Storage of BLO

[chisler10]

I have had BLO and burnt umber stored in an air tight paint can for about 6 mo. for antiqueing purposes. The other day I opened it up to use it and it looked almost syrupy. Is that normal or has it had some air infiltration and can I still use it?
Patrick

[Donald K. Mertz]

Patrick, my guess that it thickened up on you if there was a lot of dead space in the paint can (say you had a half pint of antiquing mixture at the bottom of a gallon can which means that there is seven and half pints of dead air space) if that is the case, next time store in smaller air tight container. Experiment its use by stirring the mixture up and applying to a test piece or you might add a little mineral spirits to thin the mixture or little more BLO. If that experiment fails, dispose of old mixture safely, mix up a new batch and don't wait six months to use what is left over - things do spoil from non-use. Have fun but be safe. Don

[chisler10]

Thanks Don, thats exactly what I did, so i will mix up some more.
Patrick

[pararaptor]

Get an aerosol can of air spray you clean and blow out your computer with; it's filled with carbon dioxide and heavier than oxygen. Oxygen causes the liquid to thicken, and CO2 acts as a barrier in between.
There's also a product called Bloxygen; it's comprised of inert gases heavier than oxygen that does the same thing.
Greg