Member
I don't know what the little voices have led you to believe, but, I don't recall "swapping" any quotes with you. Probably just insufficient reading comprehension skills ... it tends to go along with the poor spelling and the ability to utter coherent sentences. Wanna tell me what "quote" I've used ??? Of course not ... just like you can't respond to any of the previous challenges I've placed before you.
Member
Actually Bob I think you should reread the label on a can of boiled linseed oil. These warnings are really extremely mild. Your objections to BLO remind me of the story about the new fishing lure which was sold in a box that was labeled “HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED”.
Appearance: yellow to brown liquid.
Caution! May cause allergic skin reaction. ( NOTE: MAY cause allergic reaction) Aspiration hazard if swallowed. Can enter lungs and cause damage. ( Water can be an aspiration hazard too if it is swallowed and gets in the lungs.) May cause eye and skin irritation. ( Skin irritation? Wear gloves. It’s good practice to wear gloves when handling finishes anyway. Eye irritation? Goggles maybe? I’d also like to point out that wood dust may cause skin and eye irritation. May cause respiratory and digestive tract irritation. ( UMMM…Don’t drink it and wear a mask.) This is expected to be a low hazard for usual industrial handling. Note: A LOW hazard for industrial handling. I’d bet that industrial handlers use more BLO than hobby woodworkers do.
Target Organs: None. NOTE: NONE
Really as long as you don’t drink it or swim in it, BLO is fairly benign. In other words: Don’t swallow the fishhook and you’ll be fine. I don’t know of any wood finishes which don’t have some potential dangers inherent in their formulations in one way or another. I always thought part of the skill set that went with finishing was to know how to minimize the hazards of the particular chemicals in the finish.
I use small amounts of boiled linseed oil thinned with turpentine ( it smells better) and will occasionally put a coat on my workbench top when I’m not going to be around it for a weekend. I also use it on tool handles because wood with a thin dry coat of BLO doesn’t feel slippery.
My workbench is more than ten years old and it hasn't burst into flame yet.
My experience with waterborne finishes has not been especially good and some have an ammonia like smell which irritates my nose.
I tell you what, you use what you like and let other people use what they like.
Member
I agree 100+%...Originally Posted by Kenneth Speed
BLO has never bothered me and I just use a paper towel to rub it on w/o gloves!
It's GREAT stuff. I love it. Use it. You will LIKE it!
(of course that other stuff "could" happen if you're in the minority. If it happens once, they have to mention it to save their butts.
Be sure to really rub off the excess and rub it down good.
It may cure slower or faster depending on your weather temperature & humidity.
Also, pay attention to what you do with the oily rags / paper towels you applied it with.
IT WILL cause a fire!
Member
Yep ... this all reminds me of the lawyers who are now getting super rich taking on cases of folks just like you who didn't see any harm in exposure to asbestos ... after all, it's just a tiny little inert piece of a mineral that comes up out of the ground ... it must be "organic"
"BUT WE READ all of the HAZARD WARNINGS" !!! As Norm always said ... :Be SURE to READ AND UNDERSTAND" ... you seem to be lacking in the UNDERSTAND part.
Member
Read all of those Hazardous statements very carefully...
Very close to EVERYONE of them starts off with the word "May"... doesn't that mean it May or May not happen?
If there has been ANY reporting of any condition suspected as being caused by BLO, they include it with the word May because it possibly happened at least once.
What are the REAL hazards of using BLO besides "fire causing control of the rags, etc."?
Thank you
Member
In that context, MAY simply means that there is a definite link to a hazard, but, it doesn't occur 100% of the time.
You can actually strike a match, and put it out in a dish of gasoline ... MOST of the time ... so, such a stupid action MAY burn your house down, MAYBE not 100% of the time, but the danger is still there.
The threat is there ... it has yet to be studied sufficiently to quantify it
Member
... and if you were allergic to the smell of the gasoline, it MAY cause you to sneeze... and yet, it MAY not...
I wish they would put the Percentages of those "MAY" items in the report as well... then, the perspective would be better.
Moderator
As a chemical manufacturer, myself, I can tell you that most of the MSDS is boiler-plate. Things like eye and skin irritation warnings are standard statements.
Unfortunately, it's only by reading a lot of them can you start to spot the relevant bits of info.
I tend to agree with Bob about the obsolescence of BLO, though. It's highly flammable, dries slowly, is not durable, and there are many other viable, easy options for the mythical "grain pop" that BLO is gushed over for. These make any other safety issues about it moot (IMHO).
Member
It's easy to dismiss something you don't personally like or need. I think there are enough of us that like using BLO that it will not be obsolete any time soon. I would think Bob, at least, hopes it stays around just so he can rail against it; he seems to quite enjoy that.
Contributor
I like it on things I will handle. I like plain BLO and TruOil (which has BLO as a main ingredient). In fact, I finish my guitar necks almost exclusively with TruOil. BLO on it's own isn't what I'd call a utility finish. It's just not particularly durable, but durability isn't everything. BLO certainly works well as part of a bigger finishing scheme.
Member
This just keeps cracking me up ... one says HE handles it with extreme caution ... gloves/mask/etc ... yet another just loves the FEEL of it ... and uses it on things he will handle.
Guest
I have used BLO for 20 years or so - as a finish where appropriate and as an ingredient in finishes and paints I have made.
Obvious cautions about disposing of oil soaked rags properly apply.
I haven't read a MSDS for BLO for a while but last time I read one it was pretty benign as far as toxicological effects.
Never experienced first hand any of the reported mould issues
Last edited by Sean Richards; 04-24-2012 at 4:27 AM.
Contributor
You're not stupid and you darn well know the difference between a cured finish and a raw finish. Now you're just going out of your way to be disruptive. Frankly, you're acting like a jerk. Take a deep breath and come back when you've calmed down a bit.
Member
Yeah ... I know the difference ... and BLO never really fully dries/cures ... so, what's your point ???
Member
Your answer suggests that you do not know the difference. BLO reacts strongly with oxygen to polymerize - hence the fire hazard you repeatedly cite. When fully polymerized, the oil has gone from liquid to a rigid, but not brittle, film - i.e., is dry. Most BLO today is "boiled" not by heating, but by the addition of petroleum solvents and trace amounts of metals to catalyze the polymerization reaction. The solvents are likely the most dangerous part of BLO chemically - indeed the raw oil is edible. As the BLO dries, the solvents evaporate. This is the difference between a "cured and a raw finish" that John is referring to - the solvents have evaporated. I guess he gave you too much credit.
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