Used motor oil is an old trick to waterproof sheds and cabins. We have several farm sheds that have been oil treated you have to reapply every 15-20 years. Holds up extremely well and keeps the bugs out. Keeps wasps nest out too. It works well at treating wood posts that are in the ground with no concrete. You drill a 45 degree hole down at the base of it and fill it up, let it soak in 2-3 times. Fill it up 1 last time and cork it off. Takes a little maintenance but it will outlast a pressure treated 4x4 post with no concrete.
Steve, my grandfather always uses motor oil for protection when he is building fences at his farm. He coats it all in oil, specially the part that goes underground, in direct contect with dirt and so on. It protects the wood very well from what I've seen, and from what he told me.
yep, we had our outdoor back stairs done with motor oil because well, Soviet regime and there really was nothing else. But the oil kept really well though the stairs were getting a lot of rainwater and snow. In the end the only real problem was that stairs got really slippery because some seaweeds started growing on it :D but it did last for about 25-30 years so its ok.
bla bla bla what is your point ,is more likely that soil get more contaminated with pesticide than motor oil on the house and fance in italy many people spred the human shit like fertilize is not legal to do so but many people are doing that,do you like pizza hahahahah
My great-grandpa would use motor oil to bring out the grain when refinishing gun stocks. He sold it in baby food jars from his shop a long time ago, I only know this after one of my family found a case of baby food jars in his paining cabinet labeled "Blake Stain" and reeked of motor oil
Steve, if this gets to you- try red cabbage! It's a weird one. Named red, looks purple... but super finely sliced and minced + water makes a super blue pigment! Would be curious to see it on a very light wood.
Motor oil has been used for decades to treat wood that is subject to moisture. We used it for poles set into the ground. As a wood treatment inside I would say it's definitely an option to use. Let it have plenty of time to cure and you will be fine to top coat with lacquer or poly. Think of it as a dark BLO.
I've tried some weird stains myself one time I knicked my finger when I was carving and a considerable amount of blood got on the piece I was working on. this didn't bug me because I always wanted to know if blood would stain wood like the violin in the "Red Violin" fortunately it didn't, so there's no need to find blood to stain wood. Great video by the way Steve!
Hmm, I had no idea used oil was carcinogenic, just did some research on it, guess I'm wearing gloves from now on! For anyone curious: www.nature.nps.gov/hazardssafety/toxic/oilused.pdf
SpectrHz It is but way overly stated. This is why the oil changing companies force glove usage but I have known a tremendous amount of mechanics over my life and not a single one had cancer. Try doing motor, and transmission, work and oil changes day in and day out for 20+ years. Try that with smoking and some of them would have had cancer. To be honest I don't put much stock in it (like the sodium saccharin scare years ago when it would take a thousand gallons per day to get cancer).
The previous owner left a 55 gal drum of used motor oil behind when we bought our new house. I pumped it into 5 gallon buckets and took it to the local recycling center where they use it to run their boiler. Maybe I should have kept some for future woodworking projects!
I just watched WWS1 and i think this format is better where you see the result after each stain. Very interesting videos. This is great for work where we have a -hard to explain- daycare center for people with some kind of light mental illness. We don't have much gear or space so not having fumes is fantastic!
Try a chunk of solid asphalt diluted in some gasoline or naphtha (only cover the chunk with the gas in a jar with a cap and shake once a day for a week). The old woodworkers in Mexico use it like a walnut dye. Sorry about my English...
Growing up, we had flower beds in our backyard that my father had made out of old railroad ties. Every couple of years, he would have me or my brother paint on a few coats of motor oil that he had saved from changing the oil in the lawnmower. It really seemed to protect the wood from the elements.
The folks who built the church I attended as a child had a very dark stained 'paneling' and 'trim' in the sanctuary. Their budget was very limited and my Mother told me they had used an inexpensive plywood stained using a mixture of tar thinned with kerosene to make it flowable to stain it. Lasted many years and always looked fine to me.
What? it has been 4 years since the frame? Good lord, time flies... I remember subscribing to you after your chess sets back then :)
7 лет назад+1
Hola Steve. Surprisingly, down here in Mexico, woodworkers stain furniture, basically pine wood, with used motor oil, and pure bee wax as finish. these technique commonly called a "rustic finish". Quite appealing on the eye, but not on the smell.
I know this is an old-ish video, but I'm new here. Last summer we picked all the petals off our large purple iris flowers and let them sit in a jar in the sun. After they liquified we added a small amount of vinegar and put it in the fridge. It is an amazing blue color! After adding a varnish it did turn a slight green color, but the blue juice in. The jar is an amazing color!
Thank you for showing once again alternative staining methods, I have used the black berry and shoe polish many times in the past....thank you once again for the informative and fun posts.
When we were younger back here in the UK, people would use old motor oil to preserve their sheds/workshops and fences. If you stand your fence posts in a bucket of used oil for a few days or even a week before putting them into the ground they will soak up the oil and last for years & years.
I use the motor oil trick on foundations of of some of the outdoor shops I've built. Not only gives them a color but protects them from the weather as well. Cheap and works great!
Steve, the Latino community uses Annatto (aka Achiote) seeds for somehow red/yellow coloring, the seeds heated with vegetable oil (olive, corn, etc,) and the oil change color. I tried to bleed the seeds with water or vinegar but did not bleed as good as oil. To protect the carved bowl that I made, I use mineral oil and the Annatto seeds to change the wood color and protect it.
Something I've always wanted to try was an "invisible ink" stain on wood. Remember being a kid and writing secret messages in lemon juice and then holding it over a light bulb to reveal the message? I wonder if you can paint wood with citrus and then hit it with a heat gun and get a cool effect. I actually have both lemons and a heat gun at home... Hmmm I'm gonna have to try this and share my results!
I'm just starting putting my own shop together, thanks for all the great storage ideas, I've been binge watching your videos, I can't get enough, Thanks!!!
I use watered down paint on most of my wood projects. It works great and you can get some really cool finishes when it's paired with a stain over the top of it
5:50 The used motor oil definitely adds protection. My dad used to paint it on fence posts, or at least the parts that would be in the ground, and a few inches above. It seemed to do a great job of preventing rot, and the bugs don't like it neither, lol.
GREAT job Steve. There are several "stains" that could really work, readily available and not that expensive. Always remember to try on a test piece as Steve Ramsey is not responsible if your project gets ruined.
Used a stale bottle of instant coffee crystals in a gallon of water-based poly. Sorta hard to disolve, but smelled good, covered well, and left a much stronger color than your brewed coffee. Like a golden oak. Really improved the look of my new garage cabinets made from cheap albino-looking chinese plywood from the big-box store.
This was fun. Used motor oil does protect the wood (A few months ago, Wranglerstar used it on his mailbox to provide some rot resistance)... my only concern is how long it would take it to not smell like motor oil, especially for something you're using on indoor furniture. 🤓👍🏼
Hey Steve, thanks for the shout out! But to clarify, I was suggesting creating a copper solution (like copper acetate) to make a blue-green stain. I couldn't find any videos using this method at the time. Hope you don't mind me suggesting it again, I think it still might be interesting.
I really love the way the motor oil brings out the grain.However, I have been told that it can be rather unhealthy to use because of heavy metals or somesuch. Do you think that putting a coat of lacquer or something over the top would help reduce the risks to health? Also, thank you Steve Ramsey for doing this.
In order for the heavy metals to be unhealthy you would have to allow it to absorb into your skin when wet or digest it. After it drys there should be no issue of absorbing into your skin and I hope you aren't going to eat the wood.
John Harris hahaha, engine flavoured wood... sounds better than my usual cooking to be honest. I was thinking more about using it for floor boards (little kids, bare feet) and cladding for a cabin where rain might cause whatever's in the wood to run off into the ground.
Nice re-visit, Steve! What about trying a solution of paint diluted down fourfold with water and then wiping it off right away? That should be enough to accentuate the grain.
In the 1970's I use to make antique furniture. It was a skill I was taught from a old cabinet maker. He had a list of stains that could be used to get the right year/age. My Mom almost killed me when she found me aging some paper labels in her oven.
I used a half water half bleach mixture to lighten the color of lacewood, which gave a really cool effect. I can imagine that the bleach mixture could do some neat things with other darker woods.
I love the idea of India ink. Also, trying other oils would be cool (like the "buttered popcorn" oil you can get at the store for adding to unseasoned popcorn)
My Great uncle used beach nut chewing tobacco to stain. Diluting it to different levels gave him a range of results. He was a finish carpenter for the Masonic temples in the Midwest state area in the 1940 to 1960. He although became addicted to chewing it so it was readily available.
How about lipstick? Like shoe polish, it has a wax base, so it should give a nice finish. Combine that with an infinite range of colour options and it could be a winner. I'm thinking a nice rich plum could give a faux purple heart effect.
FYI: Ammonia is not pigment that soaks into the wood, or dye that colors the wood, rather a chemical reaction with the tannin in the woods like white oak. Arts & crafts furniture, made with white oak, is "stained" this way. Desired darkness is determined by how long you leave the wood exposed (longer = darker.)
I have used old motor oil over the years and had good results. I am going to try the blackberries. I have a large blackberry bush in my yard and have some left over at the end of the season every year.
7 лет назад
I made wooden fence from pallets on the very bottom of the hill, to prevent the dirt from landsliding. I painted the wood with motor oil and it protects it really nice, it´s outside so it´s been wet, freezing, burning hot, etc and still acts as new. So I save old motor oil for lower grade outside projects
I was working on a project during my shop class, and I was using a dark stain. I ended up getting it all over my right arm, but it came off easily so that was good 👌🏻
Another great video Steve. Glad to hear about your experiment with food coloring. I've been using it as dye on my pens for a number of years now and love the various shades that you can get by mixing colors.
The great thing about fuming a wood with ammonia is that it goes so deeply since it's a chemical reaction with the wood. You can plane it and sand it afterwards and the colour remains. The motor oil is interesting, the open grain of the oak probably captures the dirt and metal particles making the grain really stand out, this might work quite differently on a closed grain wood.
I don't know whenever you still do it, but let me suggest traditional folk stains from other side of the globe: Juice from unripened walnut nut (just squeeze them, but take care of your fingers, it stains them very well). While looking green initially, on air it oxidizes fast and gives wood pleasing dark orange color. Milk from unripened fig (it looks white, but stains different woods differently, from pale yellow to dark orange). Also, figs leaves, when boiled, produce dark tan stain. Rosehip juice (boiled), looks almost like tea stan, but with little pinkish tint.
The ammonia actually looked really good, would that be safe for a flowerpot? I wonder how deep it penetrates. Because it's not on the outside, it wouldn't wear off, I bet it would look good for a long time
I guess motor oil will perform same way a linseed oil or mineral oil does. Give wood some moisture resistance. Oil is oil. And for clear coats. I bet they wont stick to it, same way it does not apply on any other greasy surface.
i wonder if an oil based top coat like danish oil would have a chance at sticking if the oil was allowed to dry fully. Or if you could add the motor oil to danish oil for a base layer, and add protective layers of danish oil over the top. now i have to try it.
Haha. Im sorry. I was watching this with my dad and when you said "i wonder if the motor oil produced some protection?" my dad busted out laughing "yea, its gonna be easier to burn now." Great video!
I had a Mulberry tree in my yard as a kid, it actually gave a decent purple stain, although it did fade after a year in our garage. I tried this idea out on a piece of spare wood, after I discovered that mulberries will splat and stain all over my baseball bat...
The motor oil will add protection, but you have to change it after 3000 board feet.
Used motor oil is an old trick to waterproof sheds and cabins. We have several farm sheds that have been oil treated you have to reapply every 15-20 years. Holds up extremely well and keeps the bugs out. Keeps wasps nest out too.
It works well at treating wood posts that are in the ground with no concrete. You drill a 45 degree hole down at the base of it and fill it up, let it soak in 2-3 times. Fill it up 1 last time and cork it off. Takes a little maintenance but it will outlast a pressure treated 4x4 post with no concrete.
This whole video, I felt like I was watching some really weird cooking show. lmao
it is
Steve, my grandfather always uses motor oil for protection when he is building fences at his farm. He coats it all in oil, specially the part that goes underground, in direct contect with dirt and so on.
It protects the wood very well from what I've seen, and from what he told me.
Yea they do the same thing with telephone poles in the NW
yep, we had our outdoor back stairs done with motor oil because well, Soviet regime and there really was nothing else. But the oil kept really well though the stairs were getting a lot of rainwater and snow. In the end the only real problem was that stairs got really slippery because some seaweeds started growing on it :D but it did last for about 25-30 years so its ok.
Felipe Pereira -He probably also has a well he drinks from. To each his own. I am smoking a cigarette typing this, not a vegan or nothin. but no.
Yeah, he's also poisoning the ground, and eventually the groundwater, by doing that. Not cool.
bla bla bla
what is your point ,is more likely that soil get more contaminated with pesticide than motor oil on the house and fance
in italy many people spred the human shit like fertilize is not legal to do so but many people are doing that,do you like pizza hahahahah
Used Motor oil surprised me, that was my favorite , the grain just pops
I just tried this and it works great!!!
For sure.
My great-grandpa would use motor oil to bring out the grain when refinishing gun stocks. He sold it in baby food jars from his shop a long time ago, I only know this after one of my family found a case of baby food jars in his paining cabinet labeled "Blake Stain" and reeked of motor oil
Elijah Ellis That's really cool.
Steve, if this gets to you- try red cabbage! It's a weird one. Named red, looks purple... but super finely sliced and minced + water makes a super blue pigment! Would be curious to see it on a very light wood.
Motor oil has been used for decades to treat wood that is subject to moisture. We used it for poles set into the ground. As a wood treatment inside I would say it's definitely an option to use. Let it have plenty of time to cure and you will be fine to top coat with lacquer or poly. Think of it as a dark BLO.
I've tried some weird stains myself one time I knicked my finger when I was carving and a considerable amount of blood got on the piece I was working on. this didn't bug me because I always wanted to know if blood would stain wood like the violin in the "Red Violin" fortunately it didn't, so there's no need to find blood to stain wood. Great video by the way Steve!
great movie
This deserve a follow up to this follow up.
wow, motor oil? whoda thunk? cool video Steve!
Yeah, that motor oil made that wood pop for sure.
Petar Bogdanov is there any way to seal the wood after staining it with motor oil to avoid those carcinogen risks?
the same type of clear coat, built up finishes he talks about.
Hmm, I had no idea used oil was carcinogenic, just did some research on it, guess I'm wearing gloves from now on! For anyone curious: www.nature.nps.gov/hazardssafety/toxic/oilused.pdf
SpectrHz
It is but way overly stated. This is why the oil changing companies force glove usage but I have known a tremendous amount of mechanics over my life and not a single one had cancer. Try doing motor, and transmission, work and oil changes day in and day out for 20+ years. Try that with smoking and some of them would have had cancer. To be honest I don't put much stock in it (like the sodium saccharin scare years ago when it would take a thousand gallons per day to get cancer).
Whoa! Motor oil? That's the most brilliant idea I've ever heard! Wood covered with oil is like a tree holding a chainsaw! Absolutely love it!
Boiled onion skin produces a nice ochre sort of colour.
I've seen it, its beautiful. Also potato skins provide non toxic color solutions .
The previous owner left a 55 gal drum of used motor oil behind when we bought our new house. I pumped it into 5 gallon buckets and took it to the local recycling center where they use it to run their boiler. Maybe I should have kept some for future woodworking projects!
I just watched WWS1 and i think this format is better where you see the result after each stain. Very interesting videos. This is great for work where we have a -hard to explain- daycare center for people with some kind of light mental illness. We don't have much gear or space so not having fumes is fantastic!
Try a chunk of solid asphalt diluted in some gasoline or naphtha (only cover the chunk with the gas in a jar with a cap and shake once a day for a week). The old woodworkers in Mexico use it like a walnut dye.
Sorry about my English...
Why not just mix some tar in some solvent and save some time.
i used watered down acrylic paint for a shelf and it looks pretty cool, and it can be any colour
Growing up, we had flower beds in our backyard that my father had made out of old railroad ties. Every couple of years, he would have me or my brother paint on a few coats of motor oil that he had saved from changing the oil in the lawnmower. It really seemed to protect the wood from the elements.
The folks who built the church I attended as a child had a very dark stained 'paneling' and 'trim' in the sanctuary. Their budget was very limited and my Mother told me they had used an inexpensive plywood stained using a mixture of tar thinned with kerosene to make it flowable to stain it. Lasted many years and always looked fine to me.
What? it has been 4 years since the frame? Good lord, time flies...
I remember subscribing to you after your chess sets back then :)
Hola Steve. Surprisingly, down here in Mexico, woodworkers stain furniture, basically pine wood, with used motor oil, and pure bee wax as finish. these technique commonly called a "rustic finish".
Quite appealing on the eye, but not on the smell.
omg the used motor oil looks really good! Cant wait to do my next oil change! Haha!
I know this is an old-ish video, but I'm new here. Last summer we picked all the petals off our large purple iris flowers and let them sit in a jar in the sun. After they liquified we added a small amount of vinegar and put it in the fridge. It is an amazing blue color! After adding a varnish it did turn a slight green color, but the blue juice in. The jar is an amazing color!
I've used Lye on Cherry in one of my projects. It kind of jump-starts the natural colouration that comes with time.
I once used a strong solution of instant coffee. It made the wood look like tanned leather.
The motor oil and shoe polish look awesome! 😍
We always painted our fences with used sump oil here in Australia & it worked great, great test of different products 👍
Thank you for showing once again alternative staining methods, I have used the black berry and shoe polish many times in the past....thank you once again for the informative and fun posts.
that shoe polish stain is gorgeous!!!
When we were younger back here in the UK, people would use old motor oil to preserve their sheds/workshops and fences.
If you stand your fence posts in a bucket of used oil for a few days or even a week before putting them into the ground they will soak up the oil and last for years & years.
I use the motor oil trick on foundations of of some of the outdoor shops I've built. Not only gives them a color but protects them from the weather as well. Cheap and works great!
Steve, the Latino community uses Annatto (aka Achiote) seeds for somehow red/yellow coloring, the seeds heated with vegetable oil (olive, corn, etc,) and the oil change color. I tried to bleed the seeds with water or vinegar but did not bleed as good as oil. To protect the carved bowl that I made, I use mineral oil and the Annatto seeds to change the wood color and protect it.
Something I've always wanted to try was an "invisible ink" stain on wood.
Remember being a kid and writing secret messages in lemon juice and then holding it over a light bulb to reveal the message?
I wonder if you can paint wood with citrus and then hit it with a heat gun and get a cool effect. I actually have both lemons and a heat gun at home... Hmmm I'm gonna have to try this and share my results!
I'm just starting putting my own shop together, thanks for all the great storage ideas, I've been binge watching your videos, I can't get enough, Thanks!!!
I use watered down paint on most of my wood projects. It works great and you can get some really cool finishes when it's paired with a stain over the top of it
Gonna go change the oil in my rig right NOW!!!
The used motor oil was my favourite. The grain was outstanding.
5:50 The used motor oil definitely adds protection. My dad used to paint it on fence posts, or at least the parts that would be in the ground, and a few inches above. It seemed to do a great job of preventing rot, and the bugs don't like it neither, lol.
Good Video. Now out to the garage to change my oil. Thanks
GREAT job Steve. There are several "stains" that could really work, readily available and not that expensive.
Always remember to try on a test piece as Steve Ramsey is not responsible if your project gets ruined.
Used a stale bottle of instant coffee crystals in a gallon of water-based poly. Sorta hard to disolve, but smelled good, covered well, and left a much stronger color than your brewed coffee. Like a golden oak. Really improved the look of my new garage cabinets made from cheap albino-looking chinese plywood from the big-box store.
Extra fancy collor effect. Thank you for sharing and thanks to Metrie for sponsoring this video.
the motor oil stain is totally awesome. good find
Loved the motor oil results, I imagine a couple coats of sealer would encapsulate the odors so the house wouldn't smell like a jiffylube.
This was fun. Used motor oil does protect the wood (A few months ago, Wranglerstar used it on his mailbox to provide some rot resistance)... my only concern is how long it would take it to not smell like motor oil, especially for something you're using on indoor furniture. 🤓👍🏼
Hey! I watched that wranglerstar video! Anyways, most people say it took a few days to a week.
In Brazil, motor oil is widely used to protect fence posts.
Hey Steve, thanks for the shout out! But to clarify, I was suggesting creating a copper solution (like copper acetate) to make a blue-green stain. I couldn't find any videos using this method at the time. Hope you don't mind me suggesting it again, I think it still might be interesting.
These are exactly the projects I've been looking for!
I really love the way the motor oil brings out the grain.However, I have been told that it can be rather unhealthy to use because of heavy metals or somesuch. Do you think that putting a coat of lacquer or something over the top would help reduce the risks to health? Also, thank you Steve Ramsey for doing this.
In order for the heavy metals to be unhealthy you would have to allow it to absorb into your skin when wet or digest it. After it drys there should be no issue of absorbing into your skin and I hope you aren't going to eat the wood.
John Harris hahaha, engine flavoured wood... sounds better than my usual cooking to be honest. I was thinking more about using it for floor boards (little kids, bare feet) and cladding for a cabin where rain might cause whatever's in the wood to run off into the ground.
Not sure about the wood floor and barefooted kids. Any wood floor I would be putting a finish over the stain. Polyurethane or waterlox is what i use.
Nice re-visit, Steve! What about trying a solution of paint diluted down fourfold with water and then wiping it off right away? That should be enough to accentuate the grain.
In the 1970's I use to make antique furniture. It was a skill I was taught from a old cabinet maker. He had a list of stains that could be used to get the right year/age. My Mom almost killed me when she found me aging some paper labels in her oven.
I liked the shoe polish, however the cost of that would be an issue for large projects, so I would lean towards the Rit dye. Nice video Steve!
I used a half water half bleach mixture to lighten the color of lacewood, which gave a really cool effect. I can imagine that the bleach mixture could do some neat things with other darker woods.
The yellow color in mustard actually comes from turmeric. At least it does if you get "good" yellow mustard.
Chris Petersen Use Colman's you fool.
LOL
I remember when you were just getting started. it's so great to see how much you've grown. cheers
Pro trick : watch series on InstaFlixxer. Me and my gf have been using them for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.
@Aaron Jeffrey Yea, have been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself =)
I love the idea of India ink.
Also, trying other oils would be cool (like the "buttered popcorn" oil you can get at the store for adding to unseasoned popcorn)
My Great uncle used beach nut chewing tobacco to stain. Diluting it to different levels gave him a range of results. He was a finish carpenter for the Masonic temples in the Midwest state area in the 1940 to 1960. He although became addicted to chewing it so it was readily available.
How about lipstick? Like shoe polish, it has a wax base, so it should give a nice finish. Combine that with an infinite range of colour options and it could be a winner. I'm thinking a nice rich plum could give a faux purple heart effect.
I think that would be way too expensive for a practicle use. And your girlfriend will get really mad at you.
FYI: Ammonia is not pigment that soaks into the wood, or dye that colors the wood, rather a chemical reaction with the tannin in the woods like white oak. Arts & crafts furniture, made with white oak, is "stained" this way. Desired darkness is determined by how long you leave the wood exposed (longer = darker.)
Cool ideas for coloring.. my shop favorite is steel wool and white vinegar...
I have used old motor oil over the years and had good results. I am going to try the blackberries. I have a large blackberry bush in my yard and have some left over at the end of the season every year.
I made wooden fence from pallets on the very bottom of the hill, to prevent the dirt from landsliding. I painted the wood with motor oil and it protects it really nice, it´s outside so it´s been wet, freezing, burning hot, etc and still acts as new. So I save old motor oil for lower grade outside projects
try onion shell. the dry skin of onion bulb. boiled it is used to paint eggs in Easter time. it gives a brownish-reddish color. :-)
who would of thought general household items could make a difference and even better save cash. Awesome vid, keep it up
Steve, you posted on a Monday, how cool is that!!!
More great tips! Thanks Steve. love that ammonia trick!
I'm gonna try the shoe polish. I kinda dug that one.
I was working on a project during my shop class, and I was using a dark stain. I ended up getting it all over my right arm, but it came off easily so that was good 👌🏻
This motor oil trick is gonna come in handy. TY
Love the look of the motor oil. You could also try bottled pen ink, one with a pigment and/or Henna tattoo ink.
Shoe polish makes a handy small scratch hider on finished furniture. Wipe off the excess, and wax it like normal, it will blend right in.
Another great video Steve. Glad to hear about your experiment with food coloring. I've been using it as dye on my pens for a number of years now and love the various shades that you can get by mixing colors.
The motor oil one is awesome!
WOWY THINGS THAT ARE KNOWN TO STAIN THINGS CAN ALSO STAIN WOOD?!?!?!? WOOOOOOOOW
I've been using cheap acrylic paint with water, it really goes a long way.
The great thing about fuming a wood with ammonia is that it goes so deeply since it's a chemical reaction with the wood. You can plane it and sand it afterwards and the colour remains. The motor oil is interesting, the open grain of the oak probably captures the dirt and metal particles making the grain really stand out, this might work quite differently on a closed grain wood.
Good stuff Steve, thanks for experimenting.
my dad taught me over 30yra ago to stain/seal outdoor decorative projects with used motor oil. the nastier the better. always worked great.
Good stuff, Steve. Thank you!
You are a monster Steve, painting wood with the blood of an poor innocent blackberry ! Lol.
I don't know whenever you still do it, but let me suggest traditional folk stains from other side of the globe: Juice from unripened walnut nut (just squeeze them, but take care of your fingers, it stains them very well). While looking green initially, on air it oxidizes fast and gives wood pleasing dark orange color. Milk from unripened fig (it looks white, but stains different woods differently, from pale yellow to dark orange). Also, figs leaves, when boiled, produce dark tan stain. Rosehip juice (boiled), looks almost like tea stan, but with little pinkish tint.
The ammonia actually looked really good, would that be safe for a flowerpot? I wonder how deep it penetrates. Because it's not on the outside, it wouldn't wear off, I bet it would look good for a long time
that is really cool! Watching this makes me want to get back in the workshop again.
I totally recommend trying unused motor oil and food coloring together, very interesting and cheep finish
this is a very cool idea! Didn't know it works. 👍👍👍 thanks for sharing!
I did the stock to my rifle with used motor oil last year. Looks great! Water still beads off of it.
For many years I've dyed wood with Sharpies. Take out the felt insert and soak it in alcohol. Use the alcohol to stain the piece. Works wonders.
im curious how a clear top coat would turn out on used motor oil...
I am also very curious about this. Which finish would work best?
thancrus i doubt it would adhere.
I guess motor oil will perform same way a linseed oil or mineral oil does. Give wood some moisture resistance. Oil is oil. And for clear coats. I bet they wont stick to it, same way it does not apply on any other greasy surface.
thancrus me too. I have a comment on this page about motor oil as well, what is you opinion on the topic of health risks I mentioned in that comment?
i wonder if an oil based top coat like danish oil would have a chance at sticking if the oil was allowed to dry fully. Or if you could add the motor oil to danish oil for a base layer, and add protective layers of danish oil over the top. now i have to try it.
Haha. Im sorry. I was watching this with my dad and when you said "i wonder if the motor oil produced some protection?" my dad busted out laughing "yea, its gonna be easier to burn now." Great video!
Red wines - Pinot noir. Cabernet savignon etc. Makeup - lipstick (melted), mascara, base, etc. Marker fluid - sharpies, crayola , highlighters, dry erase.
I always really loved the coffee and beeswax on small projects.
nice video!
A trick model railroader use on bass wood is steel wool dissolved in vinegar. It gives a good weathered look.
People used to put motor oil on axe handles as a protective coat and makes it look great too
Being an auto shop instructor I have an abundance of used motor oil. I may have to give it a try on a future project.
Wow! Here I am amazed at coffee staining until I saw your vid here!
I'm definitely trying used motor oil for my next build, i love your videos they help me out a lot keep'em coming.
I had a Mulberry tree in my yard as a kid, it actually gave a decent purple stain, although it did fade after a year in our garage.
I tried this idea out on a piece of spare wood, after I discovered that mulberries will splat and stain all over my baseball bat...
If you make a part 3, I'd love to see what fresh grass clipping do. I love the color green and always wondered what grass would look like as stain.
Here in the south ( West Georgia, USA ) we have a plant called "Poke". It provides a deep red- purple dye in it's berries.
notification squad check-in!