# Using Boiled Linseed Oil



## GJP60 (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi Folks,
A fellow woodworker recently told me that he finished some oak with boiled linseed oil followed by a few coats of Waterlox. He said that the BLO darkened the oak, which is what I'd like to do, but I don't want to either stain, dye, or fume. I've never used BLO, but have read the can and a few posts here and it seems quite straightforward. Are there any application tips I should be aware of before I start?
Thanks in advance.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

It does make the wood look yellowish over time other than that just wipe on let sit for about five minutes or so and wipe off excess use more than one coat if necessary cuz some figured woods have end grain on the face and drink this stuff up.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Let it dry good before topcoating.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

you can mix the first layer or two with 1/3 of Terpentine to help the BLO
penetrate deeper into the wood before the last coat with out terpentine

Dennis


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## Kalijah (Apr 1, 2009)

I use the heck out of BLO. I've never used it on Oak before, however on most woods that i have used it on, Cherry, maple, walnut, mahogany, it has popped the figure and added an amber hue to the wood. As always, get some scraps and do a test board. Besides, if you don't end up using the BLO on the oak, you'll love it on the other woods I've mentioned.

As far as application, just slather it on, let it sit for a couple of minutes and wipe it off. On a hot summer day it'll be ready to top coat in an hour or so, but otherwise wait overnight to err on the catious side. Also what Dennis said to cut the BLO with Terpentine or Mineral spirits to allow a deeper penetration.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I'm sure that you noticed that the instructions say to remove the excess oil after a few minutes, as Ike mentioned. This is important, since BLO not absorbed into the wood does not dry. I once left some out on a plastic surface to see what would happen. After a few months, it was still kind of a gooey jelly.

I have used BLO on many species of wood and I like the results. I recently used BLO on oak for the first time. It continued to weep out of the pores for about a week. Since then, it has been fine. You might want to check for this before you apply the topcoat. I checked by putting a piece of paper on the surface and holding it down with a board or book. After a few minutes, I checked the paper. When it was weeping, there were little oily dots on the paper. In retrospect, I probably should not have used three coats in this case.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

you have to wait minimum 24 hours between each coat to cure
and yes wipe of what havn´t sucked in after 5 to 10 minuts 
after the last layer you can thoose to applie other stuff as well
or you can buff it

Dennis


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## wb8nbs (Jan 11, 2011)

I usually pour about a quarter cup of BLO into a dish and mix in a couple tablespoons of Minwax stain to get a little more color. I apply the oil with a piece of wet or dry sandpaper, 220 first coat, 320 second coat, on a small sanding block. BLO doesn't solidify that fast, I'd wait a half hour to wipe it down, when it just starts looking dry. Rub it good with shop grade paper towels. Check the piece a few hours later for oil bleeding out the pores of the wood and if you see the little pools of oil on the wood, wipe it down again. For the last coat to really be smooth, rub it down again hard after a couple hours with an old T shirt.

Apply the BLO in the warmest part of the day. Bleeding will be minimized if the piece cools down.

Spread all oily rags out to dry for at least a day, they will catch fire if you wad them up in a ball.


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## Servelan (Oct 15, 2010)

A long time ago before I knew better, I gently heated some boiled linseed oil on the stove and applied it warm with a rag, slopping on and wiping off.

It's not a safe thing to do - I was lucky my mother had done a lot of candle making and drummed into me safety melting paraffin, so I watched the stuff on the stove like a hawk - but it made a real nice finish.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

Waterlox on top of BLO is redundant. The Waterlox product is a tung oil phenolic resin varnish and doesn't really gain anything by applying over BLO.


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## Greedo (Apr 18, 2010)

BLO is probably the most forgiving, healthy, easy and natural way of protecting wood, but you got to like the color it gives. 
out of lazyness i treated some oak pencil boxes with BLO, at first i thought i had ruined them. the boxes became almost orange, but now weeks later it has turned to a verry natural looking medium oak color. almost asif the boxes were 100 years old.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I like to mix a little Minwax red oak stain in BLO, about a teaspoon per ounce. Very nice stuff. I read somewhere you can't buy BLO in California; it's baned out there. I supposed this is due to VOC content or some such BS. Good thing I don't live out there; I'd have to jerk a knot is some tree huggers arse, sooner or later.

One warning though, like all oil finishing products, don't leave rags laying in a pile with BLO on them. They will ignite spontaneously. This is true for BLO, tung oil, varnish, danish oil, or any similar products.


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## jimboy (Mar 1, 2011)

If you want to darken oak mix white vinegar and steel wool let it soak for several hours and apply to oak this will ebonise the oak let it dry and sand to shade you desire then apply you prefered finish


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

I never thinn it, I wait with patience…
If you use thinner or terpentine, it will make the product thinner yes, but it will also de grease the wood, and the resin in the wood will dry so in long term the wood will become more fragile and dry more. One of the main advantages of linseed oil is that it can by nature penetrade so deep.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

Mafe are you sure about the terpentine? I know many period furniture makers/restoreres use turpentine with BLO to consilidate the wood. Turpentine with linseed oil, to the best of my knowledge, is a mixture that has been used for a long time on wood.

Here is one example. Stephen Shepherd expands on it in reply to comments from some curious guy 
http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=1182


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Swirt I am fully aware of this, and that this is a long tradition, also in my country.
But the producers I spoke with when I was teaching at school of constructing architects said this was all bad habbit, and for the reasons above. Sure no convinced yes. I think it even sound logic.
I know in Poland where I once had windows restored they said they would never ever do it, that I had to wait for the process. I think we are just impatient, and when we are, then we should find other oils, that are made for this purpose.
Big smile,
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Ofcourse if for indoor use, this is not so important, so if it's only for beauty there should be no problem ofcourse.
Sure me!
Never, sometimes I even doubt my own existence… lol.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

I think there might be a issue that I mix outdoor treatment and indoor treatment… And the different types of turpentine.
SO I will study now and get back, this is what happens when you stick your nose into others blogs. lol.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

ceep on sticking the curious nose into to places 

and your aguements has some logic and just for the record the terpentine I used 
is the naturel turpentine made from trees

Dennis


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Here's a new product that dries a lot faster than standard Blo
http://lin-speed.com/


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

*My statement is based on what I have learned is about outdoor treatment of wood, mainly windows (I'm an architect…).*

Tests show that when you mix turpentine in the linseed oil the penetration goes deeper, but it is only the turpentine that goes deeper not the oil, and the turpentine dry out the natural oils of the wood, so in worst cases you destroy. When the turpentine vapors it leaves almost nothing…

The linseed oil can penetrate extremely deep by itself, but this takes time. When you use linseed oil it must be applied in thin layers, and best is several, then the oil can harden, otherwise there will come a thin layer on top that has hardened, and then the hardening process stops. 
So I think the reason that there has been this tradition to use turpentine is due to speed not quality.

Linseed oil don't harden by vapor, it hardens by its meeting with the air.

Perhaps it could be fun to look at the color of the wood with the two different methods! Will the turpentine change the color? I do not know, but I could imagine. 
If you use turpentine oil that are refined turpentine it might be better…

Did you know that a mix of olive oil and coal on dark wood was described by Mr. Roubo in 1753!

Raw linseed oil is as good as boiled, but only when it has aged enough (app. 6 months) and been cleaned. Many producers today don't do that so I would always buy a boiled.

I will have to study this more, it is a very interesting subject, and I can see my knowledge is way too small to ever make the statement I did, sorry (learning by writing… then reading).

Here some links:
http://www.violinvarnish.com/turpentine.htm
http://whc-oils.com/refined-linseed-oil.html

Best thoughts,
Mads


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

Interesting stuff Mafe, thanks.


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## jussi (Apr 14, 2010)

Thanks for the info Mafe. Curious as to how you apply then. Do you put on a thin layer and then how long do leave it on before you apply another coat? Do you wipe off the excess? What do you use as a top coat?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I like the way linseed oil looks and smells but don't consider it a
very effective finish. Many woods just soak and soak it up and
it doesn't offer much protection and the curing time to topcoat
can be awhile.

I used to make african-style drums - one of my competitors would
coat his drums in 20 coats of boiled linseed over many months time -
it looked great but, in retrospect, it was a wasteful and redundant
approach to finishing. It did have an interesting effect on end grain
patterns however and it does smell nice.

I've found Tung oil pleasing and builds a surface film too.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

There is one thing to note about linseed oil finishes - found this out the hard way - I do not recommend this to finish table tops. It turns white with hot AND adult beverages tend to react with the finish (remove it).

On chairs and the like, where clothes come in contact, especially nice materials where staining is not an option, use a buffing cloth, like you use for shoes, on these surfaces about three times about a week apart before putting into service.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Like Loren, I don't have much faith in the protective qualities of BLO. For outdoor work you need 6 or 7 coats for minimal protection. On the other hand, tung oil combined with resins does provide pretty good protection and looks really good too. Oil finishes on indoor work are more for the look than any real protection. So called Danish oil is a pretty good choice as it is oil and resins combined and it does build-up and also protects. Just about any furniture sold in the market today claiming an oil finish uses that type. I guess that's what Watco is. The oil should give a nice color and the resins should add protection. I can't see the advantage to using BLO with it.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

Consumer brands of so-called "Danish Oil" are about 75% solvent. The oil (about 10% to 15%) is actually a blend of linseed oil and modified soya oil.
Comparing BLO to Danish Oil is like comparing a chicken to chicken soup.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

hobomonk, what does that mean? What is Danish oil then? As I understod the Danish oil is also added stuff that makes it harden faster, and it stays more in the surface so you get a tougher finish. I use the Danish oil on my knifes.
BLO alone has never been seen as a finish I think, it has always been mix's I have read sources back to 1400 abou this (have to find time for that blog).
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

Danish Oil isn't meant to be protective. There isn't enough solids in the mixture to build a surface finish without applying many coats. Given the high dilution of Danish Oil, it can become a very expensive finish when applying the necessary 7 to 10 coats needed to achieve a protective finish.

If you want a protective finish, then I'd use a standard varnish. Even a wiping varnish has several times as much solids as consumer quality Danish Oil.

You can always make your own oil/varnish blend, then you can adjust the ingredients to match your needs. That's what I do. It's a homemade soup versus canned soup argument. I can replicate the consumer quality Danish Oil for 1/5 the price. Apply your own make/buy criteria.

My Danish Oil blog.

Linseed Oil can be a protective finish if applied properly and in sufficient coats. Polymerized Linseed Oil (aka Stand Oil) has been used for centuries as a single ingredient finish. It doesn't need heavy metal hardeners to cure in a few days.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Thank you on the info.
When I finish a knife I leave it over night in Danish oil to preserve the wood, and then wipe it off, and make the finish after.
My old kitchen tables I gave so many layers of oil they became full and then at the end they got a gloss. 
What I meant was that in the old days they added bone and or resin to the oil, and sometimes other ingredients for super fine polish like coal for dark wood like Ivory.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Thank you for the link.
I will see if I can make this, that will be interesting.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## isu1977 (Jul 14, 2010)

I've been reading about using Boiled Linseed Oil for finishing Red Oak, but haven't seen anything about whether to apply it before or after I put my stain on. Or do I even want to use it with a stain?


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

I would do a test on some scrap and see if it does what you want. Be careful of the used rags. Sometimes an oil finishes and strains do not dry as you expect.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Boiled linseed oil is also great for cleaning old dirty wood like antique chairs or dressers. I like to buy old carpenter toolboxes at yard sales and auctions and if they are really filthy I clean them with a scotchbrite or 0000 steel wool dipped in BOL and they come clean but have a beautiful aged patina. Also works great on tool handles.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Did ya get enough opinions? Want another?
I don't use MinWax stains. IMO they have a tendancy to muddy the wood grain. I add a few drops of TransTint a little at a time 'till I get the color I want. I also use TT in wiping varnishes and shellac.
Make SURE that ya don't get just raw linseed oil. BLO has driers. The raw stuff doesn't.
Bill


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## isu1977 (Jul 14, 2010)

Thanks, sounds like I can mix the stain with the BLO and use it that way.


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