Watco/oil/varnish finish

[Captain KIRK]

Hi I am refinishing a white oak dinning table that Bill Keyser made about 25 years ago. Bill told me that he used only Watco on it.

So I sanded the table top down to bare wood and started to apply Watco. (had to read the instructions, its been along time since I used that stuff)

After a few coats I notice that in the wood grain their are many thin black veiny streaks. They almost look like pitch pockets. The pitch pockets started to ooze out "sap" I am not sure what was being oozed out, it could be oil, sap,pitch etc. I would sand the stuff back and then it would reappear the next day.
After 3-4 coats of watco I switched to varnish only. My thoughts were that I would build several hard coats of finish then "cut" the pitch back and reapply more varnish.

However the pitch keeps returning, I can "cut" the pitch back then the next day it is back. Their is a lot of this sap/pitch.

Has any one else seen this or know of a way to fix it.

Thanks in advance Kirk

[mr douglas t]

Hello Kirk, Douglas here. A similiar thing happens to me when I oil some woods like jatoba. I believe it is the oil rising to the surface that could not soak into the wood. I have to come back to the piece every 1/2 hour and whipe it dry again with a cloth. I would bet that the oil you are applying is not soaking in to those areas. Or the oil you apply disolves the hardened oil that was in those veiny cracks. If it is not wipped up before it dries, it makes for a messy surface.

[Captain KIRK]

Thanks Doug,
The last three coats were straight varnish and it seems to be helping. That would seem to support your theory about it being the oil.

The strange thing is I would apply the Watco and wipe it down all day like you mentioned and then two days later the bumps would reappear.
I am going to monitor the table for a couple of days.

Kirk

[nektai]

Kirk,

I offer my two cents a bit late. I have had a problem with white oak during the winter when the humidity is extremely low. I have found that small checks tend to open and can disrupt a smooth surface. Is it possible that the pitch pockets you describe are small checks that are clogged with dirt and now filled with oil and as the humidity changes the oil gets squeezed to the surface. The bottom line is that Mr. Douglas gave you the best advise, seal it and forget it.

[Guest]

Nico,
Funny you should describe it that way, because someone in my shop said almost the exact thing you said.

I had bare wood exposed and this was the changing of the seasons.

The part that worries me is what the fuck do I do

the last two days the pitch pockets remained flat, but we are still adding moisture(sp) to the air and I am afraid that one week after I deliver the table I will get aphone call from the client.

And I will never be able to fix it.

I like working on Mike and Sophie's cabinet, solid MDF, Painted!
Kirk

[crzypete]

Kirk, you have to sell the client on that being a plus. tell them how rich the finish is and how that is one of the natural interactions between the wood and finish- something you just don't get when you put a plasticy lacquer over the wood.

pete