Boiled Linseed Oil

[C_Ludwigsen]

I decided not to title the subject "BLO" for a variety of reasons.

I've just recently used BLO for the first time on a pen and pencil set made of Shedua. I was amazed how sharply it brought the contrast and color out. I haven't taken a photo of this set but I've been using them everyday for over a week.

What has always made me cautious about using it is that word OIL. I know many oil finishes are very slow drying or never really dry at all. So I was unsure of its properties.

Since several folks use it with the CA finish - which is a plastic coating, what other finishes can be use over BLO?

What about drying time? Should you burnish it in like a friction polish? Are there certain types of woods that do not finish as well with BLO?

I brushed on 2 coats of Deft Clear wood finish (lacquer) after giving the BLO over night to dry for the Shedua set. It will take some time to determine durability.

Appreciate any input.
Chuck

 

[pssmith]

Chuck,

I find no shame in crawling into the reference books to offer any information to your question. Application of an oil finish (not necessarily pens) typically require a day between coats.

1) Sand to final grit
2) Clean
3) 1st coat - Flood and keep wet (may have to apply in areas that dry or absorb the oil quicker than other areas) for 5 minutes or before becoming tacky (influenced by weather, if your mixing varnish with it, etc), wipe off completely.
4) Monitor occassionally the piece to see if there is "bleeding" from the pores. You don't want bleeding to scab up
5) Wait a day. Sand with the next grit that you left off with to make smooth and clean.
6) Apply next coat - At this point, you have the option to take a finer grit of sandpaper and wet sand the piece after applying finish. This will insert sanding dust into the pores and make it even smoother, particularly open pore woods like Oak (if that's what your trying to achieve, if you want a more natural look, just apply another coat without the wet sanding to keep the natural textures.)

If your using BLO without any varnish and mineral spirits mixed in with it, 2 to 3 coats with a day between each coat will suffice. Oil is not known for protection, so building up will do no good. That's what somethign like lacquer or varnish is for.

Now in the short time I've turned pens (single digits), I've applied a BLO / Varnish mixture with it drying for a little bit before wiping on 3 to 5 coats of brushing lacquer (more open time) with the lathe running. This is my latest experiment and I wouldn't think of this as "tried and true", more like "I'll get back with you". I've tried the CA/BLO with lacquer and the results weren't that good. I've used Shellawax creme and only have a concern about durability, but may ultimately stay with that or straight Shellac and wax.

Hope the info helps.

 

[Scott]

Hi Chuck,

In woodworking circles I've always heard about using BLO to "pop the grain". I think it does that just fine on pens. It can darken the wood to some degree, which is one of it's drawbacks. By itself I don't think it would be any kind of finishfor a pen. If you wanted an oil finish on a pen I would rather go with sometihng like a Danish oil.

To apply BLO to a pen, I would put some on a paper towel and spread it on the pen blank while turning the handwheel by hand, to get good coverage. Then I'd turn on the lathe and kind of "cook" it in. From here you can do what you want. Most finishes can be applied over a BLO basecoat, including lacquer and shellac.

Are there woods that do not mix with BLO? Yes. Oily exotics do not do oil finishes well. Dark woods don't benefit from the BLO to enhance appearance.

I still like the CA/BLO finish for it's ease and speed of application. Of course it's not for all pens, but it sure is nice on most wood pens!

Thanks for this topic!

Scott.

 

[Guest]

try the search BTDT
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=858&SearchTerms=Boiled,linseed,oil

 

[C_Ludwigsen]

Thanks for all the good info on BLO. I did like how it popped the grain in the Shedua set. Good to know that it does nothing for dark woods and doesn't respond well to oily exotics.

I have seen the "sweating" issue with pure Tung Oil, but did not see any with the BLO.

For pens, It sounds like it falls more in the category of a sanding sealer or base coat finish that you top off with a lacquer, CA, or other more durable coating.

That sound accurate?