Author Topic: Boiled Linseed Oil (Read 1428 times)

victorcharlie · « **on:** April 29, 2005, 11:22:30 AM »

I started refinishing the walnut stock and forearm of my Marling 336 using Boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits....Got the stock stripped, and stained.........I'm to the point that I'm trying to sand fill the pores, and have 3 coats of B. L. oil on the wood.....

I'm starting to have second thoughts as I've read several dozen internet articles about the advantages of tung oil or tru-oil over the linseed oil, as from what I read Tru-oil is a much more durable finish than BLO, or Tung oil.

I'm trying to decide if I can change to the tru-oil after finishing the filling with boiled linseed oil.........

I don't see any post about using the old tried and true, boiled linseed oil.......anyone still using it?........How did you like the finish from boiled linseed oil?....

Some of the articles say I can change to Tru-oil after sand filling as it has a high content of linseed oil........anyone tried this?

TennesseeNuc · « **Reply #1 on:** April 29, 2005, 08:31:20 PM »

Vcharlie,
Tru-oil is a linseed based finish. You can use it over boiled linseed oil. It also has a drier, so you can get some buildup and seal the wood. That combination should work just fine.
Best,
TnNuc

gunnut69 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 29, 2005, 09:41:00 PM »

I've played around a lot with various finishes and TruOil works best for me. Boiled linseed oil makes for a poor finish as it never gets completely hard. It will sofyen and feel gummy when handled by hot sweaty hands.. tung oil makes a beautiful finish that is very hard and fairly water proof. It also will crack easily and doesn't seem to last as well. I regularly use a product called 'Okeenes danish Oil' as intial stock filler, followed by TruOil. The results are quite satisfactory.

Kiwi Rob · « **Reply #3 on:** May 25, 2005, 06:24:28 PM »

Hi , I used to use the boiled oil spar varnish recipe in dunlaps book and it produced a very nice durable coating , however the stuff that comes in bottles called boiled linseed oil now is nolonger the stuff I used to get .. I think it is all synthetic as it results in a gooie sticky mees that takes more time that I have to dry ,like it hasn't dried yet .. I now use Brirch Wood Casey's " True oil " got no complaints at all , just follow the instructions , thin coats rubbed off with steel wool produce the best finish , thick coats for a quick job just wont do it ..If you dont like the high sheen you can always go over it with fine steel wool then with denim or such for a dull finish ...Rob

Mikey · « **Reply #4 on:** May 26, 2005, 02:38:55 AM »

I've used boiled linseed oil and beeswax mixed together and don't get the 'sticky' results. I will also add some stain to it if I don't feel the stock has taken the initial stain well enough. I put a bit of the mixture in my hand and rub it into the stock until the stock starts getting too hot to continue, then I move on to another part of the stock. After I let it dry up for a bit I will polish it with a soft cloth to bring out a nice sheen and then every now and then add some more to the stock.

I remember in the old days (hoo boy) we just used to wipe down the stock with whatever gun oil we were using for the gun, and our rifles just kept on going year after year.

I find that whenever I use a finishing agent like varnish or anything that coats the stock I always have the devil to pay when it comes to clearing up nicks or scratches. My old M70 stock has some of the factory varnish off in just the wrong places - places where you really want it to be touched up so it looks nice again, and this is why I have gone to non-coating finishes. Mikey.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #5 on:** May 27, 2005, 11:19:34 AM »

Well, I put the rifle back togather..........don't know how many coats I've got but it's a bunch.........I put 5 coats of Boiled Linseed oil thinned out to 4 parts thinner 1 part BL oil........I figured the thinned oil would penetrate deep into the wood......I sanded between each coat and then wiped across the grain to fill the pores...........then switched to tru-oil........rubbed several coats in by hand..sanded with 400 grit between coats....but didn't feel like I was getting a good even coat.......switched to a small brush.......and did several coats that way, also sanding between coats.........still no joy, just didn't look really even.........So, then I switched to an air brush..........I thinned the tru-oil 50% mineral spirits, 50% tru-oil.........I FEEL THE JOY!

The air brush with the thinned tru-oil allows for very thin, very even coats....that run out great......and a fine gloss finish.....You can get a coat on so thin that you can see a finger print under it.......it's important to wash the stock down with thinner after sanding to remove all the finger prints.....then hit it with a tack cloth before spraying......I'm thinking I got at least 15 coats or more of Tru-oil, with probably 10 or so done with the air brush........

The thing about the air brush is finding the right pressure.....to much and it orange peels a little......to little pressure, and it gets easy to make the mix run..........but get it just right and the results are great.......my brush likes 40 psi with tru-oil cut 50% with mineral spirits......

The old beater 336C with half the finish missing is looking better than I expected.......I'll probably try a birchwood casey cold blue and hope it turns out as well..........If not, off to the pros for a hot blue.........

It really is hard to decide when enough is enough.....and I still have a little tru-oil left over..........I alway think.....one more coat! It's not quite perfect! I've got to look pretty hard to see something I don't like...... Heck, a fellow's got to quit some time right?

gunnut69 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 27, 2005, 05:46:16 PM »

Try OxphoBlue from Brownells...I prefer the liquid.. It makes a very good job and lasts very good indeed. Simple to do, just follow the directions on the bottle..

RugerNo3 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 28, 2005, 09:29:33 AM »

One of the very poor attributes of boiled linseed oil is it will darken the stock to the point that no grain will show. In 10 years it will be black. You won't find it on my stocks. Course if you like to constantly refinish have at it. A diluted spar varnish will stand up to anything. Boiled linseed has to be light sanded after a few applications to fill pores in the grain, otherwise it covers the wood evenly and accentuates the pores.