Boiled Linseed Oil on Oak

[marcros]

I am thinking of using BLO on an oak project. From what I read, it will have an orange hue, that over time will mellow to brown.

Is there any way of ageing a sample quickly so that I can see what it will look like in 12 months +? What causes the colour change- is it oxidation or UV light?

 

[nev]

have my mother in law talk to it for a day, that should put a few years on it!

 

[custard]

Sunlight seems to speed it up, maybe not as fast on Oak as with Cherry or Yew, but you can still see a difference. Be careful not to get BLO inside any drawers or casework, or it'll stink for years.

 

[marcros]

Sunlight seems to speed it up, maybe not as fast on Oak as with Cherry or Yew, but you can still see a difference. Be careful not to get BLO inside any drawers or casework, or it'll stink for years.

NOTED! Cheers for that. I wasnt planning on doing inside the drawer, but I could easily have done the drawer sides or back of the drawer front if I hadnt thought about it.

I might take it down the sunbed shop then!

Would you tend to just do the visible surfaces then with oil, or would you do underneath a table, for instance?

 

[Jacob]

I'd use raw. Boiled goes off faster and doesn't soak in so well - leaves a bit o a skin rather than an "oiled" surface.
Old oak (where it has been exposed to the air for a long time) will go brown immediately. Otherwise it'll take time.
Visible surface only (as with all finishes - why waste it?) unless there is a very good reason for putting it elsewhere.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Personally, I'd coat the insides of drawers with sanding sealer or melamine or anything else to hand, because sooner or or later something will leak or spill in them. At least then you're in with a chance of cleaning it up.

 

[custard]

I'd only do visible surfaces, so not underneath a table top for example. Some argue that just coating one side of a board can promote warping, but Christopher Schwartz argues convincingly that most finishes provide almost no barrier to moisture vapour, and that the great majority of moisture transfer takes place via end grain; so no point in coating unseen surfaces.

Personally I do put a coat of shellac inside drawers and on drawer sides, but that's to keep the dust and dirt out of very open grained timbers like Oak or Ash.

 

[custard]

have my mother in law talk to it for a day, that should put a few years on it!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[marcros]

I'd use raw. Boiled goes off faster and doesn't soak in so well - leaves a bit o a skin rather than an "oiled" surface.
Old oak (where it has been exposed to the air for a long time) will go brown immediately. Otherwise it'll take time.
Visible surface only (as with all finishes - why waste it?) unless there is a very good reason for putting it elsewhere.

what is the typical cure time on raw, Jacob? Boiled is normally 24 hours isnt it? I was going to thin it with turpentine to aid penetration, or warm it and put it on hot if necessary.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'd only do visible surfaces, so not underneath a table top for example. Some argue that just coating one side of a board can promote warping, but Christopher Schwartz argues convincingly that most finishes provide almost no barrier to moisture vapour, and that the great majority of moisture transfer takes place via end grain; so no point in coating unseen surfaces.

Personally I do put a coat of shellac inside drawers and on drawer sides, but that's to keep the dust and dirt out of very open grained timbers like Oak or Ash.

I think the reason for doing the undersides of larger items is so that any change in moisture content is much the same from both sides, rather than attempting to prevent it. I wonder what the % ratio of moisture loss/change is between finished and polished endgrain and unpolished long grain?

 

[marcros]

i have the Liberon boiled stuff, which I believe doesnt have the chemical dryers in it. I am not sure whether this is an advantage or not.

I dont suppose that on an inch and a quarter table top or components that the rate of moisture loss is going to be that different or able to exert much force. That was the reason for the question though as I understood that it was good practice to treat both sides the same.