how to care for oiled walnut fortes?

[prerich]

I use Danish Oil myself - all of the previous ones mentioned are excellent! One thing to remember - these oils can spontaneously catch fire.  Make sure your wiping towels are either placed in water, or hang them out to dry outside - make sure they are not touching each other nor are they balled up. Congrats on the Forte's!!!!

 

Oh, if you don't feel comfortable with the oils - Amish Wood Milk (Dutch Glow) works pretty good too.   

[dtel]

I always used BLO, and wipe off any extra after a few minutes. Right or wrong it's what I do ?  I only do it once or twice a year when I do the Oak mwm bins, probably why I don't do it more often, it's a lot of area to cover with some hard to reach spots.

[tnr]

I read somewhere that Klipsch recommends Watco Rejuve oil. I've used that on all my walnut speakers and they look beautiful.

That is what Klipsch told me as well.  Works great and a little goes a long way.

[Mighty Favog]

I've been using Watco too on my CW I's. Just have to remember not to touch em' for a couple weeks.

[ccdowenye]

I recently used Howards Feed n wax on my Fortes with great results. Rub it on, wait 20, then wipe off the excess. They look like brand new.

 

Im just saying....

[WMcD]

It is interesting to read about linseed oil as is present in some or all Watco products.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil

 

By way of background: (And if you don't mine me being pedantic.) Since antiquity the goal has been to find something which goes on wood as a liquid and then dries to a solid and gives some protection against water or at least gives a shiny coat.

 

One reason we want to put something on wood is that, if I understand correctly, a tree has spent a lot of time transporting water up to the branches.  So even when dead, the cells will absorb water.  However, when dead an without the biochemistry, they bloat with water.  Not good.

 

Reading a little about the Egyptians, they used flax a lot to make linen and so must have had oil as a by product.  The article describes how a mummy treated with linseed / flax oil, caught fire after it was sealed up.

 

Linseed oil was used to make paint for centuries.  With paint we need the same sort of something which starts liquid and then, through some chemical reaction become solid and we have a powder in it to make color and the powder will protect the wood from sunshine, and be pretty.  Of course now though The Magic of Chemistry we have many substances which solidify. 

 

But back to the dangers of linseed oil.  Last century and before with the widespread use of linseed oil there were equally widespread warning and knowledge not to put oily rags and even paint soaked rags in a garbage can or a pile.  As the article describes, the drying chemical reaction creates a bit of heat, and if the rags are clumped together the heat can start a fire.  That is bad because the oil and rags are combustible.

 

But that is the specific bad environment to avoid. When I used Watco I would set up a little clothesline in the garage and hang the cloths on it.  They would dry and harden.  Then they are safe. 

 

WMcD

[Colin]

In the northern US, the low humidity of cold winters dries out wood, ruining the sheen and eventually cracking it. Old steam and hot water radiators contribute to the problem, sweating out what little moisture there is in the air with condensation. Most commonly recommended is a quarterly rubdown with furniture OIL to nourish the wood; NOT furniture polish to merely dust it. In the southern US, high temperatures and high humidity rate - both over 90, Fahrenheit and percent - combine to create scalding heat indexes over 100F. Sensitive wood designs are protected with an annual rubdown of lemon or tung furniture oil. 

[Colin]

Oiling your cabinets

 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/big-ole-horns/oil-your-speaker-cabinets/519385028104224

[japosey]

Tung Oil is great