Which finish is best: boiled linseed oil wax vs mineral oil wax

I wanted to see if a white wax made with mineral oil would resemble a water based polyurethane wood finish or if it would look more like boiled linseed oil and add color to the wood.

[@noahjohnston]

A couple things stood out to me. Boiled linseed oil takes a couple days to fully "dry", which may change the look. Mineral oil will never "dry", it will remain fluid within the wood indefinitely, and the wood will pull the oil deeper into the wood over time which I would guess would fade the effect. Lastly, any iron residue that makes it into the wood from the steel wool will cause the tannins in the wood to darken and grey, so you could get streaks or stains, especially if your steel wool has any rust on it. In my opinion I would not use steel wool over raw wood.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it!

[@tonyalways7174]

I’ve heard it said that the wire wool lightly abrades the surface and improves both penetration and sheen and that’s why it’s used by a lot of furniture makers. I’m not a super-fan of it because I often seem to get strands of it left on the surface. I have used the green Scotchbrite pads to apply wax and it works OK. For straight oil finishes the white non-abrasive pads are absolutely brilliant- they are non absorbent so you use much less oil to get the coverage.

[@EMWoodworking]

I use a very similar finish. I apply it with a fine 600 grit scotch-brite pad. Those are nice boxes.

[@stevioclark]

Beeswax is yellow and will add that color to almost any wood. Mineral oil alone will add a deep wet look without the yellowing. Both of your finishes look very nice.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Thank you

[@bitemyram]

Great video. Awesome comparison. 👍🏻

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Thank you!

[@jcjamlig]

Thank you! Might do the mineral oil.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Nice!

[@k9insomniac783]

I watched this video several months back and just came across it again and re watched it. Lol. I too have wondered this same thing, and I’ve used both. I will tell you though, from my experience, the best thing I’ve ever used, especially when it comes to burl wood is Howard’s orange oil and bees wax polish. This is only my opinion here, but it made some silver maple burl look like a million bucks. It’s cheap too at $8 a big bottle.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Thanks for the Howards orange oil idea!

[@robertjackson1407]

Thank you 😊

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

👍

[@threeriversforge1997]

Next up, try beeswax and pine tar. It's a darker finish, but the pine tar smells great and has natural anti-microbial action to it. Fantastic for tool handles and such things, but not so good for food-grade stuff unless you want it smelling like pine 😁

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

That sounds incredibly interesting... I'll have to look that up, thanks!

[@threeriversforge1997]

@@blackcoalwoodworking Pine Tar is often called Stockholm Tar in the old books, and was a necessity for life aboard the Tall Ships as it protected the wood and ropes from rotting in the salt air. Even today, it's used to keep wooden boats looking good, often mixed with turpentine, shellac flakes, and linseed oil to make a durable finish. Mikko Snellman's channel has a video of how to make your own pine tar from the trees, but it's easy enough to buy a pint anywhere that services the wood boat community or livestock/farm supply places.

[@privatebubba8876]

Do you use a barn owl or a screech owl to poke a hole in our mineral oil? Just teasing. I did some of my bee supers with the beeswax mineral oil last year and they still look like new wood down here in moisture laden Louisiana.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Nice!

[@666toysoldier]

Before WWII the Finns used a similar recipe for gunstock finish: 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 linseed oil, 1/3 turpentine. I have used it o a number of tool handles and walking sticks.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

That's interesting!

[@chrisgriffith1573]

Mineral oil is not a "drying oil", linseed oil is. Essentially, the mineral oil absorbed into the wood fiber, and down the road, will loose some of its luster, like a tung oil, it fades. Linseed oil can never do that. Linseed oil does however, yellow more with time.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

I'm noticing the color does fade when using mineral oil. BLO keeps the look I'm going for, thanks for the info!

[@tomash4230]

BLO is not Food Grade as Mineral Oil and Bees wax is.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Thanks

[@mikecoughlin4128]

Late to the party...have you tried BLO and mineral spirits and wax? I've seen that recipe around but never compared to anything. I'd like to know what each ingredient brings to the equation and are these finishes only valid for indoor pieces? I don't believe they provide any weather protection.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

I've tried that. I've found that mineral spirits can help dry the finish faster, but it does smell more. These types of finishes have very limited outdoor protection, you are correct.

[@zoltan2728]

The equation: BLO - inside protection of the wood Wax - outside (film) protection and water repellent Mineral spirits - helps thinning the BLO for deeper penetration and thinning the wax for easier application.

[@ArtWars314]

0:25 " ouch ouch ouch!!1 Your awl is making this an OUCH HOUR!" said the bottle hehe🤣🤣

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

🤣

[@tonyalways7174]

To me, BLO is one of the most disgusting smells in the workshop so I go to any length to avoid using it. I’ve tried Rape Seed oil, Olive oil and kitchen vegetable oil as alternatives and they all seem to work OK. I’ve used mineral oil for chopping boards but never mixed with wax to having seen your video I’m going to try it out because on screen I could see no differences. Thanks for the video 👍🏻

[@brucewelty7684]

All of the "organic" oils will o rancid.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

BLO is not my favorite smell either.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

I've tried coconut oil, it smelled great for a couple of weeks, then went rancid and smelled horribly. needless to say... No more of that!

[@hrausss]

I had a old candel and some deck oil . So I tried it 50/50 I used it on outdoor wood furniture it worked awesome . No idea how long it last colouring so on . But hay it was free and . I just purchased some soy wax and I am going to mix it with deck oil and try it . It is so cheap . So if it works good Also anyone know what would happen if I mixed soy wax with old vegetable oil. ? I am going to try it so please if you have tried it or are someone of knowledge please reply .

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

That's an interesting idea, haven't tried it myself though

[@hrausss]

@@blackcoalwoodworking I tried mixing the same candel with vegetable oil (Oil was used 4 times after firing chicken) came out great Smooth I am going to try it on wood after rain stops I love funding uses for waste products

[@jackdaniels2127]

Hi bro, what smell do you get from the lindseed mix? What mineral oil did you use? Baby oil?

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Hi! Boiled linseed oil has a distinct "oil" smell. If you attempt to use it inside a drawer, you'll find the smell stays for a long time because it's not allowed to cure and off gas properly. Once boiled linseed oil has cured there is little to no smell. The mineral oil was the basic stuff from the local drug store, not baby oil. Sometimes there's a price difference going to the baby mineral oil vs a generic mineral oil. For woodworking, they are the same, you may just end up paying more for one.

[@jackdaniels2127]

@@blackcoalwoodworking the color of Your box is fantastic, am thinking of olive oil or some other household oil that would give pine a darker tint.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Thanks! The reason I don't use olive oil is because I think it will go rancid at some point. If you are using a wood bowl regularly then I think olive oil is ok because you would wash the bowl and the old oil off, then add new oil back on

[@MaxXMcGill]

Poplar "hard" wood? Are there some species of Poplar that are actually hard? In Ontario they are all quick growing, wide-ringed trees that are about as hard as pine.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

I was in shock when I heard that Poplar is considered a "hardwood". Unfortunately I don't know of a harder Poplar. It's a beautiful species of wood though!

[@user-vk1pg7uu8k]

Could you compare the durability of these two finishes as well? I remember reading somewhere that vegetable oil hardens/cures whereas mineral oil doesn't, which results in less durability and less protection again water, not sure if it's true.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

That's something I'm working on, not sure when the video will come out yet, so stay tuned!

[@user-vk1pg7uu8k]

​@@blackcoalwoodworking Great, looking forward to it!

[@jackburgess1443]

What oil is best for toys?

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Mineral oil is considered for safe even when wet - probably because it never really dries. It's very popular as a non toxic finish for cutting boards and even cribs where a child may put anything they can in their mouth. All finished are safe when fully cured. Boiled linseed oil is more durable than mineral oil. Something like walnut oil may also be good as it is also food safe. Check for allergies before using walnut oil

[@saren6538]

bees wax and lemon turps

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@brucewelty7684]

Ditch the steel and use your hand. Body heat helps the whole process.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

Agreed, I haven't used steel wool much since this video