Varnish or Danish

[warb21]

I know there are discussions elsewhere on the merits of different Traveller wood treatments but how would I tell which one my newly acquired Traveller has? I was expecting Danish Oil based on the dealer's normal recommendation, but the his hunch is that my car still has Varnish. Will put pic up shortly.

And if it is Varnish, can I put Danish Oil on top of that?

[Sparticus]

I believe that you would be best advised to remove said varnish first

[bmcecosse]

Unfortunately the hideous varnish has to be carefully scraped off first - took me many happy evenings......

[warb21]

I guessed as much! How would I work out whether it is indeed varnish?

[Dean]

Danish would let you run your finger nails into the grain wouldn't it?

Varnish would just leave a scratch on the varnish surface or if old may be peeling somewhere?

[warb21]

Here are two pics which show the wood condition with approximately 4 year gap. Note the darker marks around the boot handle. Would that indicate varnish, Danish, or something else? Disregard colour difference - that could be different cameras etc.

[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[LouiseM]

Close-up photos of the wood would be helpful but as varnish tends to have a 'glossy' finish and Danish oil a 'matt' finish it looks to me as though the top photo is more likely to be Danish oil and the bottom photo varnish. The dark patches look like where water has seeped under the varnish and discoloured the wood. Old varnish can get flaky and come off, sometimes leaving the wood without a protective layer, whereas Danish oil doesn't flake off.

[warb21]

Here's a close up of a darker section by the boot handle, which is one of only a few spots like that. Most of the wood is the lighter colour that you can see below the handle.
There doesn't seem to be anywhere that resembles flaking-off, so if it is varnish, a light coat must have been added recently.[frame][/frame]

[warb21]

UPDATE! It seems that some parts of the wood - the arches over the rear wings - were Danish oiled and other parts varnished.
Thanks for all earlier advice. Will be tackling the soft bit soon as I can get it dried it out for a couple of weeks. In this weather that won't be soon enough! Thanks for all advice.

[warb21]

UPDATE - it seems there is a combo of Varnish and Danish. A much more detailed look at the woodwork reveals some sections are glossy but then there are patches which are much more matt-ish. In the right light I can see the specific lines where (presumably) the varnish stops.