Does BLO go bad?

[Gary Cunningham]

I have a can of BLO my dad gave to me. I used it to coat some hammer handles and the first coat dried.
4 months later I re-coat them and a week later they still have sticky spots.

I have no idea how old the can is, and this is my time using BLO.

[Joe Kieve]

Can't answer your question for sure but I have some that is about 25 years old and it's still good. Maybe others will chime in with a definitive answer.

[Prashun Patel]

It doesn't go bad. It can dry and polymerize, but that will just result in gummy build up around the threads and opening. You just peel that off, and the liquid underneath is fine.

In fact, your problem is precisely because BLO doesn't harden easily. The way to apply it to handles is to wipe on a thin coat, let it sit for a few minutes, then buff it off with a second, clean paper towel.

You can repeat this process for a couple days until you get a decent sheen - not a build up of a hard film - but a satin sheen "in" the wood.

I don't have to remind you I'm sure that BLO likes to generate heat in the application rags, so be careful how to you dry/dispose of them.

Before you do this, I'd give your handle a wipedown with some mineral spirits to remove the tackiness. In fact, you'll probably be able to just buff the tackiness off with a dry cloth.

[Jerry Olexa]

I have some over 10 yrs old and works fine...

[Gary Cunningham]

I have shelf pegs with one coat. They dried in a day or so.
Is putting on two coats the problem?