# Your thoughts on boiled linseed oil and other finishes.



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

So far most of my projects have been finished with MinWax stain. I've found that at times… I just don't want to stain them. I do have a few projects that I built that are sitting in my shop, just waiting to be finished. I have a couple of pine, an ash and I'm also working on some things with cherry. So I'd like to pick your brains about different finishes you use to get the natural look, but also the protection I need.

One of my projects is a simple spice rack that I will hang in my laundry room near the pantry. It's made out of pine. I have plans later to build a new pantry. The one I have now I've had for many years. I bought it from a local woodworker at a festival. I have two pieces from him. I want to build my own. Since I'm not close to that project, I don't want to stain this spice rack. I have no idea what kind of finish I'll end up with. But I also want to protect this piece as I use it now. A suggestion was made to use Boiled Linseed Oil.

So some questions about BLO. This is what I've learned so far… be very careful in the disposal of rags as they can ignite. I was also told that if the item is in direct sunlight that it can change colors. I've heard that it can blacken and that it can turn orange-ish. I've also heard that many will dilute it. The guy at the local Lowe's suggested to cut it with mineral spirits. He also said to use paste wax as the top coat. I also know to wipe off excess after 5-10 minutes (this seems to range from person to person). And I read somewhere on here to really give it time to dry. Wait 24 hours between coats and that some woods you may want to even test a week out to see if the oil is still wet.

So… that's all I know. Questions… do you need to dilute it? Do I need a top coat? If so… what? What tools can I/should I use for application….rag, brush? Anything else I should know?
Also.. as in the example of the spice rack… if I just use the oil… later on down the road can I stain it to match my other items?

I'd also like to hear your other methods of finishing. I have a project that I'm working on right now that is ash and one that is cherry. I also have some wood that I hasn't been earmarked for anything yet… oak, walnut, cedar. I'd love to hear any opinions and thoughts on finishing any of these woods. I am especially interested in natural finishes to really show off the woods beauty.

As always… thanks for your help. This site has always proven to be a wealth of knowledge and experience. I look forward to your responses.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I am a Danish Oil person. Followed by wipe-on poly or water based poly.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

For oak and ash, I stain with an oil based product (I like Rodda, Varathane and Cabot brand stains), then spray 2 coats of pre-cat lacquer for a smooth finish that offers good protection.

For cherry, I dilute Bullseye seal coat (3:2 alcohol to seal coat). Seal the cherry with this shellac mixture first. 
Then stain with oil based stain. 
Finally topcoat, which can be full strength shellac, or pre-cat lacquer.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

About Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO). 
To my knowledge, it is better as an additive than as a finish. My dad was a floor finisher, trim carpenter and painter for over 50 years. I recall him adding BLO to oil paint and other oil based finishes all the time to improve their flow-ability. Some oil paints would have very bad drag; in other words, hard to pull with a brush. Put a little BLO in the can and stir it up and then it would flow like silk.

Mixed with turpentine and bee's wax it makes a good finish for work benches.

I add it to poly and stain to control blotch and in different ratios to adjust the penetration and set of stain on different woods where I'm trying to make everything match.
Over all I think it's good stuff, but I wouldn't call it a finish on its own.

Minwax Poly-crylic, water based polyurethane finish. 
I like this for jigs.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

Most of my projects get sealcoat then waterborne clear; for things that need a quick and simple finish that's protective, wipe on poly.

BLO isn't protective enough for my preference and takes too long to dry. Wipe on poly takes a while to dry too, but is way more protective than BLO.


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## jtriggs (Dec 13, 2007)

Angie,
I haven't used BLO since high school shop, but here's the funny thing - my shop teacher boiled the linseed oil in a coffee can with a torch as I watched. I then used it on a cribbage board I made. I still have that cribbage board 45 years later and the finish on it looks the same as the day I applied it. I'm not saying anything about its suitability to withstand heavy use but for all the hand oils and sweat that have touched it, it is in amazing shape.
Jon


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I favor the 1/3 BLO, 1/3 MS, 1/3 spar varnish finish for a lot on my projects. Wipes on w/ a rag and is generally an easy way to go and is easily restored if ever it needs it. Another finish that is pretty fool proof is General Finishes, Seal a cell and Arm r seal. You are money ahead to not stain pine, nothing but problems there.


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

BLO is a great, easy finish, but catalyzing oil finishes have their own peculiarities. If you just want to play around with oil finishes, start with Watco Danish oil. Danish oil is BLO, thinned, with metal dryers and toner unless you get the natural color. Follow the instructions and see if you like the result.

The intermediate level is to use BLO by itself. It'll take longer to dry, but the procedure is similar to Danish oil.

Then there are the concoctions. I use BLO/mineral spirits/shellac, sometimes with TransTint to add toner. Others use BLO/DNA/shellac or BLO/mineral spirits/poly.

With pine, you may get blotchiness with oil finishes, so what I would do is to do a thinned seal coat of shellac wiped on, followed by a light pass with 400 grit sandpaper after it dries.


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## mikema (Apr 27, 2011)

I use BLO all the time. I have not had issues with color change from BLO, though it does have put an amber tint on light color woods, which you get immediately. I would guess that much of the color change is from the wood itself. Remember light woods get darker, dark woods get lighter as it is exposed to UV.

I have found that after wiping on the BLO and then wiping off the excess (usually about 5-10miutes later) it is dry to the touch after about 30 minutes or so. For it to completely cure, it can take several days, depending on the temperature of the space it is in. The warmer it is, the quicker it will cure.

As for protecting the wood, it doesn't. However, I don't consider BLO to be the final step in the finishing process. Most of my projects get a few coats of shellac.

From a safety stand point, I do one of two things with my rags after usage. First, I unfold the rag completely and sit it down on the concrete floor, away from anything that could ignite. Since the rag is completely flat, the heat produced from drying is evenly dissipated, so it won't build up enough heat to ignite. The other option, if I am not able to put the rags on the floor, I put them in a bucket of water, and when trash day comes around, they get thrown away then, once the trash can is away from the house.


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

The guy at lowes had nothing nice to say about Danish Oil.

But… I went ahead and picked up some BLO. I couldn't resist.










I got this one gallon can of it for $7. Is this not a good brand? I figured that if I'm going to test it out that it was a good enough price to play with.

I like a lot of these suggestions. Gives me some ideas. And… I have lots of scrap to test out the different suggestions.

Ok… I'm going to show my ignorance… many refer to poly as "wipe on". My can just says "quick drying". Directions say to use a brush. What's the difference? How do I tell which is the wipe on?


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

I like to use 2 coats BLO put on with a rag, This takes time to dry. Then follow up with about 2 coats of tung oil.
This gives a quite durable finish. I do not like to use stains, because wood is wood and if you use the right kind of wood for the look you want, you do not need stain. Sometimes cost gets into it, and then stain comes into the equation. The rest of the time I let the wood shine.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Being a commodity, there's little difference between brands. $7 was a fantastic price, you can't loose at that. I usually dilute mine with some mineral spirits before I use it…only because the stuff can be a little thick and it's just easier to handle (IMHO) if you dilute it. I never put on more than one coat, and you can actually finish it fairly quickly after application. Shellac and oil based varnishes can easily be put on the next day. For a waterborne it really pays to wait a while, I usually give it a week in that case (depending on weather and temps). You might really like on some of that cherry you just bought.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

A few years ago, the Boy Scouts refinished the furniture at a local church using BLO. They worked long and hard all day and the job looked great.

Later that night, the rags they left in the trash cans caught fire and burned down the entire building. A total loss. (Including some nicely refinished furniture)

I think the Boy Scout still got his Eagle award out of it though…. Oops.


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## coachmancuso (Feb 10, 2013)

I really like the way that the blo makes pine pop. I use 1 coat of BLO and then wait about 3 - 5 days and they go over it with Wipe on poly and how ever many coats you need to get the shine you want. I used BLO on a bunch of pallet projects I did. The shelf in my projects is done with BLO.The kind you got is the kind I use but Home Depot has it cheaper and then wal mart is the cheapest.


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## fredj (Jun 4, 2013)

I'm a big fan of Watco Oil as the base of a surface finish for furniture, and just the oil for turnings. I only had a problem with that once (see post Watco Oil and Poly Mystery). Stain is against my religion. You have lots of cherry which I hope you never want to stain, even if you have sap wood. Cherry does not stain well, unless you prep it.

BLO takes a long time to dry, and some claim it never really does. With any oil you must be careful with used rags. I soak mine in water, and soak them and soak, them… A new house in the mountains near here burned to the ground after workers left the used rags in a pile next to the house. That fire took down a lot of great millwork.

What I do like about a hand rubbed oil finish is that it makes the grain jump out at you and say "Look at Me !" Plus if you scratch it, it's easy to patch up. Anything for outdoor use will need refinishing, repainting, or re-oiling at some point. Cleaning a piece up and hitting it with oil is pretty easy. Watco makes a great oil finish for outdoor use, but it's fairly toxic. I've used it on ash canoe gunnels, but wouldn't trust BLO to hold up as well.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Angie, I use that brand of BLO all the time. I don't really consider BLO a finish as much as I consider it an appearance enhancer. What I meany by that is that it's not very protective by itself, so you'll usually want to use a top coat for protection. But I really like the way it brings out the look of the grain. If you look at my projects, many are finished with just BLO, then buffed and waxed. But they are mostly decorative boxes and such, that won't be subjected to much handling.

As for application, I personally never use more than one coat. I flood it on liberally, then immediately wipe away as much as I can with a clean rag. I then let it dry for a couple of days before I either buff and wax, or top coat with wipe-on poly.


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## mikema (Apr 27, 2011)

I use that same brand as well.

+1 with flooding it on and the wiping it away.


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

The guy I talked to suggested using past wax to finish it. Is that a good option?

The first project I'm going to try it out on is the spice rack. This thing is going to hang on the wall. Won't get much spills or anything else. Maybe a few fingerprints from putting the spices up. But not much wear.

I will NEVER stain any of that cherry. I plan on doing lots of research and testing on the scraps before I finish any of that.

After I've done a few pieces… I'm finding that i really don't like the stain. But… when it's pine I'm using… I don't mind staining it.


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## nailbanger2 (Oct 17, 2009)

Angie, wipe on poly is a separate product, it will say it on the can, or you can make your own by using 50% poly and 50% mineral spirits.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

One thing to keep in mind about BLO is the odor, it lasts a while….just fuss around with it before using it on your spice rack to satisfy your self, especially if it's will be left unfinished (the wax). Congratulations on knowing to not stain cherry (I believe that to be illegal in some states), but you will find BLO has the ability to really pop the grain on highly figured wood…including cherry. On walnut it gets you a nice dark color. Charlie said it best, it's an appearance enhancer.


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## rum (Apr 28, 2011)

This is a bit of a wide open question 

I like a lot of different finishes depending a lot on the type of project.
Some examples:
- Wiping Varnish (essentially blo + varnish + thinner (mineral spirits or turpentine) + maybe a drier) is used on most of my "medium wear not going to get wet" projects. Things like small boxes or other similar would get finished with this, I like ti because I don't have a good place to spray setup so 4-5 coats of wipe on while more tedious is more forgiving as well.

- Table tops - Waterlox (polymerizer tung oil phenolic varnish) mostly, need to re-evaluate behlens rock hard after they re-formulated it.

- Danish Oil - convenient but not something I'd use as a top coat for the most part unless it was a really low wear piece

- BLO and Turpentine (20% or so) - I just finished ~100 wooden rope "eyes" that will have some rope spliced over them and be used outside as part of a decorative barrier, I just soaked those overnight in the blo+turp mixture. A film finish wouldn't have been appropriate here as it would eventually peel and look icky whereas this will just age "gracefully" (we hope )

- walnut oil + wax on top - decorative bowls quick turned gew gaws, etc..

- woodturners finish (oil/water urethane) - heavier use bowls, pieces where I don't want the color to change at all (its pretty much 100% clear/gloss with no coloring).

- PolyUrethane (and yes which one.. sigh) - house trim, some classes of yard furniture although it has an unfortunate habit of pealing on those so choose carefully. I like this less the more I use it as the long term wear patterns on it are kind of meh at best and it doesn't usually (depending on type) handle water all that well.

- Varnish or shellac of various sorts - most furniture like chairs, etc.. I like the more traditional feel of shellac and it repairs nicely. I might put this over BLO or other oil or oil + stain base if I wanted the color change from that.

BLO all by itself (including with a thinner) isn't exceptionally waterproof, nor does it dry super hard. Tung oil blends (like waterlox) are more water resistant and tougher, polymerized walnut oil somewhere in the middle. Usually I'd top coat BLO with wax or some other coating unless its something that's intended to be weathered (like the rope eyes) or I don't mind re-coating at least yearly (like most gardening tools).

A few good books will go a long way to figuring things out as well like: http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Wood-Finishing-American-Woodworker/dp/1565235487 or http://www.amazon.com/Tauntons-Complete-Illustrated-Guide-Finishing/dp/1561585920

Disclaimer: I'm certainly NOT a finishing professional, so take anything here with a grain of salt, we're still figuring stuff out


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I use BLO on my Rosewood totes and knobs I turn for my handplanes. In the Texas heat it dries overnight. I've used three or four coats thus far, but I agree with Charlie that it by and large is an enhancer of the grain and not so much a protector. That said, there are some things that are meant to be used, abused, beat up, fixed up and used again and again. BLO is great for those types of items, as it allows the natural character of aging to show in your future heirlooms that you build. **


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## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

I use BLO but would not use it on your pine project. I only use BLO and wax over much more dense woods like Ipe or Brazillian Cherry as a more dense wood will luster up better when buffed than a softer wood. As far as coloring the spice rack "later on down the road", you will have trouble getting any color to absorb if you have a cured out coat of BLO on it. Someone else mentioned that BLO might never cure. Raw linseed oil will never cure. That is why it is boiled.


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## Alongiron (Jan 10, 2011)

I use clear shellac on everything that I make. sometimes if I want a darker finish I will use a dark Walnut Danish oil before I use the shellac. I have even used Amber Shellac to give it a medium tint. What I really like about shellac is that it drys really fast and also protects. By drying really fast, it does not have time to collect alot of dust plus you can sand it within 15 minutes and put the second coat on and be done within an hour or so.

I have heard of another good way to finish but have yet to give it a try. Boiled Linseed Oil, or a Watco Danish Oil, followed by 1 coat clear or amber shellac. Topcoat with a lacquer or polyurethane coat or two.


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

BLO isn't a finish; it's an incendiary accelerant. See my blog.


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## Makarov (Jun 16, 2013)

Growing up every one had a small metal garbage can to put oily rags into. With a reasonably tight fitting lid there wasn't enough oxygen to support combustion if a fire did start. With plastic cans came more fires…


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Ok… So this as been very helpful. Lots of things to try. For now… I have mineral spirits, poly, BLO, some polycyclic and paste wax. I did do a 1:1 mixture of the BLO and mineral spirits. Before I did that I took a scrap piece of cherry and used straight BLO. I tried the diluted stuff on another scrap of cherry, some ash and pine. Didn't have any other scars to play with.

So now another question…. Can this just be wiped on with a rag? And what about leftovers? Can they be sealed and used again or do they need to be discarded?


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

As far as the rags…. I have a bucket I'm gonna fill with water to throw the rags in. Then I'll ay them out on the driveway to dry and then discard.

And while I'm at it… I have anther project that I stained. Then I put a coat of poly on it. I was clueless and sanded after the first coat. Apparently I used the wrong kind of sandpaper. It made the finish dull and… Well… Crappy looking. Any advice on how to refinish this piece? It's add out of pine.


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## dczward (May 23, 2011)

Hi Angie,

I set my rags outside the shop, in the yard, where they dry out safely. Then I can toss the, in the trash. I you really wanted to be thrifty, you could try washing them, but it might give your washing machine a work out. I do that for any oil based thing that touches a rag: blo, poly, etc.

As for a blo based finish, I sometime make 3-2-1 - 3 parts mineral spirits, 2 parts polyurethane, 1 part BLO, and wipe it on with a rag. I use that for shop furniture and little things. For furniture, I like shellac, clear or amber, then either a water or oil based topcoat (like arm-r-seal), and sometimes a clear or dark paste wax, again, depending.

Your best approach is to try some of this threads suggestions, see how you like it, and experiment some more. Soon you'll have one or two "go to" finishes that you can get good at and know what the results will be.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Angie, I've been where you are and tried every finish known to man. I would recommend rubbed on shellac as the easiest and most "wood enhancing" finish to start out with. Black Cherry had an excellent blog on his method which is very simple and quick.


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## cathyb (Jul 8, 2009)

Angie, I was a big fan of BLO when I was carving rocking horses over ten years ago. I used to mix it with turpentine and then increasing percentages of polyurethane. I haven't used it for years and this is why:
I don't find it to be a good protective finish
It is horrible to refinish 
If you see any scratch marks after the first coat, good luck sanding those out.

I'll skip ten years and cut to the chase. I have an expensive and fancy sprayer, but more often use a Preval portable spray gun, available at many hardware store. These sprayers are inexpensive (less than $10) and give a great finish. Although Miniwax products are available everywhere, they are so dilute that you'll have to add more coats to achieve a good finish. I prefer General finishes although Varathane is acceptable too.

I always apply at least three coats and often six coats if the the wood is porous. Sand between coats with 400 to 600 grit paper. If you really want you pieces to feel amazing buff them with micromesh paper and a coat of wax.

Best of luck to you…....


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## planeBill (Oct 21, 2011)

Angie, you might want to look at LandArk oil finishes. You will be impressed.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Coupe of questions up there: BLO can be applied in almost any manner you want, the common approach is to "flood" it on the surface (use whatever you want to smear it around, I generally use a foam brush or blue paper shop towel), let it sit a few minutes…15 is a normal recommendation. So is the statement "let the wood tell when to remove" (I still haven't figured that one out!). Then wipe it off with clean rags, towels, whatever you have….you do want to avoid a lot of lint. Leftover BLO/MS mixes can be stored for quite a while…so don't throw it out, and don't put it back into the original can. I store mine in canning jars. For your sanding question, sanding a glossy surface will always make it look dull. The scratches defuse the reflected light causing the dullness. You didn't do anything wrong, maybe you just had expectations that didn't match your process. Polyurethane varnish needs to be sanded between coats for adhesion. If you used a very coarse paper, you might want to smooth it up a little, then another coat will restore the gloss. When I use varnish, I almost always sand it smooth after the last coat, then put a coat of wiped on varnish on that to bring back the gloss.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

I use BLO only where appropriate … meaning on the handles of shovels, picks, and wheelbarrow handles.
I don't even allow that stuff anywhere in my shop … and here's my experience and logic that went into that decision …

Some folks claim that BLO will dry/cure or whatever it's supposed to do in a day, a week, a year … I once refinished an OLD sewing machine. Stripped off the old, alligatored finish and left the pieces on my bench to completely dry. During the afternoon, the hot afternoon sun swiped across the bench, and I found a liquid oozing from the wood whose stench was unmistakenly that of BLO … it was about 90 years old … the BLO soaked deep into the wood, but NEVER dried or cured … it just sat there, waiting to escape.

The logic part of my decision is this … the 1:1:1 mixture is a joke … the end product is a mixture …NOT a chemical compound. It's like mixing flour/sugar/salt … each particle retains it's original identity and physical/chemical characteristics. Now consider flooding your project with the 1:1:1 mixture … the surface is comprised of billions of individual wood fiber cells … each as thirsty as the one next to it. One cell readily absorbs the varnish … one the BLO … and one the thinner … in no particular order. This pretty much dictates that the one that absorbed the thinner will be dry when the thinner evaporates … the one with varnish will be pretty well protected from the elements … the one with BLO will be gummy forever. Now, another application will randomly yield the same results, but, hopefully on different cells, so, it gives the impression that the finish is "building", when, in fact it is just evening out the flaws. Continuing the process will eventually yield an acceptable looking surface that has minimal protection, and which is, in reality contaminated by the BLO.

REMEMBER … what is the first rule printed on most every can of finish ???

BE SHURE the surface is CLEAN AND FREE of ANY OILS !!! With that precautionary note in mind, I don't think I would be intentionally introducing any known contaminants into my finish. I know others here will vehemently disagree with my logic, but I'm sticking with it, and I would urge you to consider the entire concept and then experiment with some large scrap pieces done months in advance so you can observe and analyze the results for yourself.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Angie,As your thread shows everyone has their own opinion about finishing .There are lots of choices INMO BLO is a antiquated finish that people use because it's cheaper than modern finishes and a wipe on wipe off application. It can take 3 weeks for it dry and it's protection of the wood is just a little better than no finish all. As one Lj member stated it's only good to start fires.

If you want to learn about finishing Charles Neil (a 40 year expert)has a on line class just on finishing and you will learn more there than you could every learn on any forum (even though the folks that try and help, many are far from experts) . Charles classes are around $20 a month and you can ask questions on the finishing forum and get real time answers plus included is a long list of videos(and new ones added all the time) starting at wood prep and sanding and lots of tricks and of course what finishes to use and how to apply them,all this to make your projects come out perfect. I'm a member and even though I have more than 25 years as a wood shop owner I've learned a lot.

http://www.cn-woodworking.com/finishing-class/


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## RonInOhio (Jul 23, 2010)

Lot of varying opinions and an interesting topic. The link below is a pretty good article for getting the
low-down on selecting a finish for a particular project .

The article discusses in pretty good detail, the characteristics, differences and application
methods of many different categories of finishing products.

Selecting a Finish.

I would say that BLO manufactored today, is probably not the same BLO that was used 90 years ago. Today they enhance (quicken) the BLO drying time by adding chemical drying agents. Not sure that a conclusion on BLO can be reached on that particular 90 year example above . Just my 2 cents. By far not an expert on finishing.


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## AuroraWoodworks (Nov 6, 2009)

BLO does not make for a very durable finish. It is best used as a base coat to enhance the color of the wood.

I don't like to use BLO on cherry. It has been my experience that cherry will get blotchy with an oil finish. Try it out on some scrap and see if you like it.

I like putting BLO on walnut prior as a base coat prior to adding other finish, usually shellac. It really deepens the color of the walnut. Take a look at the walnut/cherry inlay tool chest on my projects page. Since this was meant to be a shop tool box and not fine furniture, I finished it with BLO and paste wax. I did use oil on the cherry and it worked out fine…this time. I am happy with how it turned out.

The selling point of ash is the bright color of the wood. I would only use a clear finish like lacquer on it. Any kind of oil, polyurethane, or shellac will give the wood some sort of yellow tint.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Appearance-wise, oil & wax is hard to beat but I've learned to only use it when I don't need or care about protection. Also, I've learned that BLO will turn maple very, very, yellow.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

As you can see there are as many opinions of the best finish as there are people. I used BLO to bring out the grain on a cedar chest when I was in high school…..well we are about to celebrate our 50th reunion. That cedar chest has BLO on the exterior only with sanding sealer and lacquer on top of that. That was probably one of the best finishes in the day unless you got into something that took more time than we had in our 55 minutes a day. When I was in college (a little less than the 50th anniversary) we used BLO on our M1 rifle stocks in ROTC. The thing with BLO is it does take a long time to dry. You add another coat after it dries and repeat that for 25 or 30 coats. Now you can achieve the better protection and better gloss than we have from a couple of quick coats. It is time consuming for a so so finish. Today there are better finishes out there that are like fast food. Done in a minute and you move on. As Horizontal Mike mentioned, it is 100+ degrees where some of us live. A finish that is dry in just a few minutes is more likely to crack because it isn't dry underneath. There are thinners for polys that are temperature rated. Auto body people use these all the time and they will work with your poly. it cost more but you don't stack up your finish and make it go on rough. as for fires, the other finishes will also cause fires. Oil based stains will cause fires. It is called spontaneous combustion and well named. I have a barbed wire fence behind my shop. I hang used rags on it until they dry. You can't wash some things out. Hang them out to dry and then throw them away. Once they dry you are okay but we just said this stuff takes a long time to dry so remember that too. I like the microwave world too. I don't use much BLO because it takes time. Do some reading and pick a finish. Learn to use it. Charles Neil is a good choice for a mentor. There are others I am sure but he is mentioned on here and comes on to write things and talk about things so why not support him. Good luck. If you use BLO you can go back 5, 10 15 years or more and put on a couple of new coats and it is as good as new. Sand it a little if you like and you are back in business. With other finishes this is a little more difficult. That M1 stock got a coat a week for the school year and those were WWII vintage rifles so they looked fairly decent but not like a modern finish for sure.


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

I think doing the Charles Neil classes is definitely something I should do.

On the test pieces I did… I liked how it made the cherry pop. But… I guess that blotchy part of it came through too. So I didn't "Love" it. I also noticed that on the ash and the pine that it left a yellowish tint to it that I didn't like. I have a great big can of it and I only paid $7. I'm thinking that it will probably be something that I will definitely use…. but for things around the shop instead of any furniture that I make.

The "selecting a finish" article was very helpful as well. Thanks!

Tony… I liked the walnut and cherry… I'll have to remember that when I go to use the walnut I have.

Definitely going to do lots more research before I finish my cherry bench. It's been very helpful getting the varying opinions. Good or bad… I at least know what to look for as I test it out.


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## steliart (Jan 15, 2011)

mainly BLO, tung oil and waterlox
when i need a bit of color on my wood then I use Ronseal wood stains


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Buy Flexner's book on finishing, it will cover 99% of everything you'll ever need to know.


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## SQLandWoo (Jan 19, 2010)

This might sound weird, but I tried boot polish once and it came up a treat.

My preferred method is Danish Oil - it just seems to be the easiest to apply, clean up and to touch up if anything ever goes wrong.

I have even used Danish Oil on a few of my wooden tools where I wanted the wood to be preserved.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

*Angie O….*
Marc outlines various finishes in this link…good info
v

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/oil-based-finish-basics/?category_name=finishing


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## AuroraWoodworks (Nov 6, 2009)

Andrew,

I am tempted to use brown shoe polish instead of paste wax on walnut. I only think about it AFTER I buff out the paste wax and it leaves behind white wax in the open pore structure. Maybe one of these times I'll actually do it.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

It's possible to use many things as a finish or stain but how color fast or protective the finish is,is a whole different issue. You can use many things like food coloring ,roofing patch, clothing dyes,even walnut husk, berries and plant dyes,felt pens ,ink,rust and a number of other things for stains ,some last long term and some don't. Some top coats that people use offer very little protection like: Mineral oil used on cutting boards and bowls,wax over stains and even finishes that people feel are acceptable like BLO, tung oil, and Shellac still have have minimum protection .


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