Blo

[Rich L.]

I don't post a lot of messages, but I read many and have a question regarding BLO. What does "BLO" stand for?

 

[Ron Sardo]

Boiled Linseed Oil

 

[dkulze]

Hey Rich,

Welcome!!

As to BLO, at the risk of starting a nasty string of slapdowns, stay away from it except for antique projects and tool handles. Stick with urythane oils and such.

Dietrich

 

[Richard Baker]

But if you turn some spalted hackberry (which of course we all do frequently), a bit of BLO enhances the contrast. Followed by some lacquer, urethane, or whatever.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Hey Rich,

As to BLO, at the risk of starting a nasty string of slapdowns, stay away from it except for antique projects and tool handles. Stick with urythane oils and such.

It's pretty tough to stay away from linseed, as it's the base oil in so many oil-based finishes. You have to trust your nose to distinguish it from soy or tung. The cans aren't a lot of help anymore. Ubiquitousness ought to be a clue that there's nothing wrong with the oil, it just makes a soft final finish unless you beef it up with some resin - for example, urethane.

Fully gelled, it makes what we wish we could approach in durability in modern floors - linoleum.

 

[dkulze]

I'm referring to BLO as a pure finish more than avoiding it in all forms, Mike.

When folks are referring to BLO, it's usually a refference to the oil alone, not to another finish that contains BLO as a polymerizing agent to hold the resins. Danish, Tung, urethane, and other such aren't usually associated with "BLO", even if they contain linseed oil.

As you said, it makes a soft final finish that really doesn't hold it's transparency and depth when used alone.

Dietrich

 

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Hey Rich,

Welcome!!

As to BLO, at the risk of starting a nasty string of slapdowns, stay away from it except for antique projects and tool handles. Stick with urythane oils and such.

Dietrich

No slapdown here. Just need to know, Why? Inquiring woodturner wants to know.

 

[Brian Hahn]

Just need to know, Why? Inquiring woodturner wants to know.

Because. In my experience, boiled linseed oil is great as an in-the-wood oil finish. But it leaves a lot to be desired as a surface finish. It remains gummy just about forever.

Eons ago, I finished some speaker cabinets with it. The finished was still gummy 10 years later.

On the other hand, I've got cedar panelling in my house that was finished with 3 coats of BLO and then top coated with Formby's Tung Oil (a wipe-on finish which doesn't contain tung oil). That worked really well, depth from the BLO and durable surface from the top-coat.

 

[Rob Wallace]

Try tung oil instead of BLO for a harder, "lighter" finish.

Eons ago, I finished some speaker cabinets with it. The finished was still gummy 10 years later.

On the other hand, I've got cedar panelling in my house that was finished with 3 coats of BLO and then top coated with Formby's Tung Oil (a wipe-on finish which doesn't contain tung oil). That worked really well, depth from the BLO and durable surface from the top-coat.

Instead of BLO, "real" tung oil might be used for bringing out the depth of a finish, even if used under a film finish "on top". - Tung oil polymerizes to a harder finish than linseed oil (although taking somewhat more time to cure) and also needs oxygen to cure. Some have also noted that tung oil does not darken the wood as much as BLO does, so for lighter woods, tung oil might effect the final color of the piece less than linseed oil.

Rob Wallace