I grew up reading JOC, and for the past 50 years have used linseed oil on the stocks and forearms of my rifles and shotguns.

I recently learned that Japanese umbrella makers have used linseed oil on their paper umbrellas for centuries.

Does anyone else still use linseed oil?

BH63

They used it because they didn't know any better; the Army used linseed oil on small arms stocks for 200 years; it was cheap and sort of water repellant. Also why all old stocks are black; oxidized linseed oil.
And for NM stocks, we used more modern finishes.
But the fact is that linseed oil is the worst product for actually waterproofing wood. And mold grows in it.
Any modern finish that says linseed oil on it, also contains driers and other things like urethane to actually form a viable stock finish.
Bottom line is, I never use it because it does not work.
Does anyone use it now? Not if they want the wood to actually be protected in any way.

Linseed oil and "boiled" linseed oil are two different things. Do I still use it?
I do, the "boiled" version works okay for axe, shovel, and garden rake handles.

This is the result of boiled linseed oil mixed with 20% Danish oil - stained with alkanet root and diluted 50% with mineral spirits.

The photo does not do justice to the stock. The figures in the wood glow in the light.

Tru-Oil is linseed oil that has been modified to form a plastic urethane finish. Raw linseed oil is terrible for a stock finish. It is full of water and organics which attract mold and slow drying times. Modern "boiled" linseed oil is nothing more than raw with metallic driers added. Not much better. Real boiled linseed oil is a different matter. Boiling, or more correctly simmering, the raw oil cooks out the organics which float to the top and are skimmed off. It also drives out the water. Oxygen needs to be incorporated by stirring during the process. Olympic Paints makes a deck and fence finish using cooked linseed oil. It is claimed it strongly resists moisture, mold, and mildew. Cooking also initiates the cross-linking and polymerization process which hardens the oil. After drying if the oiled finish is heated to near 250 F for 30 minutes the finish can be cured to a rather serviceable hardness. Waxing completes the procedure and gives a nice finish.

I’ve used BLO on my milsurps, but mix it with turpentine on initial applications, then add some tint and about 40% spar varnish which is sanded in with 400 grit. Let it fry a week and apply JPW then rub it down.

According to the can’s label BLO can be used to protect metal finishes. I wouldn’t apply on my rifles, but do use it on my outdoor tools.

Live and learn.

BH63

Any form of linseed oil, sold under that name, boiled or not, is suitable only for shovel handles.
Even when restoring old military rifles, I no longer use it; it makes them look dark and old; when they were new they were not black.
I use paste wax. And I have restored a lot of them.

I now use Lee Valley Tools Tung Oil. There are three versions I use the Sealer version mostly, including for final 2-4 coats.

I use linseed oil on my walking staffs out of cedar.It really brings out the darkness in the dark whorls let leaves the white part only slightly yellow.I built one several years ago that I put a dbl turkshead knot at the hand position with additional lashing from my Navy book of knots. It was a beautiful staff. My wife at the time "borrowed" it,put it in the rifle rack + went into the store leaving the window down.You know the rest. If I ever see it again,I'll know it's mine.Not worth going to jail over killing somebody over.....maybe.

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Canada:
I now use Lee Valley Tools Tung Oil. There are three versions I use the Sealer version mostly, including for final 2-4 coats.

Tung Oil aka "China Wood Oil"

Be especially careful with any rags or brushes you get wetted with the stuff, this stuff pretty much defines "Spontaneous combustion"

AD

I use boiled linseed oil on the wooden deck of my utility trailer.

1. Clean trailer well, to include scrubbing the deck.

2. Mix BLO 50/50 with odorless mineral spirits and roll on with a thick nap roller in the middle of July. Keep applying coats until it won't suck up any more, then wipe off the bit that puddles.

3. Let dry/harden for a few days.

Allan DeGroot wrote:

quote:

Tung Oil aka "China Wood Oil"

Be especially careful with any rags or brushes you get wetted with the stuff, this stuff pretty much defines "Spontaneous combustion"

Pretty much ALL of the hardening oils, to include boiled linseed oil.

I can guarantee you that if you use any linseed oil that has not been treated with some type of drier or hardener, you will have a hot gray moldy mess if you leave that article out in the weather for any length of time.

There is much evidence out there and there is a lot more of legend created by "experts who's grandad's cousin's mistress did it" info.

1. "Boiled" Linseed oil (BLO) is not really boiled but has been mixed with Industrial driers. Some people even try boiling raw linseed oil!
2. Most commercial stock oils have some BLO in it. Some also have Carbunara Wax (Brazilian palm tree wax used in car panel paint shops). This is a hard dry wax and cannot be used straight. It has to be thinned down with oils and solvents. Extremely hard wearing finish if done right
3. Some stock oils have Tung Oil - chinese tree seed oil?. Reputedly the hardiest finish for furniture along with Carbunara wax.
4. Danish oil is mostly a combination of the above.
5. BLO alone will not make the wood waterproof. Same with Bee's wax.
6. The others above will make the wood waterproof is done right.
7. Now MY opinion is that the best wood grain look comes with using BLO diluted with mineral spirits and sanded in repeatedly and finished with a waterproofing oil or wax. BLO gets the walnut burl and grain contrasts to glow and stand out like nothing else. Alkanet root gives that rich red tinge so commonly seen in the best British gun stocks. Again easy to just soak the root in BLO, spirits etc. No need to powder it etc.
8. TruOil is a similar mix and an easy way to get similar results

That is what I learned from doing just 4 stocks but I spent years researching trialing while doing them.

90% of the stuff you come across is just myth repeated as proven fact.

That is right, BLO is not just "boiled" meaning, cooked, linseed oil, and I hear over and over about how someone "boiled" their raw linseed oil for 6 hours over a slow wood fire, somehow making a classic stock finish nonpareil. That is complete nonsense. That won't help; you still have linseed oil, which is a very poor water barrier.
It must have added, modern, driers and hardeners, in order to be effective, and there are many variants and mixtures of that.
So many guys I talk to think linseed oil is a good thing; tell that to my friend who slathered it on his recently restored white oak Power Wagon bed that costs $800. It is now a gray molded mess. I used Spar Urethane on mine; in 1999; looks like new.

quote:

I used Spar Urethane on mine; in 1999; looks like new.

That is finish ON the wood. One dimensional reflecting surface look.

Sanding BLO INTO the wood is a completely different finish and a different look. A 3 dimensional light dispersing surface look.

That is partly me trying to explain it with some science. Hope I am right.

I personally have never cared for the look of stocks that have a super hard glossy protective layer of urethane type finish. To me they look more like furniture than a gun but that is JMO.

Thanks for all the information.

BH63

Not talking about the gloss of the finish, at all.
I am talking about water protection and the inability of linseed oil to adequately do that.
Modern oil based finishes, contain urethane, and other driers and modifiers, but still retain the characteristics of oil. Best of both worlds. That is where science has taken over the finishes of the 18th century.

I have used LIN-SPEED stock finish for many years. The finish seems durable and easily touched up. I don't know what its actual composition is.

Used properly Linseed Oil with dryers makes a beautiful stock with a sheen like no other..Its a good idea to wet sand and seal the wood prior to a final finish...Some mighty fine Gun Smiths use it to this day. Ive used Linspeed and its a good finish, and once filled a final finish of Linseed with dryers in pretty nice and it will hold up as well as most finishes..Most gunstock finishes are Linseed oil and tung oil based, and they have been working for years, any wood finish requires maintenance.

The only waterproof finish is that crappy high gloss finish, so take your pick, its beauty or the beast...or plastic if you can tolerate it.

Naki Hunter, love that finishes with Alkanet on your rifle..Its amazing how all these old English rifles bringing big bucks, double rifles with Linseed finishes have lasted more than a hundred years with a finish that doesn't work!!! More internet BS!!

Bobster,
True Oil is tung oil modified..Lenspeed is Linseed oil modified, both good gunstock finishes...

Linseed simmered with lead oxide with dryers is a damn good finish, but some are afraid of lead oxide, Ive lasted 84 years with no effect that I know of.

Most of stock finishing is the applicationeer IMO..

I like Finn and Feather, I also like Gun-Sav-or from Brownells in the spray can, gloss or satin. A good fill is more important than the finish you use within reason I suspect..

BC's MSDS indicates it does contain Linseed Oil and a modified oil (polyurethane likely). Perhaps derived from Tung Oil?

https://birchwoodcasey.com/fil...osol-Finish-2012.pdf

Lin-Speed says it is pure boiled linseed oil.

https://www.lin-speed.com/prod...-speed-2oz-jar-copy/

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Bobster,
True Oil is tung oil modified..Lenspeed is Linseed oil modified, both good gunstock finishes...

Linseed simmered with lead oxide with dryers is a damn good finish, but some are afraid of lead oxide, Ive lasted 84 years with no effect that I know of.

Most of stock finishing is the applicationeer IMO..

I like Finn and Feather, I also like Gun-Sav-or from Brownells in the spray can, gloss or satin. A good fill is more important than the finish you use within reason I suspect..

Eagle,
Common knowledge opines True Oil is Tung
Linspeed is modified Linseed with dryers has been what Im told. However I and a number of others soon to be told, True Oil is indeed Linseed as you stated..you just upset a number of gunsmiths and stock makers I know that have for 40 years believed True Oil was tung Oil..

Thanks for the heads up..When all else fails read the directions and I did this day..

Ray

MSDS is the official spec of the manufacturer.

TruOil has always had Linseed Oil and synthetics with may be a bit of Tung oil. That is whyn it is waterproof.

Anything that says Boiled Linseed Oil already has dryers. the problem is that it is not Waterproof.

Carbauna wax from a Brazillian palm tree is a great finish HARD finish and used in car paint finish & wax. There may be a bit of it in TruOil.

Someone in this discussion once tried to actually boil up some Linseed oil

You can boil linseed oil it turns to rock and it will never be a good water barrier. It needs driers added, which is what any good finish has. Otherwise, it might repel water to some degree, but will not actually keep it out of the wood.

I've posted this link before but it bears repeating. You can make boiled linseed oil highly water resistant by marrying it with a resin. Back in the day they did it by mixing with tree resins to produce a varnish. This video is for violin varnish but by reducing the resin content it could well be used for gun wood. Diluting with turpentine can produce a wiping varnish very similar to oil application. Note the use of boiled potash and calcium carbonate as driers. If you are restoring a period piece and want an authentic finish this is a good place to start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh5JTATnl4k

Heres a good recipe

https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/...-for-stock-finishing

The proper application of linseed oil on your walking staff since it takes great heat to absorb into the wood is to attend to your linseed oil stroking of the walking staff shaft like akin to your own short arms inspection. Then you will have a good deep penetration of the oil.

I'm finishing a stock at this moment and the Tru-Oil bottle says it contains linseed oil. Most of these "old" finishes are just that, old. They used them not because they were the best...but because that's all they had that worked to some measure. If you are going to use an oil finish, then you have to use the oils that are available that will work on wood. The difference now is that we have additives that make the oil finishes better in that they will dry. We have plastics such as urethane and epoxies that can be used if that what you like. But if it is going to be oil you either have to chose the old way with poor alteration to make it dry or oil with more modern type of drying agent. So what most of the argument here is the old potion or the new potion. I have shelves full of finishes and if you read the labels several say to be careful when you dispose of the rags. I take that to mean it contains linseed oil whether it says so or not. A lot of the tung oil finishes sold in the stores today do not contain tung oil. My guess....linseed oil. You can try to avoid using linseed oil (boiled or not, I'm not differentiating) but its difficult.

Today my favorite gun stock finish is GUN-SAV-OR from Brownells, its easy to apply and its tough comes in Gloss and Satin, but Gloss can always be cut back to satin...After I finish the stock with Alkannet and Gun sav or, I polish out with rotten stone and oil and apply a top coat of Liseed with Hardners from Bronnells.

Another thing these tests told me is a good 15 coat Linseed with filler finish, is as good as a 100 coat Linseed finish, but both held up pretty well thru 2 or 3 winters..

As opposed to guess and by gosh and Jake told me so, I have pieces of walnut on my shop roof from time to time left there thru as many as 3 or even 4 Idaho Winters. The toughest finishes after those years of sun and snow? That old VARATHANE in the BLACK can that had the consistency of water..It was claimed to have carcenagens and cause Cancer, it took forever to fill pores and it was never popular for that reason I suspect, but it was probably the best of the stuff I tested, and was a beautiful finish if applied properly, you painted it on and wiped it ALL off or tried to, let it dry for a week, wet sanded it and do it again over and over and over again..some months later you used a squegie application and just kept wipeing until you were satisfied...but did it ever last, and I was told it was to hard and took to long to apply, and of that Im sure if one was trying to make a living. I wouldn't use it again unless the client wanted to pay the hourly rate..and Gun sav er is quick and good enough for me. That was back when folks quit white bread, butter, suger, because they caused cancer also..

My buddy (trinidad guy) used Mccloskey not sure if it was the spar varnish. My avatar is finished with it

I've had excellent results with Chem-Pak's Pro Custom Oil.

Interesting NC. Be well, Packy

I've been using boiled linseed oil over 60 years no problems. I bought the can that is marked "boiled" never considered boiling it myself. Just a dab will do and lots of rubbing. Yes, will combust if on a rag. I apply it on my hand and if I have excess will wash my hands and rub some more. I like to do the interior sides as well. If I remove it from the stock or remove pistol grips I rub in a coat on the backsides.

I use diluted BLO to regenerate dry wooden flooring, etc. Not for waterproofing, but to effectively moisten and preserve the wood in my semi-desert climate.
It seems to work but I am always open to other (cheap) options for these big floors of unoccupied buildings.

My smith uses 1/3 part linseed oil-his own recipe back from his old gunsmithing school days.The two Ruger MK2 magnum stocks he refinished for me look great.The third one should be finished in a week or two.Most used/prefinished stocks take from 6-8 layers.It is now on its fourth coat.He told me using pure linseed oil will turn the stock gray over time.

quote:

Originally posted by Karoo:
I use diluted BLO to regenerate dry wooden flooring, etc. Not for waterproofing, but to effectively moisten and preserve the wood in my semi-desert climate.
It seems to work but I am always open to other (cheap) options for these big floors of unoccupied buildings.

A classic floor finish used in the British West Indies is Linseed oil, Bee's wax and turpentine. Warmed and applied with a brush it soaks in and can be buffed with a coconut husk... it lasts for decades and is quite beatiful. It does not peel off or wear out.

Would that be Raw Linseed oil or BLO? I use a mix of Bee's Wax, Olive Oil, and Parrafin 1:1:1 for wooden spoons and such that are hand carved. Preserves well, DON'T wash in dishwasher! Sorry for the OT. Thanks and Be Well, Packy

I feel the secret to a good rifle stock finish is more from the application by the applicator! Find a finish that works for "YOU" and use that one..

I like a oil modified Urathane satin finish or gloss knocked back to satin. I like a stock to look like polished wood, and it isn't as water proof as a gloss..Gloss is always more water proof and sucks and reflex light not good for stalking game..its a trade off, but if you care for your rubbed in satin finish it won't shrink or whatever...and more important is to use properly cured and laid out wood then you can use about any finish from Linseed to whatever but you need to maintain it..no finish lasts forever..Jack OConnor hunted the world with Linseed oil finished guns, and gave them a good rub down after each hunt or season without major problems Im told...Shellack and Linseed is a very good old world finish..

Here are a couple of recipes for the older English type finish

https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/...-for-stock-finishing