Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO)

[Iguanadon]

A few months ago I had asked for suggestions of alternative finishes for my puzzles.  I currently use mineral oil which never 100% "dries".

There were a couple of suggestions about using BLO and mixing with mineral spirits.  Sorry, I can't remembre who suggested or what ratio.

I'd appreciate feedback on BLO/Mineral Spirits as to ratio or any other thoughts.  As a reminder, my goal is to be able to dip the finished puzzles in and place on drying rack. Quick and simple.

I have bought the two items and am ready to test them out.  Thanks for your input.

Iggy

[Bill WIlson]

The ratio really isn't all that critical.  All you are doing is thinning the BLO with the MS, to get it to go on a little easier, absorb into the wood a little faster and perhaps dry to the touch a little quicker.  Full cure time will remain pretty much the same, because the MS will simply evaporate and you are still left with just the oil.

I wouldn't go more than 50/50, because there is nothing to be gained by flooding your project with mostly MS.  Maybe start out by thinning the BLO by 20% or so with MS.  If you like how that works for you, great.  If not, you can adjust up or down from there.  Wipe it on, let it set a few minutes, then wipe off the excess.  You really can't screw this up.

[OCtoolguy]

It seems like I recall somebody on here suggesting a 50/50 ratio. Not sure but that sure sticks in my head. I think it might have been Dgman.

 

[kmmcrafts]

41 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

It seems like I recall somebody on here suggesting a 50/50 ratio. Not sure but that sure sticks in my head. I think it might have been Dgman.

 

I've always heard 50/50 as well.. but I've also heard to do different ratios too I was thinking the different ratios gave a different luster type... I may be wrong on that though.. I did do a trial run of the 50/50 mix last year and it worked well.. but.. I personally like Danish oil because of the polyurethane in the mix for a little better protection.. And.. I didn't like the smell of the mix.. though I don't know what kind of Mineral Spirits I had... as I just bought a thing of it.. Believe it was low odor but I've seen stuff that said odorless..   

[Iguanadon]

Keep 'em comin' folks.  Thanks.  I seem to remember someone saying 70/30 ratio.  I did buy odorless mineral spirits although I haven't opened it yet to see if it truly is odorless or just "tolerable"  LOL  

[OCtoolguy]

Unfortunately for us here in parts of So Cal, we arent' "allowed" to buy mineral spirits. We are forced to buy the smelly stuff called "paint thinner". I have no idea why but our fearless leaders must have a very good reason for it. The were probably able to find more ways to tax it. I know, I'm very cynical but I hate being "nanny'ed" to death.

 

[trackman]

When I do puzzles like yours I place the pieces in a throw away cooking pan like you use for turkey cooking. I use a 50/50 mix letting soak for around 10 minutes. Wipe off with paper towel an use air compressor to get the rest. As they say works for me lol. 

[Iguanadon]

1 hour ago, trackman said:

When I do puzzles like yours I place the pieces in a throw away cooking pan like you use for turkey cooking. I use a 50/50 mix letting soak for around 10 minutes. Wipe off with paper towel an use air compressor to get the rest. As they say works for me lol. 

10 minutes?  Wow.  Is there a particular reason?  To allow it to soak in?  I'm just looking to bring out the color of the wood (poplar) so a quick dip and drip dry is what I'm used to doing with the mineral oil.

[JimErn]

I did the BLO, then the 50/50 blo/ms

finally settled on the Watco natural, does basically the same but seems to dry better IMO

[Karl S]

 I like the Watco also Jm, I think it's a better finish personally

[trackman]

32 minutes ago, Iguanadon said:

10 minutes?  Wow.  Is there a particular reason?  To allow it to soak in?  I'm just looking to bring out the color of the wood (poplar) so a quick dip and drip dry is what I'm used to doing with the mineral oil.

I feel that will give it time to soak in. But as I said that is just me. Quick dip may do the trick just as good but I’am not doing 1,000 of them a year so not in a hurry. 

[OCtoolguy]

22 minutes ago, JimErn said:

I did the BLO, then the 50/50 blo/ms

finally settled on the Watco natural, does basically the same but seems to dry better IMO

Jim, have you done a cost comparison? Just curious as to which way is the most economical.

 

[kmmcrafts]

21 minutes ago, JimErn said:

I did the BLO, then the 50/50 blo/ms

finally settled on the Watco natural, does basically the same but seems to dry better IMO

 

13 minutes ago, Karl S said:

 I like the Watco also Jm, I think it's a better finish personally

Watco s a brand and they sell different types of oil finishes.. but most commonly is the Danish oil.. Is this the stuff you're talking about?

 https://www.amazon.com/RUST-OLEUM-242217-Gallon-Natural-Danish/dp/B000OUFB46/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1550967201&sr=8-7&keywords=watco+danish+oil

This is what I use.. But.. I'm not sure why it's so pricey online.. I pay $21 a gallon locally.. 

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

If you do the mix.. I suggest getting a metal paint can to keep the mix in.. I used a old windshield washer fluid plastic jug and it started to deform the jug after a couple weeks.. 

I don't remember the cost of the BLO mix I made but I do think it's slightly cheaper.. however I think the Watco Danish oil with the poly in the mix is a better overall finish for a better protection.. Just my opinion.. 

 

[kmmcrafts]

By Amazon prices it's about $27 a gallon if you buy the BLO and Mineral Spirits by the gallon and mix 50/50 to make 2 gallon.. so in the long run it's cheaper I suppose.. but more expensive than the Danish oil for me since I only have to pay $22 gal. locally.. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by kmmcrafts

[Iguanadon]

1 hour ago, kmmcrafts said:

By Amazon prices it's about $27 a gallon if you buy the BLO and Mineral Spirits by the gallon and mix 50/50 to make 2 gallon.. so in the long run it's cheaper I suppose.. but more expensive than the Danish oil for me since I only have to pay $22 gal. locally.. 

So, now should I be considering the Danish oil?  Not due to cost, but due to it being a better option in general?

Edited February 24, 2019 by Iguanadon

[Gonzo]

In my opinion, Danish oil will give you a nice "softer" luster.  When I use the BLO/MS mix it is at 50-50. I've also read somewhere that when using the BLO/MS, mix up only what you will be using at the time. Be very, very careful with BLO and any rag that you use with it. Very combustible if rags get balled up. Burns very  hot and very quick. 

As for cost, not sure which is a better deal. 

[kmmcrafts]

6 minutes ago, Iguanadon said:

So, now should I be considering the Danish oil?  Not due to cost, but due to it being a better option in general?

I'm probably the wrong person to answer that, LOL since I myself have been asking a lot of questions about finishes.. If I were you.. since you have the stuff to mix up your finish I'd go for that.. and see whether you like it or not.. Danish oil is basically the same thing with polyurethane added to it.. In fact I've read that some add poly to their homemade mix of BLO.. If you don't like the BLO mix.. you probably won't really like Danish oil either.. since it is very similar.. 

I just posted this thread the other day.. JT responded with some really good info to think about.. There was another thread within the last year I think that I did where JT posted about the different oils and mixes that can be done.. Think he even mentioned about adding in the Poly to the mix of BLO.. 

Anyway maybe read what JT said here.. Think it's probably one of those things where is a matter of preference.. 

  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Iggy maybe I can answer your question or maybe cause more questions. First BLO by itself will gel over time and become thicker than when first bought. People add mineral spirits to it not to stretch the amount but to thin it. That is just a side benefit. Now depending on the consistency of your BLO will determine the amount needed. You can not mess up the mixture. If you do a 50/50 thing just means it is that much thinner and will absorb into wood quicker. Some hard woods this is a good thing. As far as color goes it will always be the same no matter how much MS you use. It will pop the grain in woods and with all oils will give a warm yellow tint to woods. As far as time goes per dip is realtive to the woods used. Softer woods and woods with open grain such as oak will absorb the oils in a short time so a couple minutes is all that is needed. Closer grained woods need more time to penetrate more deeply. As with all oils they need to wiped down after they are removed but not needed right away. I like them to drain for about 5 minutes and then wipe down. Saves on material. BLO has driers in it to help it dry but not cure. As with all oils they need to cure which can take 48 hours or more depending on the atmosphere they are left in. If you are going to mix make sure you get true mineral spirits and stay away from that green stuff. Odorless is fine but will tell you they will still smell because BLO has an odor. You will not get a sheen from BLO because there is no top coat in it like Danish oil that has a mixture of poly in it. If mixing 50/50 you probably will cut down dry time somewhat but again the area allowed to dry will determine that too. Colder is not better. damper is not good. 

BLO is much cheaper than Danish oil by far. I like Danish oil because it does the exact same thing as BLO but leaves a nice soft sheen on my projects. Being you make puzzles I do not believe that is something that needs to be. The question gets asked does Danish oil protect the wood more than BLO and the answer is no. The amount of poly in Danish oil is minimal at best and will not protect against scratches or things like this where a true top coat will. Danish oil can pool more than BLO because if the poly flashes over it blocks the oils from penetrating and drying. But wiping down the project and this may have to happen a couple times will always cure that. 

Someone mentioned this and is sooooooooooooo true all oils are a potential fire starter. Do not clump rags up and leave in a pile. They can combust. I like to either hang them outside opened and or place in a bucket of water. This is a must. Not sure how much this helps.

Edited February 24, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[JimErn]

10 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

 

Watco s a brand and they sell different types of oil finishes.. but most commonly is the Danish oil.. Is this the stuff you're talking about?

 https://www.amazon.com/RUST-OLEUM-242217-Gallon-Natural-Danish/dp/B000OUFB46/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1550967201&sr=8-7&keywords=watco+danish+oil

This is what I use.. But.. I'm not sure why it's so pricey online.. I pay $21 a gallon locally.. 

 

 

Kevin, didn't realize they sold a bunch of different ones, yes that link is the one I use.

[JimErn]

Iggy

we know opinions are like .... and for that reason I rarely state them

I like the watco because, as Kevin says, there is a soft gloss/sheen to the finish.  But more than that, with blo or the blo 50/50 mix, it seemed to me that I could always smell this mix in the wood, no matter how long it had been.  Others see to be able to too, I had one customer smell two of the puzzles and picked the watco one to buy (that was before I went to watco only).  To me watco feels dry, whereas the blo and blo mix always seem to have an oily feel to them.  And watco seems to dry/harden quicker too.

JMO, YMMV

 

[kmmcrafts]

Yeah, those oil soaked rags can combust . I live in the boonies and have a burn barrel. I burn my paper towels as soon as I’m done with them so I expect to have a fire every time I do a batch of project finishings. This way I’m not setting the trash can on fire or the garage truck.

[NC Scroller]

Iggly switching from mineral oil, which I dislike, to a blo or Danish Oil means you have to be very careful that you wipe off all the excess.  If not I find I sometimes have "sticky spots".  

[Dave Monk]

I also  use Danish oil on my puzzles.  I usually soak them while I am cutting another one.  Then use a draining rack and let it drip while I am soaking the next. After that I put the pieces on edge on corrugated cardboard. I never have to blow them off or wipe them off or anything like that. The cardboard wicks out any excess oils. ....................The process that works for me.

[scrollerpete]

All the puzzles that I cut I used Tung oil from Watco, either one coat and a light coat of spray shellac or two coats of Tung oil, so far no complaints. I also tried Danish oil but I found that it took too long to dry, also it does not as good as Tung oil.

P.S. The price went up because the trees used to make the oil got it by Hurricane Michael in Florida.