Boiled Linseed Oil

[Dean D Collins]

Does anybody use boiled linseed oil as a finish???

Please give give me your opinion as to using as a finish. I have never used it but I heard that it leaves great results.



do you layer it,or cover it with another such as a poly?

Thanks in advance
Dean

[Kyle Iwamoto]

My $0.02. It looks really nice and is a good finish. BUT: Depending on where you live, it could take days for it to "dry". The application rags/cloth, if soaked, is a spontaneous combustion hazard. Leave it outside or in a flameproof container. No finish is worth burning down your shop and/or house. I had a near fire, rags started smoking. Tossed the rags out followed closely by the BLO. I no longer use it. Just my OPINION.

[george wilson]

I don't recommend it for a finish,but some have mixed it with turpentine(which is full of oxygen) to use as a finish. Turpentine helps it to dry,BUT,the trouble is getting GENUINE turpentine. It is different from the stuff they distill from stumps. The real stuff used to say "from the living pine" on the can. Probably now,most of the commercially grown pines are little ones for making pulp out of.

[Bryan Cramer]

I like its look on all woods - it brings out the natural color. It is not durable, so I cover it with lacquer or polyurethane. If I only apply a light coat I have no problems with drying or reacting with my top coats. I view boiled linseed oil as a natural looking "stain". If you want a natural color look to boiled linseed oil covered with your top coat to protect it. It also works great on highly detailed scroll saw projects because if I pour the oil over the wood it gets into all crevices.

[Bill Geibe]

Some somewhat useless information about BLO: I used to build bicycle wheels from time to time. Wheel builders use BLO on the spoke threads and nipples as it keeps them from loosening. The stuff doesn't dry as hard as glue, though, so the wheel could still be trued later. It's kind of like a mild Loctite.

Bill

[Shawn Pixley]

I concur with Bryan. It is part of the finishing schedule, but not an effective finish in itself. For better reading and more information, use the search feature and pull up older threads from the finishing forum. There is a wealth of information there.

[Todd Burch]

I rag it on and either varnish or lacquer over it.

Just bought an old sash, 4 divided light window last Thursday. I took the glass out as the wife wanted a cutsy, 4-pane blackboard. I went ahead and stripped it, as it was too rough to be able to clean. I told my wife I thought it would look good with BLO and a dull lacquer. But, she wanted white paint on it, glazed to look old. I told her I thought oil would look better, so I would use BLO and dull lacquer, and if later she wanted white, I could easily spray it later. It turned out pretty good. The BLO really darkened the pine which had developed a nice patina under the old paint.

[kevin nee]

I use boiled linseed oil. Yes it takes a week to dry. while sanding between coats the sandpaper becomes useless.
I feel the final result is spectacular.

[Paul Symchych]

I use it all the time. It pops the grain and enhances the colors of wood; specially accelerating the color change in cherry [which I NEVER stain]. One key is to wipe a coat on, let it soak in for 15 minutes and then wipe it dry. I often use a couple of coats a day or sometimes two days apart depending on the result from one coat. Putting the piece out in the sun helps it dry faster.
Then finish with whatever you are using as a top coat finish.

[HANK METZ]

I don't use it as a project finish anymore, but it makes a superb protective coating for metal surfaces and as has been pointed out it does function well as a thread locking agent

- Beachside Hank

[george wilson]

I have used BLO many,many times UNDER a finish. It does make the wood look a lot richer. Been doing that forever. As toolmaker in Williamsburg,we made wooden planes,saws with wooden handles,etc.,which would have only a coating of oil as a finish. Some of our tools were used by out door trades,and kept in unheated out buildings. BLO can mildew for sure(not UNDER a finish),so,we used tung oil on wooden tools as it doesn't mold.

Tung oil does take several days to dry,even in a heated shop,while BLO took less time.

[Chris Kennedy]

I used BLO on a project and it simply did not dry in the humid summer. It was still tacky after a couple of weeks (I am not exaggerating). It was a small table and it now is used as an outdoor table because it was taking so long to dry, dust and bugs got stuck in the BLO.

It looked nice, though. I have used it at other times without problem, though it does take a while to dry even under the best of circumstances.

Cheers,

Chris

[Bob Rossi]

I used BLO on a project and it simply did not dry in the humid summer. It was still tacky after a couple of weeks (I am not exaggerating). It was a small table and it now is used as an outdoor table because it was taking so long to dry, dust and bugs got stuck in the BLO.

It looked nice, though. I have used it at other times without problem, though it does take a while to dry even under the best of circumstances.

Cheers,

Chris

It sounds like you put it on heavy and didn't wipe off the exess. BLO must be wiped till it is almost dry. This may take a while and you may go through several rags.

[Todd Burch]

I used BLO on a project and it simply did not dry in the humid summer. It was still tacky after a couple of weeks (I am not exaggerating). It was a small table and it now is used as an outdoor table because it was taking so long to dry, dust and bugs got stuck in the BLO.

It looked nice, though. I have used it at other times without problem, though it does take a while to dry even under the best of circumstances.

Cheers,

Chris

I've never had this issue, and I do as Bob says - I wipe it in good as I go and don't let it puddle or sag. On the sash I just did - I put 1 good coat on one afternoon and the next afternoon I lacquered it. No issues.

[glenn bradley]

I too use it frequently as part of a finishing protocol. I have used it as the finish on workbench tops along with a paste wax as it is easy to replenish every few years. Your workbench is no place for things that require a sealed surface so this is not a problem. The paste wax is optional but makes glue just pop right off.