Boiled Linseed Oil on tea light holders

[Petey83]

Made a few tea light holders over the weekend out if Cedar of Lebanon. Went for 4 coats of boiled linseed oil to finish instead of the Osmos polyx I usually use as CoL is resinous so I don't think a wax oil will be good for it.

Now my question is given that Boiled Linseed Oil is considered volitile should o be worried? My thinking is it's soaked into the wood and dried so shouldn't be any more flammable than the wood itself would be.

If its an issue I'll have to sand back and buy some danish oil to refinish

 

[Lazurus]

Put glass inserts into them for the tealights regardless of finish, wood itself burns anyways withou them in eventually - a big risk if you give away or sell them.

 

[Petey83]

Put glass inserts into them for the tealights regardless of finish, wood itself burns anyways withou them in eventually - a big risk if you give away or sell them.

Assume brass cups would also be suitable?

 

[Jon C]

I made some years ago, without glass/metal inserts and finished with a thinned down poly varnish. I made sure the hole was relatively shallow and combined with taller tea lights, never had a problem.
I’d recommend inserts though. I recently made a few more for my mum and used inserts, it just looks better and you can use lower height tee lights safer.
I used brass but I think I’d try glass in the future as the brass tarnished pretty quickly.

 

[MikeG.]

........ given that Boiled Linseed Oil is considered volitile should o be worried?

No. When it's liquid, in a bottle on your shelf, or in a newly-used rag, then you treat with caution. Thereafter, it's fine.

My thinking is it's soaked into the wood and dried so shouldn't be any more flammable than the wood itself would be.

If its an issue I'll have to sand back and buy some danish oil to refinish

Given the solvents in Danish oil, I'd be more worried about that than BLO. However, I don't worry about either. Do an experiment. Pour some out and set fire to them. Then, set fire to a piece of coated and a piece of uncoated wood, with the oil having dried for a week or two. There is nothing at all to worry about, as you'll prove to yourself.

 

[Petey83]

This is what I did, applied a coat to a scrap of CoL and tried lighting with a lighter and then the mini blow torch I use for epoxy bubbles and neither took.

I've ordered some brass inserts anyway as they do look better and I've got a few to make as offered them to people on my Instagram on exchange for a donation to the NHS.

I'll try the Danish oil too at some point as I prefer the finish it gives on oak but BOL does look really good on Cedar as it makes the grain really pop.