# Putting Poly over BLO



## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

Hey guys,

This will be a quick one. I am currently doing a table out of walnut and want to finish the legs with BLO and polyurethane over the top. How long do I need to wait after I put the last coat of BLO on before I start applying poly?

The wood is nice and dry and I am in North Texas, so the temperatures (for now at least) are hovering around 60 or 70 during the daytime and 40ish during the night.

Any other tips for this process would be appreciated

Thanks again


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I couldn't tell you because I always mix the two, but I wait 12 to 24 hours between coats for my mix. Typically the last coat takes the longest to cure.


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## MisterBill (Mar 27, 2012)

From what I have read, you need to let the BLO set for at least 5 days before you cover it with poly.


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## coachmancuso (Feb 10, 2013)

I use wipe on and brush on poly over BLO on all kinds of wood Cedar, Ash, Pine, Walnut, Hickory, ect. Once you apply the BLO you have to let it really dry I am inn Central Fl and I let it dry at least 7 days. Once it is dry I sand it with 1000 grit lightly and than apply the poly. Good Luck


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

Skip the BLO. It's only good for starting fires.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I coated a maple top with several heavy coats of BLO (wiping down 10 min after each application) and it still wasn't ready after a month. I'll never use it again unless protection isn't a high priority and it's being used with was.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

Yeah, I am getting a vibe that you guys are trying to get me to change my mind here. My problem is that I want to really enrich the color of the wood, but oil based poly doesn't do a very good job of that. But BLO is super matte when used by itself and I would like some sort of sheen. I guess I could go with danish oil or waterlox. I have some waterlox already and would prefer to use what I already have


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

The BLO gives a nice color on walnut, and if applied properly it can be top coated relatively soon. Apply the BLO, let it sit a few minutes (15 +/-), then wipe off all you can. You can then top coat it within a couple of days. Test it out to verify.


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## TheBoxWhisperer (Sep 24, 2012)

Id go with danish oil, and let it cure up for 3 days. then put on your poly. works well for me.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

Apply a liberal amount of BLO to a piece of leftover scrap from your project … pour just a tiny bit onto a piece of glass or plastic … let them sit side-by-side until the BLO on the glass dried/cures/hardens/whatever … THEN the wood with the BLO on it is ready for the next step in your finishing schedule.

Please exercise extreme patience using this method because IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL YEARS for the BLO to dry/cure/harden/whatever. I have stripped the finish from the surface of some very old antiques, and left them on the bench … the warm afternoon sun came around, heated up the pieces … in about an hour, the BLO started oozing from deep inside the wood, back to the surface !!! Some of these pieces were well over 70-75 years old.

There are simply too many modern techniques available that will give you exactly the same effect without the nastiness and the fire hazard that BLO has … I have a can in the basement of my house … I NEVER allow that crap in my shop … I use it on shovel & wheelbarrow handles … things that dry out from exposure to the elements. That can belonged to my GRANDFATHER, and I am 66 years old … the actual cap was missing when I found the old can, and it has only a wad of "tin foil" shaped over the hole in the top … it has thickened in the can, and it looks like tar, but it still pours readily from the container, so I guess it still hasn't dried/cured/hardened/whatever.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

For the record, I am aware of the fire hazard. I left some rags on my concrete (luckily) porch and my wife called me then next day while I was at work and told me there was a weird looking black animal on the porch. It was a pile of burnt rags. So, I do understand the hazards of working with BLO, at least now I do…

Maybe I'll go pick up some danish oil and give it a whirl.


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

I use blo a lot on my finishes. Mostly mixed with something else.(poly/mineral spirits, beeswax)
BUT, having said that, I never use blo full strength. If I'm using blo exclusively, ill thin it between 25% -50% with mineral spirits.. to me, it is easier to work with and seems to dry quicker. And it still gives a nice rich glow to the wood. 
I have only used it once on light woods, maple, and I'm not a fan of how it imparts such a Amber tone. If I'm using light woods, I want the wood to stay light.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

If you're going to pick up some Watco Danish oil (seems to be the most popular) be aware, it's just a very thin varnish. Typically, when folks speak of danish oil, it's a mix of varnish/BLO/mineral spirits (in more or less equal parts).
If you have BLO, you can mix your own and save some money. If you have varnish you can thin it (a lot, I think the Watco MSDS calls out 70%(+/-) solvents and save some money.


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

There is also the popular 321 mix.
3 parts mineral spirits
2 parts oil based polyurethane
1 part BLO

And don't swap the poly/blo numbers. It doesn't seem to dry as it stays tacky for a really long time.in n my case, almost 2 weeks before sanding with mineral spirits, drying, and putting the proper mixture on that did dry fully within about 4 days.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Can you put Shellac over the BLO when it is dry just you do poly?
I mixed the BLO and Mineral spirits 50/50.

Thanks, JIm


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

You can put shellac over anything that is fully dry. Literally anything.


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## xedos (Apr 25, 2020)

Have you looked into hard wax oils like osmo, rubio, ect….?


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Well, I have to say do not listen tot he folks that are dismissing BLO as a finish, most of my work is cherry as it's local and well priced in my area. I have several heirloom projects in the house finished with BLO and then final finished in WB Poly. Yes you must give it 7+ days to fully cure depending on your atmospherics, but for me, for cherry it is drop dead gorgeous and still ages into a beautiful color over time, see this project's updated pic.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

> Well, I have to say do not listen tot he folks that are dismissing BLO as a finish, most of my work is cherry as it s local and well priced in my area. I have several heirloom projects in the house finished with BLO and then final finished in WB Poly. Yes you must give it 7+ days to fully cure depending on your atmospherics, but for me, for cherry it is drop dead gorgeous and still ages into a beautiful color over time, see this project s updated pic.
> 
> - ChefHDAN


You didnt use it as a finish, you used it in your finish schedule to obtain chatoyance (which wb finishes cant do) and provide a bit of color. I prefer shellac to provide those enhancements because it dries faster and will have better adhesion but blo can be used.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

> Well, I have to say do not listen tot he folks that are dismissing BLO as a finish, most of my work is cherry as it s local and well priced in my area. I have several heirloom projects in the house finished with BLO and then final finished in WB Poly. Yes you must give it 7+ days to fully cure depending on your atmospherics, but for me, for cherry it is drop dead gorgeous and still ages into a beautiful color over time, see this project s updated pic.
> 
> - ChefHDAN
> 
> ...


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

I used to always use 1/3 Poly, BLO, and MS, used as a wipe on finish. Did the apply 2 coats 30 minutes apart, let it dry for 8+ hours. Used to do it a lot right before leaving for the night. Next morning knock down the nibs with 220, and scratch it up a little.

Then a coat a day for 2 or 3 more days, light sanding between if it got scratchy feeling. By then even thinned it was plenty hard to use for most anything. Just remember it's dry to the touch, but a hard CURE doesn't happen for about a month + - depending on your weather situation, quicker in dry hot, then hot and humid which often adds time. Make it cool to cold, and all bets are off, may take several months.

Haven't done that in several years now. I ran into this stuff called Arm r Seal, and it kicks my old mix to the curb.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

my go to finish has been the maloof formula of 1/3 satin poly 1/3 blo and 1/3 raw tung oil.3-5 coats.lately ive been using general finishes products,very easy to use and gives a beautiful look.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

> Can you put Shellac over the BLO when it is dry just you do poly?
> I mixed the BLO and Mineral spirits 50/50.
> 
> Thanks, JIm
> ...


I'd have to look up books to get exact details but Jeff Jewitt had something he called the 5-minute finish.

Going by memory here. Apply BLO to the wood but it's important to use as little as possible. Just enough to treat the surface but not allow anything to soak into the grain. Then do a wipe-on shellac finish with thinned shellac until the sheen is as desired. No drying needed between steps.

In our shop we use Minwax natural stain instead of BLO. It dries faster and we can apply lacquer an hour after applying oil without adhesion issues.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Jeff calls that his ""quick and dirty french polish" You got the gist of it.


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