BLO how

Hi Guys,

As a newbie turner i have so far only been using beeswax, and friction polish as finishes, but would like to expand a little !

I sent the missus off to get me some antique oil, for some Oak bowls i have in progress, but she came back with Boiled Linseed Oil,

Should i send it back ?

Or Should i use it.

Can you guys give me some tips on how to use this?

I assume i apply with lathe stopped, or do i sand it in ( on lathe ) as i have done before with foodsafe oils on smaller bowl ( in a course )

Thanks

Laurence

Hi Laurence

I've only used BLO a bit, mainly on pens, it does produce a nice finish, but it can really take some time to cure, if you are OK with that, then I's suggest you give it a go. You might want to try it out on a test pice of flat wood, just to see if you like it or not.

I like the natural look of most of the woods I turn, so I try to add very little color to them, usually. If I want a hard wearing surface, I use something like Danish Oil, Watco is a popular choice, and when it is cured, it can be polished and buffed, to a fairly good sheen. Then you can use a rattle can lacquer finish, that is very tough. A nice simple easy finish is to apply a sanding sealer coat or two, with some light sanding, then a wipe on lacquer, this is not a super tough finish, but holds up well, and can be repaired too.

I hope this helps

Thanks Stuart,

I'll test on a small item then before using on my larger pieces, and thanks for the Rattle Can Lacquer hint, I had never thought of that before.

Best Regards

Laurence

You are welcome Laurence

If you like the shinier finish, then the rattle can gloss can work well, let it cure for a week or two, then use the Beal style buffing system, and it will be really shinny, I'm not that partial to this kind of finish, but I have to say most of the ladies do

Make your self a little stand that you can set the piece on, and rotate it, to get at all sides, works well!

Cheers!

BLO is my main finishing oil. I'll rub some on the turning while it's still on the lathe and let it soak in for a minute or so. Next I'll turn on the lathe, in reverse so I don't get splattered, and hold the piece between two folded paper towels (or cloth towels or old t-shirts) and hold it until it gets very hot. Do this on the inside too.

Then I wipe on dewaxed SealCoat, turn the lathe on and do the frictioning the same way. If you want more shine add more shellac.

Simple, inexpensive, doesn't stink (much) and you're pretty much done. It's usually best to let the piece cure for a week or two. Buffing optional.

BLO will darken the piece some so don't use it if you want to keep your colors light.

Burt

for me, anything that is going to be used for food, mineral oil and beeswax is the way i go. for pens, pencils and such, i use a mix of 1/3 boiled linseed oil, 1/3 amber shellac, and 1/3 denatured alcohol.

dan

For me I use a lot of antique oil or General Finishes Seal-A-Cell followed by Arm-R-Seal. I use these on all my turnings no matter if they are used for food or show. General Finishes told me you can use these for hot gravies, hot veggies, or any hot food after it has cured 30 day. I also like to use Mike Mahoney's walnut oil on utensils.

Ernie Conover put me onto these. He uses antique oil on all of his utility items. All finishes are food safe if cured 72 hrs.