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What's the difference between linseed oil, boiled linseed oil, double boiled linseed oil? Do they all have "self-combustion" characteristics? Are they all good for stock finishing? Where can I buy them? | ||
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quote: I use WATCO DANISH OIL, linseed oil with a pigment. I have used tung oil, boiled linseed oil etc. all about the same? All are avaliable at your local hardware store. As far as spontanious combustion I throw all used rags in a burn barrel. Some soak them in water? Good luck!! | |||
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Boiled linseed oil is in fact not boiled at all, but has drying agents and hardeners added to it. Pure linseed takes a relatively long time to dry and has a soft, tacky surface. Depending on humidity it can take months to years. The addition of these compounds, usually VOC's and metallic salts, greatly increases the speed of drying and surface hardness of the finish. As beautiful the finish of linseed oil on nice wood is, it leaves a bit to be desired for overall protection. Tung oil is a much better natural oil for finishing and protecting wood and can be built up much better if so inclined. Polymerized tung($$$) is even better yet. Concerning the combustibility of finishing oils, while not in the same league as VOC's or somthing like gasoline they, like all compounds that are potentially flammable, should be handled with care and caution. Thatis, don't let a pile of rags wet with oil sit in a room shut up tight and walk in and light up a smoke or torch... [This message has been edited by DavidReed (edited 01-25-2002).] | |||
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As far as I know they all do. Raw linseed never seems to dry. It may be slower to polymerize and thus less likely to catch fire. The problem usually happens in a pile of rags. The heat is trapped and it gets hot enought to spontaniously combust. As an aside, Jack London, the writer, built a mansion in Napa California. Spent several years and had artisans build what was one of the most impressive homes in Northern Californa. It was called "Wolf House". It also burned to the ground during the very final stages of construction. The probable cause was linseed oil and rags. So much for trivia. Linseed oil is no good for gunstocks. It has been around forever and so have guns. It was used in the past because nothing better was available. Today almost every product available is better. Linseed will darken the wood, never dry, and weep out of the wood in hot weather. As far as gunstocks are concearned forget you ever heard of the stuff. I have used it in the past, before I knew better, and had been reading to many old books. I do know what I am talking about. I have finished and refinished over 100 stocks. Linseed oil is the "urban myth" of gunstock finishing. It is an obsolete product with few uses in the modern world.
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I see. So what's THE gunstock oil if linseed is out? | |||
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If you must use an oil use tung oil. Oil is not you best choice however. I like catalized coatings. Fullerplast and Conversion varnish are excellent. The look is not so much what you use but how you use it. You want an "in the wood" finish. There is no special magic juice. Just avoid any "waterborne" garbage. If you want the same look and a better finish use some sort of varnish like stuff. OSH has Spar varnish in something called "eggshell". Other paint places will have something simillar. Do not use Varathane. It has very little build. You can put on 20 coats of the stuff and still not have much to show for your effort. It also does not bond well to the previous coat and that show as lines in the finish. For most hobby refinishers I reccomend a satin eggshell or matt spar varnish. Sand your stock with backing blocks to 320 grit. Never back the paper with your hand.... never. Keep sharp edges sharp, don't round things. Raise the grain a couple of times. NEVER USE ANY STEEL WOOL on a gunstock. Apply thinned varnish and sand it in with 320 grit. The sawdust will fill the grain. Let it dry well. From now on use 400 grit paper. Sand it until you just hit wood. The grain will be filled. Apply a several thin coats with a sabel brush. Sand LIGHTLY between coats. Just enough to knock the imperfections off. When you have a decent film built up, stop and let it dry for a week. Then rub it out with Dupont automitive rubbing compound and some water to keep the rag damp. The finish will look better than most oil jobs as the grain is filled and it will not be shiny. Look at a Kimber and see if you like it. That is what you will get. Even the best oil job will have shiny spots in the grain. It looks like tiny pinspots of shine. You then end up waxing it and it looks shiny again. Some "oils" like "Tung oil finish" can be made to work. The word "finish" tells you that it has some tung oil but has other stuff to make it dry and build. We are getting back to Varnish like stuff. It is still inferior to what I described above. It will be a sticky, messy, long process. I strongly reccomend what I described. It was learned by bitter experience. I want a finish to DRY thoroughly and to build thickness. You can control the thickness by how much you cut it back.
quote: [This message has been edited by scot (edited 01-26-2002).] | |||
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Scot, thanks for the info. | |||
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