Linseed oil

[john brenton]

Does anyone here use linseed oil to protect their steel/iron tools? I was oiling up a project yesterday and happened to look at the can and noticed that this was listed as one of the uses for the oil.

Unless anyone here has any objection to it, I am really thankful that I noticed that. I live in coastal GA and work in an unconditioned garage and I've have been concerned about the issue of rust for a while...but I certainly don't want to oil up my woodworking tools with oils that will stain the wood and muck up my projects.

Any objections to using linseed oil on your iron/steel woodworking tools?

[Prashun Patel]

Interesting. I've never done it. My instinct is that raw linseed oil might be ok, but Boiled Linseed oil would polymerize and get gummy. I'm partial to wax or wd40.

[Jon van der Linden]

I use camelia oil. Linseed oil, whether the cheap junk you buy as BLO or high quality raw linseed oil, it is a drying oil. Not what you want if you're using it on metal.

[Jim Koepke]

A common practice for people who do a lot of gardening type chores is to oil the handles of their shovels, rakes and other tools with linseed oil or boiled linseed oil to protect them during the winter months. They often also coat the metal parts. That may be why that is mentioned.

I also live in a humid climate. I did worry a lot about rust. I have found that if something is wrapped up, it is more likely to get affected by moisture than tools left in a drawer or on a bench so air can circulate freely around them. My planes sit with a scrap of wood under their toes to keep the blade elevated.

I also wipe most of my tools with an oil & wax saturated rag. I would have to check to see if the bottle mentions the type of oil used. It is just a furniture polish type product. So far it has not had any effect on any of my work. Some has been stained after rubbing with the rag.

jim

[Prashun Patel]

"My planes sit with a scrap of wood under their toes to keep the blade elevated."

I used to do that until I left some 'dry lumber' on my tablesawtop to store for the weekend. I came back to find a nice little band of rust under the wood.

[george wilson]

Boiled or raw,the linseed oil will dry,leaving a very gummy film that will be a job to remove from metal. Suggest you use Boeshield.

[Christian Castillo]

George is a great source of wisdom, and as usual, gives very good advice. I recently started using Boeshield on my saw plates, goes on easy, and dries to a smooth film on my saw plates, which helps the sawing action. I am normally opposed to using chemicals over natural methods, but Boeshield is so good that it is one of the few products that I make an exception for. As for another product shout out, Starrett M1 oil is great.

[Jim Koepke]

"My planes sit with a scrap of wood under their toes to keep the blade elevated."

I used to do that until I left some 'dry lumber' on my tablesawtop to store for the weekend. I came back to find a nice little band of rust under the wood.

I will have to go check. Most of my planes are resting on a dowel or old scrap. I guess the wood should be sealed. I think the type of wood matters also. I know oak has a chemistry that can react with iron.

jim

[george wilson]

Starrett oil is just high grade mineral oil. You can buy it at your pharmacy,if you want to get it cheaper. You can ask for Pharmaceutical grade if you wish. Raw linseed oil dries too,like boiled,just more slowly.

[Stephen Shepherd]

Warm your metal woodworking tools up and put on a thin coat of linseed oil, boiled or raw, wait 10 minutes and wipe off all the excess. The last point is the most important one.

This has been a traditional method of protecting metal objects from rust for centuries.

Also dispose of oily rags properly.

Stephen

[george wilson]

True,linseed oil mixed with asphaltum and a few other ingredients were used for protecting cannon in shore batteries in the 19th.C..

I still don't want to get a tough,gummy residue on my tools. What is the matter with using a properly engineered product like Boeshield? To save a few bucks? I don't need the headache of trying to get linseed off my tools.

You are aware that both kinds of linseed oil have long been used as finishes?

We stopped using linseed oil on the wooden tools we made for the Historic Area in Wmsbg.,because it allows mold to grow on it. We went to tung oil,but it also dries. We used it on wooden planes,etc.,not metal.

Boeshield has paraffin in it,which doesn't make a mess,or allow mold to grow(if you have a really humid shop).

[Jon van der Linden]

It seems like people are missing the point of what a drying oil is. As George says it's used in finishes. It's also used to make oil paint. Just ground pigments and linseed oil, nothing more. That's what has been used by artists for centuries. If you want to paint your tools then there are better things to use.

If you want to keep an unfinished metal in good condition, there are other things to use. There are many modern synthetics of which Boeshield is one. I use camelia oil because it's non toxic and has been used for this purpose for centuries in Japan. I've seen some threads where it's mentioned that it has cosmetic uses as well, but I know nothing about that.

[Christian Castillo]

Starrett oil is just high grade mineral oil. You can buy it at your pharmacy,if you want to get it cheaper. You can ask for Pharmaceutical grade if you wish. Raw linseed oil dries too,like boiled,just more slowly.

George, that bit of advice is going to save me a bundle over time, thanks for the tip.

[Adam Cherubini]

My advice is to keep your tools stored away in wooden boxes/tool chests in racks that limit contact to the wood. My chisels for example are stored on edge.

I think shop dust and saw dust are significant contributors to wood shop rust. Certain oil coatings attract and trap dust, which I think is the chief cause of rust as dust is hygroscopic.

Keep your tools clean, use them frequently, and store them in enclosed boxes and I think you'll be better off than slathering them with stuff. I thought a tool chest would promote rust, what with all the wood and lack of air circulation. That sounds reasonable, but its not been my experience in unheated/cooled shops near the water (Pennsbury Manor). You can also add some "do not eats" that come with your running shoes in your box to help control the internal humidity.

Adam

[Roger Benton]

I have used BLO on cold roller steel to darken and even out the color. wiped on, wiped off after 2 hours. I was incredibly skeptical when told it would work. That was six months ago and it still looks fine, no gummyness.