# BLO + Turpentine



## siavosh (Apr 11, 2013)

A couple simple questions:
1. What's the benefit of mixing Turpentine with BLO?
2. What ratio would you recommend for softwoods (sugar pine, Alaskan yellow cedar)?

Thanks!


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

It smells really nice (if you like the small of turpentine).

I mix my BLO with equal parts mineral spirits to hasten cure/drying.


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## srzsrz (Apr 15, 2013)

Turpentine is just a solvent, so you're diluting the BLO; it's going to mostly flash off. Personally I hate the smell of traditional turpentine, and I much prefer "odorless mineral spirits," which seems to work just fine.

Anyway, I could see why you'd dilute varnish. Most brushing varnishes make good wiping varnishes if you dilute them about 1:1, and generally diluted varnish is easier to apply without streaks and brushmarks.

But with Boiled Linseed Oil, or any other true oil finish (not "Danish Oil" which is actually an oil/varnish blend), it's hard to mess up anyway. There's absolutely no problem in applying too much of it, since you get about an hour to wipe off the excess before it really starts setting up. If it really does dry faster when it's diluted, that might be a good thing, but I suspect you'd also end up effectively applying less of it each time and needing to oil more often before the wood really saturates.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I cut my straight BLO with MS (don't care for the smell of turp, though I have used it) simply to make it a little easier to handle. It flows on better and wipes of easier. But I only apply one coat for color/grain enhancement….I never use it as a the finish, and I never put on more than one coat.


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

BLO is only good for starting fires, but the turps will get it burning faster. Nyuk nyuk


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## siavosh (Apr 11, 2013)

Thanks folks. So turpentine doesn't help absorption of the oil into the wood?


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

No it doesn't, though that's a common assumption.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

"BLO is only good for starting fires, but the turps will get it burning faster. Nyuk nyuk" 
- ClintSearl

My thoughts exactly … you beat me to it … ... ...


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