Newbie Kwestion - BLO

[Gary Groves]

I've seen people refer to a finish as BLO.

What is it?

[Bob Winkler]

Boiled Linseed Oil

[John Miliunas]

Great stuff, Gary, especially if you're looking to "pop" the grain on some more of your interesting woods. A few precautions, though. First and foremost, you need to dispose of rags soaked with BLO properly! Many shop fires have been caused by the spontaneous combustion resulting from wadded up and soaked rags just thrown in the trash! After use, either put them in a bucket of water, a specific "combustibles" container or completely unfold them and lay them outside on gravel or concrete. I'll even do the latter in the shop, making sure they are on solid concrete, though you have to put up with the smell until they dry out. Speaking of drying out, BLO typically takes a bit longer to dry than a lot of other finishes, so you need to be sure your pieces are dry before putting any protect-ant finish on them. BLO is a non-hardening finish, hence does not really offer protection. Lots of folks use it on pieces, which don't get heavy use and elect to just buff with wax for the finish. Once dry, you can use most any finish of your choice. It's a good choice for surfaces, which you may want to keep as something that can easily be refinished or renewed, such as workbench tops. Sorry for the rambling...

[Jerry Olexa]

John gave you the good info. Also, its inexpensive and can be found everywhere: Borg, hardware store, etc G'LucK!! Buy the small cans. It's a great product to pop the grain!!

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Also, many people like to use BLO as a ingredient of "Witches Brew". Witches Brew is 1/3 BLO, 1/3 Mineral Spirits, and 1/3 varnish. I have tried it with good results, I really like it!

[Gary Groves]

Thanks.


Love this board. Better than a lot of books I've bought.

[Gary Groves]

Also, many people like to use BLO as a ingredient of "Witches Brew". Witches Brew is 1/3 BLO, 1/3 Mineral Spirits, and 1/3 varnish. I have tried it with good results, I really like it!

What's the advantage of this vs straight BLO?

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I will let the others get into the details. However, the results are that I get a richer finish. The wood seems to glow. Also, the drying time of the witches brew is faster than just straight BLO. My friend John which already replied to your post can explain it better than I

[James Carmichael]

As an addendum to John's excellent advice on handling BLO, be advised that some popular blended oil finish products contain BLO or raw linseed oil and are prone to combustion as well (WatCo comes to mind). In addition, mineral spirits emit toxic fumes that can cause brain damage (which should explain a lot about woodworkers) and should be used only in a well ventilated area or with a respirator if you're using it in a spray booth.

[Keith Christopher]

I think the general concensus should be. no matter what finish, dispose of your rags properly. esp any rags use with oil of any type. Some are worse than others. BLO for example. The energy created in the drying process is released in the form of HEAT and alot of it. Bundle the rag up, add other oily combustable rags, well you get the idea.

If you wanna see it first hand, use your BLO, get a 5lb coffee can and stuff it and some other rags in it. Take a safe distance from the house and set it down, watch the smoke then the flames. I used this to show my children the need for proper disposal of oily rags. It was something they haven't forgotten.

[John Hulett]

If you wanna see it first hand, use your BLO, get a 5lb coffee can and stuff it and some other rags in it. Take a safe distance from the house and set it down, watch the smoke then the flames. I used this to show my children the need for proper disposal of oily rags. It was something they haven't forgotten.

Now that sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon!

[Jim Becker]

What's the advantage of this vs straight BLO?

BLO is just the oil and most folks don't prefer to use it as the only finish. (Although I do with wax on decorative items) The "Witches Brew" is a wiping varnish...a film finish, although it goes on in very thin coats. The oil in it will give you some grain pop on the first application, but subsequent coats do not penetrate.