How many coats of BLO on workbench top

[Brian Hale]

Just about done the workbench and i've got 1 heavy coat of 50/50 BLO and MS on it. Do i need additional coats?

Brian :)

[Gary Keedwell]

Just about done the workbench and i've got 1 heavy coat of 50/50 BLO and MS on it. Do i need additional coats?

Brian :)
I can't find my reference right now , but there is a formula for benchs that is great. It involves the BLO and wax plus a solvent. I'll see if I can find it. I do know that they did more then one coat.
Gary

[Brian Hale]

1/3 BLO
1/3 MS or turpentine
1/3 beeswax

Is that the formula?

Brian :)

[mike wacker]

Help out a newbie. I Assume MS is Mineral Spirits. What is BLO? Thanks.

[Roy Wall]

Brian -

From the LN website:

Lie-Nielsen benches are finished with a 50/50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine. This traditional finish seals the wood, but does not make it slippery. The finish will need to be renewed from time to time.

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My guess is 2-3 coats.......Looking Great!

[Brian Hale]

Help out a newbie. I Assume MS is Mineral Spirits. What is BLO? Thanks.

MS = Mineral Spirits
BLO = Boiled Linseed Oil. Great stuff for a workbench top because glue won't stick to it and it doesn't make the top slippery.

Brian :)

[michael osadchuk]

...."I've got a heavy coat of 50% BLO and MS (on workbench now)...."

I would suggest that you not leave a heavy coat of BLO on your workbench overnight without wiping down it down to absorb any excess after a couple/several hours of applying it...... or you risk the next morning facing a gummy surface where there was an excess BLO, that was not absorbed by the wood......
you can apply as many coats as you want but with penetrating oil finishes, it is my understanding that you need to wipe down the initial "weeping" of oil coming out of the wood pores a couple of times at several hour intervals after applying.......

good luck

[Jim Becker]

I only put on one coat (straight) every six months or so to "freshen it up"...and yes, you should wipe off any excess after about 30-60 minutes. Never leave puddles of an oil on a project including your workbench top.

[mike wacker]

Brian,

Thanks,

Mike

[Gary Keedwell]

Shave a hen's-egg-size chunk of beeswax (about 2-ounces) into thin strips using a knife or food grater. Put the shavings into a pint (16 ounces) of pure turpentine and cover until the wax is dissolved into a butter-like blend.Add an equal volume of BLO and stir until the mixture is combined into a thick liquid. Brush or wipe the blend on the workbench and allow the "finish" to be absorbed into the wood for an hour or two before you squeegee off the excess which you can put into a tightly sealed container --it is still good and can be used to renew the finish in the future.
Allow the finish to "cure" for a few days and then buff to a soft shine.
This is an old recipe that I copied from another forum finish guru.
I don't know why you couldn't substitute Mineral Spirits instead of turpentine....but I guess they used turpentine more in the old days.:)
Gary

[Randy Denby]

Shave a hen's-egg-size chunk of beeswax (about 2-ounces) into thin strips using a knife or food grater. Put the shavings into a pint (16 ounces) of pure turpentine and cover until the wax is dissolved into a butter-like blend.Add an equal volume of BLO and stir until the mixture is combined into a thick liquid. Brush or wipe the blend on the workbench and allow the "finish" to be absorbed into the wood for an hour or two before you squeegee off the excess which you can put into a tightly sealed container --it is still good and can be used to renew the finish in the future.
Allow the finish to "cure" for a few days and then buff to a soft shine.
This is an old recipe that I copied from another forum finish guru.
I don't know why you couldn't substitute Mineral Spirits instead of turpentine....but I guess they used turpentine more in the old days.:)
Gary

BLO....got it
Mineral spirits/or turpentine....got it
eggshaped Beeswax...uh-oh Where can this be bought?Will earwax work :)Got loads of that.....and I can probably shape it into a small eggshape

[Jon Lanier]

BLO....got it
Mineral spirits/or turpentine....got it
eggshaped Beeswax...uh-oh Where can this be bought?Will earwax work :)Got loads of that.....and I can probably shape it into a small eggshape

Not a road I really wanted to go down. Thanks for the visual... :o

[glenn bradley]

Depends on your material as well. My top is 4 layers of 3/4" MDF. I would have to call what I did 'one coat' as I laid it on (50/50 BLO/MS) and re-did areas that soaked in more than the rest (I guess that makes sense if you were to see it).

Once I had an even absorption I wiped it off like crazy after about 30 minutes. I continued to wipe the "weeping" over the next several days. It was dry in about a week. I then laid on paste wax to help drips and such come off easier. It's doing much better than expected, still looks great and will be easy to freshen up as required.

P.s. take the time to oil top, bottom and sides. Don't scrimp now and you won't be sorry later.

[Brian Hale]

Well i put a second coat on last night, let it sit for 20 minutes or so and it very little soaked in. 1/2 hour there was little change so i wiped it off. One coat was most likely enough. ;)

Yes, i did the top, bottom and sides. Learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago. :o

Gary, does adding beeswax give the top a sticky feeling like you get when you handle pure beeswax?

Thanks! ! !

Brian :)

[Gary Keedwell]

Well i put a second coat on last night, let it sit for 20 minutes or so and it very little soaked in. 1/2 hour there was little change so i wiped it off. One coat was most likely enough. ;)

Yes, i did the top, bottom and sides. Learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago. :o

Gary, does adding beeswax give the top a sticky feeling like you get when you handle pure beeswax?

Thanks! ! !

Brian :)
Brian,
It took me awhile to find that recipe. I have never actually tried it but saved it for the future. Years ago I learned a woodworking lesson the hard way. After I built my all-maple bench, I only finished the top because it was laminated I thought that was sufficient. WRONG. The whole top bowed. I had to order a # 7 hand plane and introduced myself to the wonderful world of hand tools.
Eventually I'm going to make a sled type fixture and route the whole top flat but after that debacle, I always finish all sides of my projects for water control.
Gary

[Roger Newby]

Turpentine for nostalgia, the smell brings back memories. I started using the beeswax/turp/blo mix back in the mid part of the last century. Dang, I must be getting old! My neighbor raised honeybees so getting the wax was simple. The mixture was heated in a double boiler and applied warm and rubbed in 'til your arm got numb. This is a great finish for maple or pine as it takes on an amber color with time. A really great finish on turned parts, applied while turning at a low RPM with a soft cloth. Also softens your hands. I still use it on some of my projects. Keeps well in a capped jar in a cool dark place.