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Linseed Oil Question...

DIRTYRAT
I re-finished a stock last week and decided to use "Boiled Linseed Oil" for a finish. I hand rubbed in the first 2 coats and they were coming along fine and then I got out a foam brush and put a REALLY thick 3rd coat on.{My-Bad}...Now it is NOT drying totally! Does anyone know if it will eventually dry??? or should I get the can of stripper out again and start all over????...Or can I just wipe some of the top-coat off with a thinner of some kind??? Any advice will be appreciated, Thanks,

Ruric,
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • He Dog
    I would strip it and go with Lin-Speed Oil. It will dry hard and give the same oil finish you like. The linseed will dry eventually, and hunting season is months off...

    http://www.lin-speed.com/
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  • nmyers
    That's often a problem with linseed oil. Most folks thin it with mineral oil to prevent that from happening. I switched to tung oil.

    Neal
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  • Sunray
    "...REALLY thick 3rd coat..." That'd be the problem and why Boiled Linseed Oil(BLO) is preferred. However, it's not the end of the world. Get some lint free rags and some mineral oil and wipe off the excess. Let dry and rub in the next coat. There are no short cuts in wood finishing.
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  • richbug
    I did that once about 10 years ago. The gun was unusable for about 6 months, sticky for 2 years, and a little tacky for the next 5.

    My border collie is smarter than your honor student.
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  • bpost
    The Linseed oil soaked rags are dangerous as heck. They have caused many self combustion fires in trash cans. Make sure you get the rags out of the house after you are done.
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  • nononsense
    DirtyRat,

    I usually use mineral spirits as a thinner for some of the thicker oil finishes. It not only promotes soaking into the wood but also acts as a dryer by evaporation.

    Just a quick warning about Tung Oil. It is made from a nut and therefore about 10% of the American population is allergic to it.

    Here is some information that I keep on hand about oils:

    Pure tung oil, raw and boiled linseed oil, mineral oil and walnut oil fall into this category. These are penetrating finishes that don't build a film on the wood so they don't provide much scratch or scuff resistance, however this is an advantage on projects such as cutting boards. There is no film to crack or peel causing small bits of finish to mix with your food.

    Straight oils are suitable for cutting boards, butchers blocks and workbenches, they can be recoated as required. Decorative items such as sculptures and turnings that don't see any abuse can be finished to leave the wood natural looking with a matte finish. They are not suitable for articles that will be handled on a regular basis as they will collect dirt and grime.

    To avoid nut allergy problems use mineral oil on products that will come in contact with food, as both walnut and tung oil are derived from nuts.

    Raw or boiled linseed oil is often used for decorative items, or as an undercoat for other finishes such as oil-based polyurethane.

    Raw linseed oil can take a week to dry, boiled linseed oil has added metallic dryers that speed up the drying time.

    To apply oil finishes swab on a liberal amount with a rag in any direction, use a foam roller to cover large areas. Let it soak in for about half an hour, then wipe off with a cloth in the direction of the grain.

    With curing oils such as tung or linseed wait until the finish dries fully, then add another coat, to arrive at a sheen at least five coats will be needed. For non curing oils such as walnut or mineral oil one or two coats will do.

    Best of luck!
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  • mrbruce
    Boiled linseed oil if applied correctly (the thinner the better) and allowed to dry the right way will never ever be sticky, ask any old Marine that put a lot of it on a M1 Garand over the years........Most people now days just put to much on at once and then don't let it dry long enough, and there lies the sticky problem.
    Done the correct way it is a very fine finish, and easy to repair if nessasary.

    Gun control is hitting what your aiming at.
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  • DIRTYRAT
    Today I Got the paint-Thinner out and a scotch-brite pad and was able to remove most of the thick coat. It did not remove any of the stain for wich I am very happy about. I will continue to go with very light coats from now on. Thank you all for all the info and advice.

    Ruric,
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