance I’d like to have?
Thanks for your guidance
Lew
Replies
Nice car! I have an MG Midget that does not get much road time anymore.
I don't think you'll get much out of staining wood already sealed with oil. "Danish oil" is a loosey-goosey term for a type of finish...you should find out the actual product he used and see if it comes in a tinted form like this:
https://www.rustoleum.com/en/product-catalog/consumer-brands/watco/danish-oil
If you can get the same product with a tint to it, additional coats may give you what you are looking for. Your eventual topcoat choice could help also.
Well I've sanded it all over with 150 and I think I got the surface - at least - off of it.
Not sure what you mean by Top Coat. Isn't the oil process one coat over another of the same product?
Lew
Who would love a 1275 for his Morris Minor Convertible project.
Danish oil is a mixture of BLO and a varnish. So its more than just oil. But you can get Watco that is already tinted including dark and light walnut, mahogany and cherry colors. That helps blend wood of slightly different colors. But regardless, its not very good protection against the elements in an exterior application.
I too have a Traveller so can appreciate the issues you face.
You're probably already aware that there are two schools of thought on the finish to use on this car's wood surfaces. If car is to be garaged then it is OK to use traditional finishes such as spar varnish (or perhaps even Danish oil-type products) that seal the wood from elements. However if car is not to be garaged then it is better to use the more modern micro-porous finishes such as Sikkens Cetol. I presume that you will be garaging the car. That is what I do and I used spar varnish.
Remember also that UV resistance is part of the equation and any staining/finishing you end up using must hold up to it. Many exterior varnishes, etc. have UV resistant additives, few interior products do.
Your objective is to "darken" the wood so that the gaps aren't as obvious. An initial application of traditional wood stains may help and since you have sanded the surface it would likely accept the stain (within reason). Personally I would continue sanding it to about 320 grit or maybe go over it with red Scotchbrite before staining.
Whatever the course of action, some experimentation will required to determine the best results and the compatibilty of materials. I just don't see Danish oil as an exterior-type finish but perhaps it is.
As for my car I had a different problem since it was a combination of original wood plus new wood. The issue then was to get all the colors to match. I first had to bleach all the old wood and then the finish process consisted of dyeing everything (with Trans-Tint) then a quick application of stain and then about 6-7 coats of spar varnish. That was about 5 years ago and everything is holding up well with no deteroration of color or varnish integrity.
Good Luck.
Very nice.
Thank you!
Your Traveller is very nice!
The color of your wood, or perhaps juust a shade darker, would be perfect. I will be keeping it indoors most but not all of the time. I live 15 minutes from the Gulf in South Alabama and so ours is a very humid climate.
I'd like to go Varnish for UV and moisture. I've also noticed that DO is always offered as an Interior product although in England it's used on Traveller wood regularly. Perhaps they have a different type of DO? But then Trans-Tint Specifications state Interior Only yet it's held up for you..under the varnish of course.
Trepidation reigns supreme in that there's really not a concealed spot in which to test things. Maybe I should buy a piece of ash and try things on that.
Me again. I ordered a 2oz Honey Maple from Trans Tint. Did you use it with alcohol or water? Will 2 oz suffice?
Definitely do not use water. It’s surface tension is such that drops will stay suspended above ash’s wide pores and you will have dots of unstained ash.
I speak from experience.
It is highly recommended to Read the Transtint data first
https://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/TransTint-for-Luthiers-Instructions-11-2018.pdf
It includes cautions about water with oak, which the open grain is comparable to ash.
Mike
That makes sense. I have read the TDS but always like to ask those who have gone on before
I always use TransTint with alcohol, as it penetrates better and doesn't raise the grain as much. Two ounces should be plenty. I mix mine for furniture one or two teaspoons per 1/3 pint of alcohol. You will need to experiment with the concentration of the solution to get the color density you want. It is possible to increase the depth of color and even it out a bit with a second coat. It is important to understand that when the dye dries, the color you see will bear little resemblance to what you will see with several top coats. Your experimentation should include top coats to get a true color result. It is remarkable how different it will look.
Thanks for this!
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