Working with boiled linseed oil

[dave_person]

Hi Pete,
I spent many days on that mountain.

dave

 

[Billnpatti]

No problem, Pete. You just made the switch so quickly that I wasn't able to follow. I'm old and crazy so you will just have to overlook me.

Yes, I understand that there are crashed planes all over Alaska. It isn't an easy place to fly and not the thing for the feint of heart.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Unfortunately, BLO needs to dry for years maybe decades before it becomes even partially resistant to moisture. I use a polish on furniture that is BLO, shellac and denatured alcohol. Dries fairly quickly but takes an incredible amount of rubbing and buffing. And will show a ring the first time a water glass sets on it. It works great on a wood lathe because it dries in a few seconds when applied to spinning wood with pressure.

 

[PeteDavis]

The key to a great linseed oil finish is to build a UV cure box. A black light, vented high and low, lined with reflective material. You can turn raw linseed into amber in a few days with this process. If I was serious about linseed finishes I'd make one. I used one from a violin shop and it cured some pretty gummy finishes into hard varnishes pretty rapidly. But I'd want a well soaked/penetrated base of the oil into the wood before I ever skinned it over with the oxidized linseed film. From that point foward the finish goes on, not in. PD

 

[rusty]

a finish that I have used with great success is equal parts BLO Spar Varnish and Paint Thinner, If you go to an art supply store they have BLO there that is used for oil painting and it has polymer's in it and will dry much faster.

 

[Zonie]

I'm kinda wondering, did any of you folks who had water spotting problems on your BLO finished stocks ever try waxing them?

Wax does a good job of keeping water away from the stuff that's under it. :hmm:

 

[PeteDavis]

Wax certainly works to repel water, but the finish will be final once you put it on.

 

[Billnpatti]

I know that because so many folks on this forum like to use BLO and mixtures containing BLO there must be a good reason for using it. But with its poor curing properties and the fact that there are so many home made mixtures and off the shelf finishes that are so much better than the BLO finishes, I can't imagine why BLO is so well liked other than the fact that it is an historic finish that was used on grandpappy's old rifle. I'm feeling kind of dense in this area so will someone enlighten me on why they like a finish that is either BLO or a BLO mixture. What, other than being an historical finish, does BLO bring to the table that one of the modern finishes does not.

 

[PeteDavis]

Linseed oil binds the surface fibers of the wood and imparts a grabby feel that is pleasant to the hand. My hunting rifle has a finish of GI cosmoline melted into the wood and is maintained with linseed oil. In short, most varnishes are harder and less reparable than linseed oils. If there is a reason that linseed is popular culturally it is availability and low cost.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Bill,
Many, perhaps most original guns finished with linseed oil were finished with an oil varnish, not BLO alone. Linseed oil was mixed with a copal resin varnish, which produced a hard water resistant finish, much like what I suggested to Tripp above. In my case, I substituted polyurethane varnish for the copal resin. Another poster suggested a mix of linseed oil and spar varnish, again a similar method. Tried and True sells a linseed oil-varnish that is a pretty good approximation of many original finishes. These are all essentially the same idea. In addition, Mitch Yates revealed on some original Lehigh guns that some gun makers used shellac first to fill the grain and then used a linseed oil varnish on top.

dave

 

[Billnpatti]

My hunting rifle has a finish of GI cosmoline melted into the wood and is maintained with linseed oil.

To me, that is astonishing. I once purchased an old WW II German Mauser that had been packed in cosmoline ever since WW II. Fortunately, I only wanted the action to build a new rifle because the cosmoline had saturated the wood and had ruined it. The barrel was shot out and worthless but that was okay for my purposes, I was only interested in the action and it was in great shape. Anyway, based on my limited experience, cosmoline as a stock finish.....I am amazed. But, if it works for you.....what can I say? :idunno:

When I was in the Marines, I once had an assignment to unpack and de-grease new M1-A rifles that had been coated with cosmoline on all of the metal parts. The rifles were new and I don't know how long they had been packed in the cosmoline but, in that case, it didn't seem to have hurt the stocks. Nasty job, I'm glad it lasted only about a week.

 

[srspicer]

AS promised here is a link to view the finished rifle. Many thanks to all who advised me on the finish of the rifle. I was very surprised at how well your formula worked Dave! As this is my first build, I did not know what to expect for the results, they were better than I had hoped for and the new owner is extremely happy with his upgraded Pedersoli rifle.

Love this place! :hatsoff:

Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the rifle build, Linky; Bucks county rifle build

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Woodturners use a finish called shine juice, a combination of BLO, shellac and denatured alcohol. It dries to the touch with just the heat of friction on the turning wood. However, you must use dewaxed shellac or second and following coats will not stick properly. It is similar to the period correct French polish on very high end colonial furniture that extremely wealthy folks might have had. This is elbow grease intensive and leaves a very glossy finish like glass. If there was ever a chance of needing to apply anything over the finish, do not apply wax.