Teak oil for Danish furniture?  

What's wrong with hardeners i...
What's wrong with hardeners in teak oil? I've never heard that they do any damage - is that not true? I was under the impression that they give a little protection from spills, at least enough to give you time to get a cloth to mop it up, and that without any hardener, a spill would instantly soak into the teak and stain it. Have I been led astray?

bubs
You can use turpentine to remove wax buildup. I don't think it will harm the patina but check in an inconspicuous place first. I have used it on a 50s Danish rosewood tabletop without a problem.

thanks spanky
I've used murphy's oil soap in the past with steel wool, and it does a decent job, but I noticed it looked a little too new after a coat of tung/teak oil.
I'll try the turpentine, and hopefully there'll be no problems.

orange oil and teack oil for indoor teak furniture
Dear Miss,
I have a few pieces of good Danish teak furniture. One of the pieces, a bedstand, got dirty in a section owing to repeated hand access to a drawer. Gentle sanding got rid of the dirt but left the teak, which has a mildly-darker-than natural stain, slightly lighter than the rest. I checked with Howard, which makes (unlike most of the others, which make self-styled "teak oils") a pure orange oil and ditto lemon oil. they assured me that these were products without the additives and said that lemon oil was for the lightest finishes, which mine is not (quite); the orange oil is for teak with a mild darker finish. So I tried their orange oil and - Caramba! - it restored the color to exactly the original so that you cannot detect the difference between the original and the sanded parts!
-- Thought I would let you know. Most of the commentators on the web have noted that the products sold at Home Depot, etc., leave unremovable residues and are to be avoided.
Best Regards,
Glenn K. Manacher Ph. D.

Never use Watco on Teak
You are so correct that one should never use Watco on Teak wood. Watco contains hardeners. Rule number one with teak care is never use a product with added hardeners to take care of it. Watco is great for walnut, and can be used with oak and other woods as well. But not for teak. Especially when applied on teak over old oil build up, Watco will leave you with a mess on your hands. Here are basic instructions on how to take care of teak: If it has a build up of dirt/inconsistent finish, wash it abrasively with a synthetic scouring pad (green scrubbie pad from 3M or Scotchgard), hot H20 and a good oil soap (like Murphy's). Rinse and let dry. The wood will look silvery. Apply a linseed oil based product formulated for indoor use, such as Scan Care teak oil. Once the oil has been absorbed, re-oil as necessary until finish is built back up to a stasis, and then leave it alone until it looks dry again. Re-oil as necessary, about once every 6mo. If your teak does not have excessive staining/buildup, skip the washing and just oil the furniture periodically. Never Sand!! Never bleach, unless you are a very experienced woodworker.
(edited by DA - link removed)