Wrongfoot
Established Member
I recently re-started some cabinet making once I finished a build project. it's nice to be doing something less industrial.
I refurbished a few planes, chisels and tools I picked up from ebay, as most of my hand tools were sold a while ago I needed new items. I did as I had previously and stripped the finish off the wooden parts of the tools and treated with BLO as I quite like the feel of the wood in my hands rather than a polyurethane/plastic finish. I've run into a spot of bother...
My workshop is pretty much a barn it's dry enough and sound but cold and as damp as the weather I guess. This isn't problem none of the beams or stored timber have ever suffered, it's too dry for rot or woodworm. The stuff I treated with BLO is getting mildewed (I think?) It looks like a surface mould not a fungal mycelium. Wipes off ok but comes back. None of the tools had any sign of mould fungus when I refurbished them. My guess is the cold damp weather is giving enough moisture for the mildew to grow on the BLO oils in the wood. Anyone else had this?
It could be that the BLO hasn't cured dried properly in the cold and still is too liquid in the wood or it could just be that BLO isn't a good choice for anything left in an unheated workshop. What would you guys do? I could bake out the wood indoors to cure the BLO properly, but if the mould can grow on the hardened oil that'll not solve it. I could degrease the surface and seal up the tools with a varnish? I could do both?
Is this a known issue with natural finishes? It's only happening on the stuff I treated with BLO and never happened in my previous warmer workshop? Bare timber is fine anything painted is fine, mdf and ply stores fine.
I refurbished a few planes, chisels and tools I picked up from ebay, as most of my hand tools were sold a while ago I needed new items. I did as I had previously and stripped the finish off the wooden parts of the tools and treated with BLO as I quite like the feel of the wood in my hands rather than a polyurethane/plastic finish. I've run into a spot of bother...
My workshop is pretty much a barn it's dry enough and sound but cold and as damp as the weather I guess. This isn't problem none of the beams or stored timber have ever suffered, it's too dry for rot or woodworm. The stuff I treated with BLO is getting mildewed (I think?) It looks like a surface mould not a fungal mycelium. Wipes off ok but comes back. None of the tools had any sign of mould fungus when I refurbished them. My guess is the cold damp weather is giving enough moisture for the mildew to grow on the BLO oils in the wood. Anyone else had this?
It could be that the BLO hasn't cured dried properly in the cold and still is too liquid in the wood or it could just be that BLO isn't a good choice for anything left in an unheated workshop. What would you guys do? I could bake out the wood indoors to cure the BLO properly, but if the mould can grow on the hardened oil that'll not solve it. I could degrease the surface and seal up the tools with a varnish? I could do both?
Is this a known issue with natural finishes? It's only happening on the stuff I treated with BLO and never happened in my previous warmer workshop? Bare timber is fine anything painted is fine, mdf and ply stores fine.