The Secret of Mixing Boiled Linseed Oil - BLO

[@brushbros]

Fun fact: Paint thinner and diesel fuel are the same thing except that diesel contains some additional additives. It is far cheaper than store bought thinner, but you obviously have to bring your own can. It once was called "coal oil." "Drying" and "curing" are far different things. The surface might feel dry, but the oil oxidizes ("cures") over a period of weeks or months. GREAT video.

[@OldSneelock]

That is interesting. When Mom was a kid kerosene was a medicine, source of heat and light, and a host of other things, Mom said Gramma would give them Lemon juice sugar, and kerosene for cough syrup. 😁😎🙄

[@CasperLabuschagne]

In South Africa folk on farms have for generations used a 1:1 combination of boiled linseed oil and mineral turpentine to coat the undersides of vehicles every six months as rust-proofing or to coat any other metal surface to stop it rusting. It can be sprayed or painted on and left to dry where it forms a hard lacquer protecting metal surfaces.

[@OldSneelock]

I had never heard of using it until I became fascinated with the Old Tools Mailing List. A group of disenchanted wood working craftsmen who developed a passion for hand tools and older ways of accomplishing their craft. Scott Grandstaff and Jim Thompson got me started on a lot of the secret lore of the group with their engaging conversations. Once I started using BLO it became a favorite.

[@tonylenge424]

You showed us this many videos ago and I have been doing it ever since then. Great tip. Thanks. I also take your blend and mix with polyurethane 50/50 and have a wipe on poly.

[@OldSneelock]

Glad it was helpful! I get asked the same questions every so often. Rather than be rude I decided to try and answer in a slightly different way. Thanks for taking the opportunity to share your knowledge and tips.

[@gardener123ful]

I usually put on many more coats of Linseed oil,it makes the wood more flexible + it makes it easier to apply a finish coat of your choice,Varnish,Tung Oil , Paint, Etc.

[@OldSneelock]

Great tip!

[@msspgj]

Can you paint over linseed oil?

[@mrparlanejxtra]

My understanding is the spontaneous combustion occurs with cotton rags because the linseed oil speeds up the fermenting/ rotting process causing heat if the rag is tightly wrapped. Similar to lawn clippings getting hot if left in a heap. If you use a steel wool mop or scotchbright pad in the tongs that will not happen. I use a throw away paint brush and rinse it with soapy water. As socks are mostly nylon you will/ might get away with them not burning but I would not risk wool. Best to not leave any cloth in jars of linseed oil. Glass is not good either as it breaks but plastic seems to suck in at the sides as the oil ages and breaks down taking up less room. It is not easy stuff to store.

[@OldSneelock]

Surface area is a big part. Anything that absorbs the oil and exposes the oil to oxygen over a large area while not offing a heat sink lets the heat of the chemical reaction build until it reaches the low kindling point.

[@gatorsworld]

Now I know about the mix of the linseed oil mixture....the sock secret is a good one 2....the axe looks very good....almost two good to use....CHEERS

[@OldSneelock]

I was thinking of how I could avoid having a problem with rag storage and possible fires when I hit on the idea. 😁😎

[@GrampiesWorkshop]

Good day eh!!! The linseed oil on the handle really makes this axe complete. Nice work. Take care!!!

[@OldSneelock]

Thanks Mike. I am having fun learning to polish steel. 😁😎

[@frro28]

My mix for boiled linseed oil : 2 parts of raw linseed oil 1 part of parafin and 1 part of vinegar.

[@OldSneelock]

That's different. Why vinegar? 😁😎

[@frro28]

@@OldSneelock A recipe inherited from my father. I must confess I do not know why, and never asked. But it makes the mixture smell very nice!

[@OldSneelock]

Good enough reason. As long as it works Dad's recipe is a winner every time. 😁😎

[@freethinker5225]

I've heard of a 50/50 mix of raw linseed oil and turpentine and letting the handle soak in a container of it for a few days so that it penetrates all the way through and then letting it dry for a week in the sun or by a fire

[@OldSneelock]

The boiled linseed oil I use mixed with mineral spirits is mixed with metallic salts.. It dries in about 2 hours and if it needs a second coat another 3 hours all together. 😁😎

[@seansparks5271]

A little late watching this, but thank you for showing how you mix your boiled linseed oil. I'll be mixing some up tomorrow.

[@OldSneelock]

It works pretty good. Some people use turpentine, but I have never tried it. 😁😎

[@MR-zy6bw]

Thaaanks for sharing this great info! I recently brought home a huge pail of linseed oil from the combustible drop off, and although I knew it was a great find, I had no idea how to use it. Thanks to you, I now do!

[@OldSneelock]

Glad I was able to help. Scoring a big container is a real win. I put BLO on tool handles and the picnic table every spring and my original one quart purchase lasted nearly 10 years.

[@mikecurtis2585]

That axe is looking great. Nice job. Thanks 😊!!

[@OldSneelock]

Thank you too! 😁😎

[@dudleydogbrown1]

ThankYou--Real Good Video

[@OldSneelock]

You're welcome. 😁😎

[@lewiemcneely9143]

There goes the Add Man. He thought it was RAGU that kept the barnacles off grandpa's wooden leg, or maybe the additives thereof. I was going to BLO my peavey handle but my scraper was shot and the Canucks did such a fine job on it I left it be. And when my hand catches on fire I just stomp it out and pick the gravel out later. Happy Oliver and GBWYall

[@OldSneelock]

I think it is the tomatoes and spices 😁😎

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@OldSneelock Sounds like a plan to me! Heavy on the garlic usually does it.

[@OldSneelock]

😁💥😎

[@lv_woodturner3899]

Your comment on BLO rags catching fire is correct. A friend used BLO and put the rags in a garbage can outside. He was not aware of the exothermic reaction as it oxidizes. The rags caught fire and he had minor damage to the outside wall of the house. Close call. Dave.

[@OldSneelock]

Same thing with fiberglass mixing pots. 😁😎

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@OldSneelock A zillion dollar house burned to the ground around the lake for the same reason. BLO and wax from finishing floors. Rags went up and took the house with it.

[@OldSneelock]

Ouch! Around here it is usually bums camping out in empty buildings setting fires. 😠💥

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@OldSneelock Insurance covered it and it was torn on down and rebuilt. Had a crew from Down Under working on it NICE lads!

[@rawbacon]

Makes since that it "skins" over on the outside then takes forever to dry underneath.

[@OldSneelock]

There was a school of thought that soaking wood in BLO would preserve it. People were immersing wooden planes to soak for a week or more. They found it was still weeping out a long time later. 🙁😎

[@maryswann7623]

I read mineral spirits linseed oil and melted wax.. like you use for canning etc. I am going to try this today on a coffee table I am redoing…with a sock, thank you! …also I used linseed oil on my decks it used to be cheap…now it’s more expensive than Thompsons Waterproof. I am going to get an ax too cause I am putting in a wood stove…will do this with the handle 💙

[@OldSneelock]

It's a personal choice. Wax on? Wax off? 😁 I bet the coffee table will be lovely. One word of caution. While BLO is a good coating it isn't waterproof. I have had a couple houses with fireplaces. Having a nice fire is a great feeling. A wood stove as a backup heating unit may come in handy this winter. 😁😎

[@maryswann7623]

@@OldSneelock I have propane, living in a rural area in more southern Colorado but I was raised in the mountains and have had wood heating there. The winters are not as bad as in the mountains but it still gets pretty cold, Propane is very expensive and does not heat as well as wood. So I am very excited about not only helping cut the cost but the warmth wood heat provides. So glad I found you!

[@OldSneelock]

Wood heats you at least 3 times. Thanks for the kind words. 😁😎

[@maryswann7623]

@@OldSneelockyes it heats so much better…. I didn’t use the wax, read further only beeswax should be used. My rural area doesn’t have it(planning on getting bees in the spring). So wax on at the end

[@MD-en3zm]

I do the same thing. I just use a mason jar and leave an old sock in it.

[@OldSneelock]

Run what ya brung. 😁😎

[@ScoutCrafter]

😃👍

[@OldSneelock]

Hi John. I know BLO is not your favorite. 😁😎

[@johnjohns2333]

Hi great video! I have a question is there a difference between using mineral spirits vs turpentine with the boiled linseed oil? I will be costing my old deck and just trying to find something that will preserve it well

[@OldSneelock]

BLO is a great coating but it isn't waterproof. It also doesn't block UV. Paint is your best bet for long term protection.

[@mick2spic]

If I use my dirty sock would it end up making my wood smell like feet? Seems like a good experiment to try

[@OldSneelock]

I expect it would. Let's hope you don't do that.

[@mick2spic]

@@OldSneelock lol. No, I won’t do that. Don’t want to have my kitchen table smelling like athletes feet while I’m trying to eat some tacos. Question for you if I may: when you put the linseed oil on does the oil leak out of the wood later and need to be wiped off at all? Or is it good to go? Thanks for the video. And love that axe!

[@OldSneelock]

When it is mixed like I use it with 50/50 BLO and mineral spirits the liquid is absorbed and doesn't migrate out of the wood. Some people put straight BLO on and that can take a week to catalyze. BLO combines with oxygen and sets up. The reaction is exothermic so we always want to dry any rags thoroughly before discarding them. Keeping the mix and the application rag in the Ragu jar limits oxygen exposure. Just make sure the rag is below the surface of the BLO in the jar.

[@mick2spic]

@@OldSneelock Thank you for the knowledge! Glad to hear the oil doesn’t migrate out the wood in your mix. I might try adding some poly like some do: maybe 1/3 each of BLO, mineral spirits, and oil poly. If you don’t need to wipe off any oil later off the wood I don’t think that 1/3 mix would need to either. And thanks for the other tips, I’ve learned to be wary of BLO rags.

[@uktony1525]

Do you think the trick on thinning linseed oil would work for teak oil on outside furniture?. Nice video as always.

[@OldSneelock]

Yes it will penetrate. Teak is tough to apply finish to. It is oily and most finishes don't stick well. Linseed is nice, but not waterproof. I put it on the picnic table every year. On my sailboat there was teak trim around the hatch and the grab rails on the cabin were teak. I never got any finish to last more than one summer. I think a wipe on oily like maybe teak oil might work better. You would have to apply it every year but you wouldn't have to scrape or sand it first.😁😎

[@uktony1525]

Thanks Dave, anything which means I do not have to stand is fine by me.

[@uktony1525]

Sand, not stand. Predictive text strikes again.

[@OldSneelock]

I found I can edit comments by clicking on the vertical row of three dots at the end of the tool bar underneath the comment. I use it a lot. This Kindle Fire that I use mostly has the worst predictive text I have ever seen. 😠😁😎

[@uktony1525]

You guessed I was on a Kindle fire. The predictive text is bizarre to say the least.

[@tree_carcass_mangler]

Thanks for the tutorial! Sometimes its good to review these topics. Thumbs up!

[@OldSneelock]

Glad it was helpful!. 😁😎

[@accidental_relevance]

I've used boiled linseed oil to thin old thick oil base paint and make it easier to apply. Has anyone tried thinning latex paint with it or know if it will work with latex?

[@OldSneelock]

Haven't tried it. It would be interesting to know.

[@accidental_relevance]

@@OldSneelock this video motivated me to treat a hickory axe handle with the linseed oil and it looks great. I just poured the oil on the handle and rubbed it in with nitrile gloves and then buffed the excess oil off a few hours later with a soft cloth. I'm not sure what the cloth was made of. I think it came with a gun cleaning kit, but the cloth or the gloves didn't seem to produce any amount of heat afterwards. So, it must take a fair amount of the oil to be combustible.

[@stephenwhite5444]

Great video! Have you ever added pigments and made your own linseed oil paint? If so, how long does it seem to last on something like siding? I'm considering protecting my cedar siding with linseed paint. I hear is basically wears away and you can just keep adding more....doesn't peel and chip require scraping like modern paints do.

[@OldSneelock]

I have not. That sounds interesting. I wonder if it would need additional protection. BLO is not water proof.

[@stephenwhite5444]

@@OldSneelock well I'm not a expert, but doing a lot of research and I think I'm fixing to paint my cedar siding in it. Apparently for hundreds of years houses were painted with BLO paint. I just looked at a house from the 1700's with it's original siding, and apparently it never rotted because of BLO paint. BLO has waterproofing characteristics just even from the fact that the wood is saturated in blo so can't take on as much water. But more importantly blo breathes real good where modern paint doesn't and moisture gets trapped causing rot...that doesn't happen with blo. Also blo by itself doesn't last because no UV protection....but once mixed heavily with zinc oxide (which makes it white) it has very very high UV protection and can last for decades. Then when it eventually starts to fade, you can just wipe plain blo over it and it refreshes the paint and it keeps doing. The white zinc oxide becomes the base and you can add other pigments to it to change the color if desired. Even if you never maintain it, eventually it would just fade away and you can paint right over...no scraping peeling or cracked paint.

[@OldSneelock]

@@stephenwhite5444 That is an interesting bit of information. I know from personal experience that I don't want to paint over oil based (BLO) paint with latex. The water can't get out and blisters both the latex and the oil based paint under it. I think the latex grabs onto the BLO and pulls it off when the trapped water expands. Just speculation. No hard evidence. 😁😎

[@stephenwhite5444]

@@OldSneelock I've never tried painting latex over boiled linseed oil paint but I've heard it doesn't work well. But modern oil based paint is made from alkyd oil which is synthetic, not boiled linseed oil. Neither alkyd oil nor latex breathe, so they trap moisture. Boiled linseed oil is just a nigh quality boiled linseed oil with pigment added to it and the pigments give it additional durability and UV strength. You can buy pigments and make it yourself, it's expensive to buy. Most say it's best to add a small amount of zinc oxide first, making it white and it combats UV very well, then add your color pigments to that. Also to use purified blo, the purified version resists mold and mildew. Anyway, since you like using blo I just thought I'd share some about turning it into paint, it's a fabulous paint.

[@eedom69]

I think i applied it on too thick and now it's all sticky after a couple of weeks. I've been trying to wipe it down with thinner. Maybe tmrw I'll try painting on thinner.

[@OldSneelock]

If you haven't thinned it with mineral spirits before application it will take a while to set up.

[@ESLinsider]

@@OldSneelock Yeah I didn't apply any my dad was telling me to wipe the excess off too but I didn't do that either. Does the mineral spirits smell go away when it dries? I don't have any odorless stuff like you had.

[@ESLinsider]

@@OldSneelock You ever use this on steel? To stop rust?

[@OldSneelock]

Mineral spirits has the odor added so people won't drink it by mistake. Looks and feels just like water. The odor does fade. Might not be as fast as you want' though. It depends on how much is absorbed. It will evaporate.

[@OldSneelock]

Yes I coated a shovel with it. Seems to be working okay.

[@BlackHoleForge]

My absolutely love the video, but I will never call boiled linseed oil blo

[@OldSneelock]

It's not a requirement. We don't get all twisted if someone uses the wrong syntax or mispronounces a word. It really has numerous names. It is just easier to type BLO than Boiled Linseed Oil. Besides it is no longer boiled to improve it's properties. Instead it has been blended with metalic salts and other chemicals to speed up the oxidation process so it hardens faster. 😁😎

[@gardener123ful]

Only one coat of Linseed oil????

[@OldSneelock]

Yup. Unless you want more? One seals the handle. That is the point. BLO is an oil finish. It penetrates. Varnish or paint build up thicker layers.