Boiled Linseed Oil...Why I Hate It!

[santagibbs]

wow... I should have read this years ago.. When we built an addition to our home, we had a wall to wall fireplace with the hearth extending across the room and around another wall with steps .. I rubbed BLO on every brick to get rid of the dusty look and it brought out the color and was beautiful.. Then when we moved here, we had three walls with stone on them and I rubbed them with BLO and it brought the color out in them.. I sure was taking a huge chance that I didn't know about ... Thanks for letting me know as I will pass this information around to others... Charlotte

[AlArchie]

Charlotte, you weren't taking any unknow risk applying the oil. The risk is more in the disposal of the rags used to wipe the stuff on with. Once dry, there should be no fire hazzard beyond perhaps holding a torch to the wood.....it'll burn with or without the linseed oil. Those thin rubbings you gave your wall and hearth shouldn't have been of any concern. Lots of folks have painted their surrounds with oil based paints (a lot of those with linseed oil added).Varnishes, lacquers, shellac, oils are all combustible if held to a flame. Even heating them as would happen on fireplace surround shouldn't present a problem, once they dry.

Al

[TravisJHuval]

I just say no to BLO!



Well, I wanted to Know a wee- bit about finishes and finishing so ,many questions I asked to many people .Lots of conflicting information was given to me . This was back around 2002 . I lived in Florida at the time and worked for a Cabinet Maker , whom brought this book to my attention (Understanding Wood Finishing) by BOB FLEXNER . WOW, very informative it left me with very few questions after reading it . As I've read other books that just have left me searching for more in depth answers . This book also had an answer for all of the conflicting information That I had collected, in my pursuit of how to finish my projects and what type of Finish to use .

Lacquer is normally my #1 choice for finishing the bulk of my carvings so far. no sanding sealers . although every now and again ill use some poly. although I find poly. to be somewhat labor intensive. that's my 2cents ........... I'm spent.

bye!

[jax]

Is there a difference between Boiled Linseed Oil, Stainless Linseed Oil and Refined Linseed Oil??

Jax.

[santagibbs]

Thanks Al, this is such a good message board, as one sure can learn a lot . I was worried, as my sister in law who lives in another town, called me the other day and asked what I put on the stone and of course I told her BLO and she was going to use it on some brick in a house she rents.. I am sure she has already applied it by now, on her fireplace.. Charlotte

[AlArchie]

Here's a brief on REFINED linseed oil. Never heard of stainless linseed, unless it's one with some additives that won't darken with age.

Al
SHIVA LINSEED OIL, 3.75OZ

A refined, white linseed oil which contains no free mineral acids, lead, or artificial dryers. It serves to diminish the thickness of paint. The consistency is thinner than that of sun-thickened linseed (stand oil), and the oil may darken with age.

[Ashbys]

I don't think that you can set any firm rules on finishes. If you set a hard rule , as in I will never use this or use that , you have restricted yourself on what you can achieve.

Here is what I mean. All acryllics are plastic, plastic ages , the bonds that hold it together with time will give up, Oils are based upon different minerals , the majority of artist oils are zinc oxide, because of this they will darken and age as the mineral ages. Oils will last longer as they are based upon a base mineral. Zinc discolors as it contintues to oxide.
If you have a customer that comes to you and asks for the carving to be painted with oils instead of acryllics and willing to pay your price, will you refuse ? The issuse is the same with BLO , BLO does have advantages in some instances, just as varish , or any other finish. The questions to be asked are the same questions 1) where will the piece be 2) what is the piece to be used for , 3) how often will it be used 4) is it functional or just show. After these questions are answered , then your choice of the finish will be based upon the use of the carving and choices become simpler.

In my opinion

[squbrigg]

Great discussion thread folks, thanks Lynn for getting it started. I am probably the last person in the group that should offer advice for finishing, I can never remember what's what, so I don't change ofetn!

Over my painted ship models, I use a water based Varithane. Nice clear, durable, long lasting, finish, easy to clean up and to apply.

On my canes, I use a mix of that dreaded BLO, turpentine and gloss varnish. Wipe on, rub in, wipe off. Let dry and then wipe on again, and again and again, wiping off after each application, and letting dry.

On small carvings without paint, several Danish oil layers, overnight drying, then a coat or two of paste wax hand rubbed finish. On larger carvings without paint, several layers of that mix with a couple coats of satin Minwax Polyurithane.

I have a copy of this woodworking magazine that is all about finishes, how each type of finish works best, comparisoms, what's best for wear, colour, shine, protection.....yada, yada, yada.........but I can never remember what's what or best for who, or how to apply them, unless they are right there in front of me! I printed off somebody's (sorry too early in the morning to recall)instructions for their carving of Mountain Men, and have it in the shop studying it, and it looks good.

Thanks for all the great information folks, ...... now if I can only sort it all out! LOL

Bob

[Anthony Filetti]

Great information Lynn I can appreciate your research.

Here is why I use Boiled Linseed Oil as part of my finishing technique for my Caricatures. I currently prefer painting my carvings with thinned acrylic paints to allow the wood grain to show. This helps identify the carving as just that and not a resin product.
The use of Boiled Linseed Oil mixed w/ a tad bit of Burnt Umber does 3 things for
me.

1. The first being that it tones down the paint colors, this gives the carving a realistic appearance especially since most clothing is not new off the rack but rather show everyday wear and tear.
2. It enhances the grain. The grain is more pronounced with the use of the oil (not to say another oil would not do the same).
3. In carving my caricatures I rely on 'stop' and 'sliver' cuts for shadows and do not use a wood burner for that effect (personal choice). The use of the product and paint enhance these shadows and undercuts.

You might ask why I do not use some other type of oil, one reason is cost. Boiled Linseed Oil is cheap.
As for the detractors you cited.

No UV (ultraviolet) light resistance...my carvings generally sit on a bookshelf or mantle and are not exposed to light in sufficient amounts to cause any significant fading...

Linseed oil is mildew food...I don't live in an area with high humidity and just the opposite can be true in the winter time when the furnace is running..

Linseed oil does not harden sufficiently...my carvings are not toys and are only handled rarely, they don't have to be that durable...

Difficult to remove from wood...don't want to remove it...why would I?

As to the comment of dust, I haven't experienced more dust on a carving than the surrounding shelf, so I cannot say I have had your experience.

Also, to the comment of it being gummy, I haven't experienced it, I do not allow it to pool on the carving for any lenght of time so I have not seen evidence of this.

As to the dangers of using a ccombustible product, I am fully aware of its properties and warnings when I use a product, its called reading the label and I take the necessary precautions to prevent that from occuring. It is the same knowledge I use when putting on my carving glove I know it will help prevent an accident but also am not cocksure that it will be 100% effective.

And thats why I do what I do...hope this helps answer the question of why we use Boiled Linseed Oil.

[Irish]

Although I hate quoting labels I’m doing it anyway so see me dragging my soap box out of the closet and setting it up in the middle of this message board.

Quote -
Tung Oil High Gloss label information:
USE ONLY WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. DANGER! SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION RISK. Oil Soaked rags can cause spontaneous combustion if not handled properly. Rags, steel wool or water soaked with Tung Oil may spontaneously catch fire in improperly discarded. Immediately after use, place rags, steel wool or waste in a sealed, water-filled metal container. – End Quote

This same type of information also appears on my can of BLO and my Danish Oil finish.

Any, All, Ever chemical we use including oil finishes as Tung oil, Danish oil and linseed oil and paint thinners as mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, wax remover, and turpentine plus any oil based stain or finishing sealers as minwax stains, varnishes and lacquers are combustible and create both combustible toxic fumes and combustible waste products.

Considering that many shops or work studios are filled with fine wood dust, electrical machinery, extension cords, and a heat source as base board heat the risks of fire using any oil based product should be considered.

Please … I could care in the least whether you use linseed oil or hate it! But I do care about accurate safety information. No oil product is completely safe nor can any of them be considered non-combustible. Nor, to my knowledge, is any one oil based product less combustible than another.

So … Standing high on my soap box violently waving my red flag to get your attention …

1. READ THE LABEL FIRST! And if you have read it before – READ IT AGAIN!
2. Open the windows … at least an inch or so for ventilation.
3. Unplug anything you will not be using during the finishing steps.
4. Get a small metal trash can that has a lid for outside your work shop.
5. Fill it with water and Dawn dish washing detergent.
6. Throw EVERYTHING into it when you are done using oil based products.

I am not trying to start a fight here. I do believe that accurate safety info is way more important then anyone's opinion of which finish they use or hate.

Susan