Boiled Linseed oil mix

[dgman]

Using oil on a wooden project brings out the natural color and grain of the wood. It is a good finish for woods that have good color and grain patterns but may not do much for woods that don't such as pine or Baltic birch plywood. although I do apply it to Baltic birch. Most oils will require a top coat.
Boiled Linseed oil does a good job, but is a little to thick and takes days to dry, so I thin it with Mineral spirits. The mix flows easily through the fret holes and dries in about about 24 hours depending on humidity.
The ratio is about 50/50. This works good for me but you may want to change it either way to suit your needs.
I use old metal baking pans to soak the project in the oil mix. I usually let it soak for about five minutes, keeping it wet with a cheap chip brush. Remove the project from the pan and let the oil drip into the pan for a few seconds. Then wipe off the excess oil with a clean lint free rag. I use old tee shirts for this. Set the project on an old baking rack or cardboard or newspaper. Go back several times and make sure you clean up any "Bleed Out". Let dry for about 24 hours, then you can apply a topcoat. I use Deft semi gloss lacquer in a spray can.
Make sure you use nitrile gloves when working with the oil, and most importantly, do not lay oily rags in a pile as the heat produced may cause a fire. Lay them across  the lip of a trash can and let them dry for a day then you can toss them the trash.
I store the oil in an old glass mason jar.

[Bill Wilson]

Nice write up Dan! 

I use BLO in very much the same way. 

To get a slightly more protective finish, one can also mix BLO with mineral spirits and varnish (or polyurethane) in roughly equal proportions to make their own Danish oil recipe.

[Merlin]

A wee Q about BLO, I use it all the time but can some one tell me the difference between Boiled and Raw and wood it make a difference if one used RLO instead of BLO.

***Merlin***

[dgman]

I don't know the difference Merlin. I know that boiled linseed oil is more refined. I have never seen raw linseed oil as the boiled type is all that is available in the home centers here.

[GrayBeard]

From
Wikipedia....

Boiled linseed oil
Boiled linseed oil is used as a paint binder or as a wood finish on its own. Heating the oil causes it to polymerize and oxidize, making it thicker and shortening its drying time. Today, most products labeled as "boiled linseed oil" are a combination of raw linseed oil, petroleum-based solvent, and metallic dryers (catalysts to accelerate drying). The use of metallic dryers makes boiled linseed oil inedible. Some products contain only heat-treated linseed oil, without exposure to oxygen. Heat-treated linseed oil is thicker and dries very slowly. This grade of linseed oil is usually labeled as "polymerized" or "stand" oil, though some types may still be labeled as "boiled".

Spontaneous combustion

Rags soaked with linseed oil stored in a pile are considered a fire hazard because they provide a large surface area for oxidation of the oil, and the oil oxidizes quickly. The oxidation of linseed oil is an exothermic reaction, which accelerates as the temperature of the rags increases. When heat accumulation exceeds the rate of heat dissipation into the environment, the temperature increases and may eventually become hot enough to make the rags spontaneously combust.

[jimbo]

Raw linseed does not dry as well as boiled linseed, boiled linseed is not boiled it is pasteurized as in milk, it goes through stages of heating but is not boiled, using polyurethane does make danish oil but goes hard in the container if not used quickly, I prefer to put the poly on after the oil has dried
Jimbo

[dgman]

Thanks Jimbo. I agree with applying the topcoat afterwords.

[Russ C]

I know one thing, I have seen Dan's work (holding it in my hands). I really like the way it brings out the natural look and the Deft Semi Gloss Lacquer just adds to a great looking finish. I am sold and will defiantly be trying it in the future. 

Thanks Dan for sharing what I consider a fantastic way of finishing projects. 

[wombatie]

Thanks Dan for that great information.  I will know what to do in future.

Marg

[jimbo]

I forgot to mention that BLO darkens the wood more than other oils, so if you want the wood to have a more natural look go for the lemon or paraffin, oils but you have to remember that they do not dry to a hard surface and there for are not durable
Jimbo

[heiko rettberg]

Boiled Linseed oil is not only for wood, you can take it as rust protection too. It's work very good.

From Wikipedia and translate with Bing

In the middle ages linseed oil was used as a corrosion inhibitor for armor and weapons (black burn). Used it also in the automotive industry. Today it returns again in classic car circles, in the preservation of historical monuments, and healthy building to this non-toxic type of preservation. The oil forms a water-insoluble link with FE3 +-ions in the rust. In addition, after the bonding, the oil forms a crack-free coating.
Red lead (lead-lead), a classic and highly effective but toxic corrosion and wood preservatives, which both inside and outside was used already by the Phoenicians around 700 BC for preservation of ships is formed by adding Blei(II,IV)-oxid (Pb3O4) to linseed oil. This was the lead toxic and fouling-resistant in the outer layer, and as a fungicide in the Interior. The use of Bleioxids is permitted only with special permission - for example for restorers. Therefore, Eisen(III)-oxid is today used in modern wood and rust protection with Lein?l color instead of toxic Bleioxids. This red Eisenmennige is non-toxic. The moulds and fungal-retardant effect is achieved through the addition of zinc.

[paul44224]

Since the mineral spirits have a fairly strong odor, and my shop is in the basement, I tried odorless mineral spirits. Still works great, and without a wife's complaints!

Paul

[tux_linux]

I do pretty much the same as Dan - without drowning the wood, because I think it's already kind of dead.
I only dip it in, make sure the oil got everywhere and get it directly back out, letting it hang above the oil-box to leak off the excess. After that the pieces are checked, dried and put on the heating for at least 24h.

I use those plant clips to hold the pieces - they work great.

I currently think about also making a shellac bath to faster and simpler finish pieces by dip coating. Anyone tried that already?

[Paw Paw Ray]

Raw linseed oil is what artist use to thin their oil paint to make it flow smoother.  You can get it at artist supply stores.  It also take a lot longer to dry.  Like months.