Re: Question re: Painting Prep Work Linseed Oil 101: Pure linseed oil is extracted from flax seed and is food grade. Much of the American "pure" inseed oil is not pure, but has been chemically extracted from the seeds and is not food grade. Pure linseed oil is a drying oil, but takes a long time, a week or more in very thin coats. Boiled linseed oil has additives added to facilitate drying time and make it act like boiled pure linseed oil. Boiling pure linseed oil will make it dry faster, but usually the reason for heating it is to enhance it's penetraction qualities when it is used as a preservative on things such as fence posts, wagon beds, etc. Any linseed oil, pure or boiled, to ensure good penetration and faster drying time, should be applied in very thin coats and rubbed in. |