# Why I love Linseed Oil So Much



## Hrawk

Here is a quick pic showing why I love to use Linseed Oil so much.

Being one of the easiest and cheapest finishes around, I believe nothing matches or even comes close to linseed oil for bringing out the natural beauty and grain structure in a wood at a very cheap price.

Another benefit of Linseed Oil is that it polymerizes, not dries. It is one of the few finishes that actually strengthen the wood by filling the microscopic pores and protects the wood against denting. Linseed Oil is used in the manufacture of nearly all quality willow cricket bats.

It is also one of the most populour finishes for:
Pool cues
Rifle Stocks
Woodwind instruments
Stringed instruments, especially guitars, mandolins and violins
Traditional wooden surfboards
Interior and exterior furniture
Enough blabbering, here is the pic,

Shows alongside is the raw piece of teak the frame was cut from.

The frame has been finished with no others stains or varnishes, just 3 days soaking in a can of Linseed Oil mixed 50/50 with mineral spirits. It is now waiting to cure.


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## NaturalFork

WOW! You may have just turned me into a believer.


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## Hrawk

A $5 bottle of linseed and another $5 bottle of spirits will last you for hundreds of frames. Hard to beat value like that.

Also there is no work involved at all really. Soak it for a while, take it out, let it cure.

It does take some patience though, this frame will probably take up to a week to cure.


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## e~shot

Wow, that looks stunning. Thanks for the mixing formula.


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## Northerner

I have never tried straight linseed oil but I do like the blended linseed oil finishes such as Danish Oil or Tru-Oil (oil/varnish blends). I have been using them for over 30 years.

Cheers,
Northerner


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## Danny0663

Looks like a great finish, fantastic looking frame also.


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## pop shot

Never tried, i usually use teak oil. i'm gonna try that. no tint in it?


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## Hrawk

No man, just boiled linseed and mineral spirits.


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## Cervantes

Do you pour the oil and spirits into a container and dunk or place the frame in it?
I just ordered an A+ unfinished sling, looking to finish it to look you know..finished.


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## Beanflip

Thanks for sharing! That looks great!


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## Hrawk

Cervantes said:


> Do you pour the oil and spirits into a container and dunk or place the frame in it?
> I just ordered an A+ unfinished sling, looking to finish it to look you know..finished.


Yep, I have an old paint bucket I cleaned out and filled with the oil and spirits.

Stick the frame in, put the lid on, forget about it for a while.


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## bullseyeben!

Looks great man,! I sometimes use a trick very similar, but instesd of indeed, use a very small amount of tar! aka bitumin diluted in mineral turps, i believe it serves the same purpose, but as opposed to the reddish color obtained by linseed oil, it brings out a browner grain,.. NICE JOB mate!


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## Hrawk

bullseyeben! said:


> Looks great man,! I sometimes use a trick very similar, but instesd of indeed, use a very small amount of tar! aka bitumin diluted in mineral turps, i believe it serves the same purpose, but as opposed to the reddish color obtained by linseed oil, it brings out a browner grain,.. NICE JOB mate!


Cheers man, I'll give that a go!

Thanks for the tip.


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## Chepo69

I am the club! I also like to use linseed oil, very eloquent example my friend.


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## RedRubber

Wow! That is a beautiful finish. !!!

How do you set it up to dry/cure? I would guess nothing would need to be touching uncured teak?

RR


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## mckee

beautiful!


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## Blue Danube

BOL is THE finish, or undercoat to use on anything wood.

I have even used it to "POP" some cocobolo but that was a bit arduous.


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## Knoll

If tar works for Ben then maybe I'll try some used oil outta the motorbike.


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## Wingshooter

I only use linseed but never have I soaked one to get this shine. Something else to try. Thanks for the info.


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## Blue Danube

One of my next projects is a vaccum pot with BOL if it will work

If you work figured maple, again this is THE finish...


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## pop shot

i just resanded my favorite frame and it's soaking now. when curing, do you have to wipe it? be attentive to finger prints? drips? or can that all be rubbed out after curing. after cure, i'd probably finish with beeswax


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## Hrawk

pop shot said:


> when curing, do you have to wipe it? be attentive to finger prints? drips? or can that all be rubbed out after curing. after cure, i'd probably finish with beeswax


No, nope,nada. I just put it on a piece of paper towel with something stuck under one end so it's not sitting flat. As this is a finish that soaks into the timber and not just coats the surface, fingerprints are not an issue.

It will loose that glassy look after it has cured. This is when I use some bees wax and buff it back to a high gloss.

Be sure to share some pics of the finished product!


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## harson

Linseed oil is king as a stickmaker i have been using it for years just rub it on with a cloth and leave to dry 
Here is stickmakers guide to applying linseed oil ,
once a day for a week
once a week for a month 
once a month for a year
once a year for life.


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## Hrawk

harson said:


> Linseed oil is king as a stickmaker i have been using it for years just rub it on with a cloth and leave to dry
> Here is stickmakers guide to applying linseed oil ,
> once a day for a week
> once a week for a month
> once a month for a year
> once a year for life.


Cheers, I was told the EXACT same thing for keeping my crickets bats in top condition.


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## harson

Its great stuff ,hard to beat


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## Hrawk

I look at it like this;

$10 worth of Linseed, 500+ frames finished.

$15 of aerosol polyurethane, 10 frames if you are lucky.


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## Beanflip

Went out and got some today!


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## riverman

Can you use straight linseed without the mineral spirits? Also, does it always turn the wood a reddish color?

Thx.

RM


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## Hrawk

riverman said:


> Can you use straight linseed without the mineral spirits? Also, does it always turn the wood a reddish color?
> 
> Thx.
> 
> RM


You sure can, however it does not seem to penetrate as well and takes a while longer to cure. As for the colour, it's really dependant on the wood. To get an idea what it will look like, wipe the wood down with a damp cloth.

Linseed oil will also add a slight yellowing to whatever you put it on.


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## Blue Danube

Nope the wood will keep its natural color,


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## riverman

One other thing......can you stain the wood first and then use the linseed over the top? Will the stained wood retain its color?


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## Hrawk

riverman said:


> One other thing......can you stain the wood first and then use the linseed over the top? Will the stained wood retain its color?


Yup!

You can then also varnish or poly coat it when it's done.

I've also heard of people adding food dye etc to the oil, never tried it myself though.

I prefer to use bees wax to finish off my linseed frames.


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## riverman

Thanks Much Hrawk.......will let you know when I give it a try.


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## Rapier

Good one Hrawk. I've been using tung oil which I think does the polysomethingwhatsit thing you said. It kind of goes a bit gummy. I've been polishing it off with a well used green pot scourer and a bit of terps. Comes up smooth as.
Cheers bloke. Thanks for the pics and tips. Looks great.


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## Sean

I use the 50/50 BLO, Mineral spirit mix as well on my various wood projects. Although I've used the wipe on method in
the past, I figure once I cut some maple forks out I just might try soaking them to aid in strengthening the solid wood. 
Thank you for posting, it turned out beautifully!


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## polecat

great finnish good tips didn't realise they still played cricket in austrailia
polecat


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## Hrawk

polecat said:


> great finnish good tips didn't realise they still played cricket in austrailia
> polecat


Meow!


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## Hrawk

Here is another frame finished with Linseed.

This has fully cured so has lost that 'wet' look, but still holds a shine without being glossy.

The frame is a Dragon, made from a 7 ply, A / A grade Radiata Pine Plywood.









Original colour


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## Rapier

Hmm very tasty


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## The Gopher

Just remember, that if you use rags with linseed oil to dispose of them properly. "drying oils" dry by reacting with oxygen in an exothermic reaction (get hot). So if you leave a rag with linseed oil on it piled up in a corner or something it can spontaneously combust, this isn't jsut an old wives tale it does happen. The best way to dispose of rags that i know of is to burn them (controlled) before they burn down your house (uncontrolled).

Here is a varnish recipe that i have used before, works great. The pine tar gives a bit of color, can be left out.

Turpentine 1 qt Boiled Linseed Oil 1 qt Pine Tar 1/2 pt Japan Drier 1/2 pt


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## NightKnight

Does it maintain the "wet" look if you reapply the oil again, like Harson mentioned?



> once a day for a week
> once a week for a month
> once a month for a year
> once a year for life.


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## Blue Danube

Yep, and a couple coats of Johnsons Paste Wax (yellow can) will really make it POP!


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## Rayshot

The Gopher said:


> Just remember, that if you use rags with linseed oil to dispose of them properly. "drying oils" dry by reacting with oxygen in an exothermic reaction (get hot). So if you leave a rag with linseed oil on it piled up in a corner or something it can spontaneously combust, this isn't jsut an old wives tale it does happen. The best way to dispose of rags that i know of is to burn them (controlled) before they burn down your house (uncontrolled).
> 
> Here is a varnish recipe that i have used before, works great. The pine tar gives a bit of color, can be left out.
> 
> Turpentine 1 qt Boiled Linseed Oil 1 qt Pine Tar 1/2 pt Japan Drier 1/2 pt


Good reminder about the piled up rags combusting. It is true, seen it happen.

A warning like this is not to be taken lightly. It will burn your house down. I didn't see a house burn from it, but one flooring job I was on we linseeded the floor and in haste the rags were heaped on the lawn,( I was a flooring newbie, boss's fault) not spread out, went for a quick lunch run and when we came back. Fire!


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## alfshooter

I share his admiration for the acite of flaxseed, mate thanks
A greeting


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## The Gopher

My boss at my high school job, his mom's house burned to the ground 'cause of this.


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## Beanflip

Does anyone know if this can be used in an HDPE container without melting it? Like a paint bucket.


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## Hrawk

Beanflip said:


> Does anyone know if this can be used in an HDPE container without melting it? Like a paint bucket.


Should be fine. I used to use an old plastic Ice cream tub for a while. I think its more the spirits that are the problem, not the oil.


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## Beanflip

Thanks Hrawk. I want a gallon pickle jar but something HDPE may be easier to come by.


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## Hrawk

Wikipedia notes that HDPE is used in Chemical Resistant Piping Systems, Fuel Tanks and Natural Gas Pipes.

I would take this as a big flashy green light for using it for your intended purpose.


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## Beanflip

Thanks again Hrawk. Now if i just had a good lid .


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## pop shot

ziploc bag and a 107 or old tbg tied in a loop


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## RedRubber

For the beeswax finish applied after the lineseed/mineral spirits has cured, are you using a commercial beeswax finish or pure beeswax mixed with turpentine, or how?


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## Beanflip

Ok , I got a one gallon HDPE bucket with a good fitting lid. Now in ya go sling!


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## Hrawk

RedRubber said:


> For the beeswax finish applied after the lineseed/mineral spirits has cured, are you using a commercial beeswax finish or pure beeswax mixed with turpentine, or how?


I have a bottle of liquid bees wax. I assume this has just been mixed with a solvent.

I pour a bit on, rub it in with my fingers, wait till its dry (about an hour) and buff up with either a microfibre polishing cloth when I do it by hand, or using a cotton wheel on the buffer when I'm feeling lazy.


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## Beanflip

I am sooooo excited! I have four frames in the bucket. Two nats and two board cuts. One is locust. It 's going to POP.


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## RedRubber

Thanks Hrawk!


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## Beanflip

I can't help myself. I open up the bucket and look a couple times a day.


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## Hrawk

That's awesome, you can really see the grain and colour starting to come out


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## Blue Danube

Lol told you so... "POP"!!! And recoats later are just as easy....


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## Hrawk

Topic moved to Woodwork forum.

Don't forget folks, you can use Linseed on just about any wood, not just slingshots!


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## Beanflip

Ok, it's been 3 days . Here they are. The naturals are Locust and Cedar. Maybe someone can tell me what the other woods are?


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## Blue Danube

Man, something went wrong with the finish, send them all to me.....

Juust kidding

They look GREAT!!


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## Hrawk

Great job, those naturals look AMAZING !!!


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## Beanflip

Wana trade for one of those acrylic beauties Hrawk?


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## Cervantes

I dunked my natural A+ yesterday....Guess it needs to soak till Saturdayish...then I let it cure till Sunday....then a bit-o-bees wax and buff..Is it Saturday yet??


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## pop shot

i soaked my teak fat chalice for a day, the teak i used is so dense that it floated when i put it in but after absorbing some oil it sank to the bottom of my bucket. when i take my frames out i immediately hit em with 600 to 800 grit wet sandpaper usind the excess oil as lube until it dissipates or the paper gets shredded to bits. then i wipe the excess off real well. then i put it in my friend's glassblowing shop for a day or so to cure- he's got the furnaces running 24/7 and the room temp in there is about 90 f. they cure pretty quick, then hand buff with grated beeswax/turp paste. turned out amazing. what's that cholita? it's got some nice grain to it. great job. those natties are gonna look sooooooo good when they're all buffed out!


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## Sean

In my opinion having just completed a few board cut solid wood maple cutouts getting them ready for
Christmas gifts I have to say Linseed oil works best on solid wood cutouts! It really makes that grain
come out.


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## Aras

Hey hrawk, I tried to put it an houl for 24 hours. Check the result : http://slingshotforum.com/uploads/gallery/album_361/gallery_1944_361_2447123.jpg


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## Hrawk

It would appear you did more than just try!

That looks great mate!


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## Danny0663

I am convinced!
Next time i head to the hardware store, a bottle of linseed and turps is on my list.


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## e~shot

Picture tells everything, soaked in linseed for 12h with zip lock bag.


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## Blue Danube

Very nice, it is amazing such a simple finish gives such great results, and touch ups are laughably easy too...


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## Btoon84

I'm a big fan of linseed oil as well. I wanted to share a cpl pics of a recent project. A 2ft long crepe myrtle stick.
Before linseed oil.

[sharedmedia=core:attachments:15893]
After 3 coats hand applied/rubbed in over the coarse of a week.
This is how it looked right before i applied first coat of polly. Linseed is dry/soaked in at this point.
I think the linseed oil just gave this an amazing coloration.
[sharedmedia=core:attachments:15894]

I posted this in beat stick in "other weapons" about a month ago FYI


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## slingshooterman

Stunning Grain!


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## XxDollarBillxX

Hrawk said:


> Linseed oil is king as a stickmaker i have been using it for years just rub it on with a cloth and leave to dry
> Here is stickmakers guide to applying linseed oil ,
> once a day for a week
> once a week for a month
> once a month for a year
> once a year for life.


Cheers, I was told the EXACT same thing for keeping my crickets bats in top condition.
[/quote]

So is cricket bat oil also linseed oil and if not i wonder how that would look as a SS Finish.... Anyone had any experience with it?

ammended: Googled it and found out myself.... Yes it is BTW.


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## Iryman

I love linseed oil. You all know of course its what every school boy uses on his cricket bat! Used to let mine stand in a shallow tray of oil all through the off season lol!


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## Danny0663

Finally got some!
So far, it looks great









Mixed 50:50 with turps


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## Imperial

lol that photo reminds me of what i see everytime i lift the lid in a porta-potty . any hoo , i cant wait to see the end results !


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## RawSlingshots

Hrawk, do you buff with powertools?? or could you achieve almost the same effect with just ''plain ol undy's'' and beeswax?


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## Hrawk

I do use power tools to buff, however with a bit of effort, you can achieve the same result by hand. I'd just rather do it in 30 seconds as opposed to 30 minutes


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## Sheila

Just a word of warning about linseed oil. (I didn't read the entire thread, so forgive me if someone already mentioned this...and still on painkillers here from the back surgery 2 weeks ago...but I digress







). They had a story on the news here about people leaving linseed oil soaked rags laying around, which is not a good idea. They put some rags in a box and kept checking the temperature of the rags in the box. The temp continued to rise and within 3 hours, flames erupted from the box of rags without so much as a spark from anything near it. They suggested cleaning the rags well and leaving them flat on the ground until they dried. After that they can be safely stored. It was kinda scary to watch that box go up in flames! 

On the other hand, I'm thinking a small bottle of linseed oil could be useful inside a survival kit just for that reason


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## capnjoe

Sheila said:


> Just a word of warning about linseed oil. (I didn't read the entire thread, so forgive me if someone already mentioned this...and still on painkillers here from the back surgery 2 weeks ago...but I digress
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ). They had a story on the news here about people leaving linseed oil soaked rags laying around, which is not a good idea. They put some rags in a box and kept checking the temperature of the rags in the box. The temp continued to rise and within 3 hours, flames erupted from the box of rags without so much as a spark from anything near it. They suggested cleaning the rags well and leaving them flat on the ground until they dried. After that they can be safely stored. It was kinda scary to watch that box go up in flames!
> 
> On the other hand, I'm thinking a small bottle of linseed oil could be useful inside a survival kit just for that reason


In my OUPV Coast Guard course the instructor made us watch videos of that. It WILL happen anywhere they are piled up. In a corner, in a used cloth bin, a trash can a five gallon bucket or even a sealed Ziplock baggie. And it will happen without warning, hence the name spontaneous combustion. Oily rags are very dangerous if not properly stored prior to laundering. POOOF! There's fire....

Good word Sheila!!!


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## Johnbaz

Hi

I used to use boiled Linseed oil for rifle stocks but then I had one to do for a friend of my brothers and it wouldn't dry so it put me off using it..

I started using a blend of oils which dried very nicely from a chap called welsh willie and it really is great stuff!, From memory it's Tung oil based but blended with various other vegitable oils, it comes as a kit with Shellac based grain sealer, Alkanet oil, water based walnut stain, fine wire wool, cloths to apply the stuff with and some rubber gloves!!

Anyhow, here are a few stocks that I finished using the kit..

A chap got in touch through flickr and made me an offer I couldn't refuse to refinish these two Daystate Airwolf stock for him...

Before (very tacky as he'd had a go and botched then!)..









Had to hand rub every bit down with abrasive paper as Nitromors wouldn't touch the original finish..









After two coats of grain sealer..









After eight or ten coats of the finishing oil, this was how they looked..




































This was what he offered me to do them for him, a BSA Superstar mk1!!!!









He was so happy with how they turned out that he gave me a bonus in the form of a mint condition boxed BSA Scorpion pistol

































If the truth was known, I was ecstatic with the Scorpion pistol, more so than the Superstar!!!









John


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## capnjoe

Dude, John.... I am very impressed by your work. It's better than the work of some professional smithies I know.
Beautiful stuff.


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## bullseyeben!

Hrawk said:


> No man, just boiled linseed and mineral spirits.


Hrawk, are you referring to mineral spirit as mineral turpentine or white spirit? The aussie to us to uk definition seems to vary a bit.. I think min turps is what we are referring to?


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## Hrawk

White Spirits dude. Mineral Turpentine is pretty much the same thing though.

I use the Diggers brand from either Bunnings or my local hardware joint.










*White spirit* (UK)[note 1] or *mineral spirits* (US),[1][2][3] also known as *mineral turpentine*, *turpentine substitute*, *petroleum spirits*, *solvent naphtha (petroleum)* or *Stoddard solvent*,[4][5] is a petroleum-derived clear, transparent liquid which is a common organic solvent used in painting and decorating. In 1924, Atlanta dry cleaner W. J. Stoddard worked with Lloyd E. Jackson of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research to develop a less volatile dry cleaning solvent as an alternative to the petroleum solvents in use. Dry cleaners began using the result of their work in 1928 and it soon became the predominant dry cleaning solvent in the United States, until the late 1950s.

It is a mixture of aliphatic and alicyclic C7 to C12 hydrocarbons with a maximum content of 25% of C7 to C12 aromatic hydrocarbons. A typical composition for mineral spirits is > 65% C10 or higher hydrocarbons,[6] aliphatic solvent hexane, and a maximum benzene content of 0.1% by volume, a kauri-butanol value of 29, an initial boiling point of 65 °C (149 °F), a dry point of approximately 69 °C (156 °F), and a density of 0.7 g/ml.

Stoddard solvent is a specific mixture of hydrocarbons, typically > 65% C10 or higher hydrocarbons.[7]

White spirit is used as an extraction solvent, as a cleaning solvent, as a degreasing solvent and as a solvent in aerosols, paints, wood preservatives, lacquers, varnishes, and asphalt products. In western Europe about 60% of the total white spirit consumption is used in paints, lacquers and varnishes. White spirit is the most widely used solvent in the paint industry. In households, white spirit is commonly used to clean paint brushes after use.

Three different types and three different grades of white spirit exist. The type refers to whether the solvent has been subjected to hydrodesulfurization (removal of sulfur) alone (type 1), solvent extraction (type 2) or hydrogenation (type 3). Each type comprises three different grades: low flash grade, regular grade, and high flash grade. The grade is determined by the crude oil used as the starting material and the conditions of distillation.

In addition there is type 0, which is defined as distillation fraction with no further treatment, consisting predominantly of saturated C9 to C12 hydrocarbons with a boiling range of 140-200 °C.


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## bullseyeben!

Cheers mate, just thought we'd clarify things a bit.. I have used min turps in the past, but as I have said before its a bit harder on the nostrils, so I may try your white spirits next time.. cheers


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## Hrawk

Too easy bloke.

White Spirits is really handy stuff to have around anyway. Makes an awesome cleaner.


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## The Warrior

Hrawk said:


> Linseed Oil mixed 50/50 with mineral spirits.


Isn't that pretty much what Danish oil is?


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## ash

Danish oil usually also has some kind of varnish in it. Different brands use different recipes though.


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## The Warrior

I used Danish on some knife scales I had, with good results. Here it is, before, and after:


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## ash

Great looking blades, broseph.


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## Hrawk

Gratuitous bump as this thread has turned into an excellent reference for oil finishes.

Be a shame for some of the newer members to miss out on this eye candy


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## Johnbaz

Hi all

I just refinished another rifle stock, I used boiled Linseed oil as i'd run out of my favourite blended Tung oil :what:

The gun is a BSA Airsporter mk2, it looks like it was left in a barn for the last thirty years!!

The action was quite rusty and the Walnut stock was sun bleached to almost white!!..

I rubbed it down then used Alkanet root oil to impart a red-ish colour tyhe sealed the grain with Shellac based sealer.

I then gave it a few coats of Linseed oil rubbed in by hand..

As it was..



















It's the dull one in the next two pics..



















After some Linseed oil..










And fitted to the action..




























Cheers, John :wave:


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## e~shot

Good job John!


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## Mr.Teh

Nice work John, a difference as day and night.


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## Beanflip

It's been a while since I've done any wood frames so I came back here to refresh my memory.

Bump!


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## Hrawk

Awesome bump.

Nice to know people still find this stuff useful.


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