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View Full Version : Heating BLO during application



Jerry Crawford
06-18-2005, 3:36 PM
Will heating BLO and applying it hot/warm to the work piece increase speed of penitration & result in a higher polish? I'm trying to get the quilting in a piece of maple to jump out and recall how brilliant turners pieces are when they polish under power.

Jim Becker
06-18-2005, 3:48 PM
It will definitely help with penetration. Thos Moser uses heated BLO for his finishes. I have done it in the shop using a simple hot plate, cheap pan to hold a water bath and a candy thermometer. I take it to no more than 135º so that it will not burn my hands during application.

Jerry Crawford
06-18-2005, 4:09 PM
I was thinking of heating the wood with a heat gun as I rubbed in the oil but your idea of heating the oil would work too. Thanks

Tim Sproul
06-18-2005, 4:13 PM
It does increase penetration - based upon the need to apply a goodly amount more compared to cold to fully soak the wood.

Higher polish? That it won't affect. Degree of polish is determined by surface prep and application techinque when cherry and BLO are considered. Some folks will add luster to the finish by rubbing out with wax after the BLO has had a week or few to cure.

-edit-


I've found slow cookers - Crock Pot - are very good things for this. And they're quite inexpensive at most retailers.

Jim Becker
06-18-2005, 4:58 PM
I was thinking of heating the wood with a heat gun as I rubbed in the oil but your idea of heating the oil would work too. Thanks

You do not want to be using a heat gun around finishes... ;)

Andrew Alexander
06-18-2005, 8:43 PM
Small crock pots work as well for a warm waterbath to heat BLO in a separate container. They can be found in thrift stores for only a couple of bucks.

Ellen Benkin
06-19-2005, 11:45 AM
Heating the oil makes it "runnier" which means you can put on a very thin coat. I put some in a plastic dish and nuke it in the microwave. Some professionals I know keep it in a glue pot which keeps the temperature steady -- but the electric glue pots seem kind of pricey to me.

Jerry Crawford
06-19-2005, 12:03 PM
I like the microwave idea too. My saw project is pretty small so I don't need so much the crock pot would be necessary.

Frank Hagan
06-19-2005, 1:53 PM
I like the microwave idea, but I have a concern ... Ellen, how long do you heat it? 30 seconds or so, depending on quantity? I may try that next time ... I can just imagine the look on the LOML's face if she caught me using the crock pot for BLO!

BLO may not be as susceptible to superheating, but I've had my own little "science experiments in a cup" with heating water in microwaves (see http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html for the FDA's recommendations an http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/superheating.html for a more technical explanation). Still, I would think a 30 second warm up in the microwave would be OK.

Jim Becker
06-19-2005, 2:13 PM
I personally would not be comfortable heating BLO in a microwave both because of the potential fire hazard and the fact that "cooking" it this way may even alter it's properties. Heating in a water bath over an electric element takes away direct heat and also doesn't subject the material to "radar"...which is pretty much what a microwave is.

Roy Wall
06-19-2005, 8:39 PM
Guys, How much of this finish are you heating at one time........a quart? a pint? just wondering.........and can you re-heat and re-use....

Maybe in a small pan-on the driveway- covered with plate glass on a hot day this summer could do the trick??

Ken Fitzgerald
06-19-2005, 8:44 PM
Microwave is just that "radar" ......microwave RF energy.....radio signals....I'm not sure what the frequency is but I'd be it's X band. I think a double boiler...ie a water bath would be safer. I'm with you Jim. 2nd....if you just warm it up as with a double boiler, I'd think you could reuse it. If you "cook" it with a microwave like Jim I'd think you might alter it's properties and not necessarily get the results you want and probably shouldn't reuse it. You want to warm the oil not cook it.