UKC

Anyone here used linseed oil for treating tool handles etc?

How many coats should I use, and how long does it take to dry?

I have the raw stuff rather than boiled, which may be a mistake.

In reply to davidbeynon:

used it for knife handles i think the the raw stuff will not penetrate the wood very well.
i would give quite a few coats and then polish but it all depends how you want it to come out in the end.
I was going for super smooth shining finnish.

In reply to Mikkel:

How long did you give it to soak in between coats?

I'm keen to get the shiniest & smoothest finish I can, but don't have as much time as I would like. Ideally I would like another year

In reply to davidbeynon:

Shiniest and smoothest finish? leaving aside sprayed polyurethane, which will require professional gear, french polish is your answer-not massively hard wearing but easily restored.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Depended on how impatient i was.
the key to smooth and shiny surface is to sand down with really fine sandpaper between coats not so much how many coats you apply.

In reply to davidbeynon:

I use it for hammer handles and it dries pretty quickly. I'm always careful about not leaving the rag I used to dry out in the garage because of the warning on the label.

In reply to Removed Userena sharples:

I considered polyurethane. It looks shiny enough, but the feel is important as well. I suppose I really mean as shiny as possible without compromising that.

I will upload a pic of the project when I get home.

Dave

In reply to Mikkel:

How fine is "really fine"? Best I have at home is some 1200.

In reply to davidbeynon:

I used it on my kitchen worktops. Has to be boiled though, raw takes forever to dry.
Dilute the first coat 50/50 with white spirit so it soaks in better. Wipe off any excess before it dries - otherwise it forms a surface layer that stops subsequent coats soaking in. Leave a day between coats, assuming a warm, dry, well ventilated area. I didn't go finer than 240 grit on my worktops.
Take heed of the warnings about disposing of the rags!

In reply to davidbeynon:
This is how it looks after the first coat:

http://www.spectral3d.co.uk/misc/axe_bathroom_1.jpg
http://www.spectral3d.co.uk/misc/axe_bathroom_2.jpg

Really bad picture i'm afraid. I need to throw a light tent together and do it properly.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Do people still oil cricket bats? I remember spending ages oiling and knocking in (no euphemism) my old cricket bat. I still have the bat upstairs.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Dunno. My hand eye coordination was never good enough for cricket, so I never owned one.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Linseed oil will age, darken and aquire a shiny lustre over time and with use... More coats will help, but it won't aquire the same glossy sheen as a varnish, or French polish.

If you're looking for good drying times and 'build' then Double Boiled Linseed oil is better; normally boiled linseed oil is just raw linseed with a transition metal catalyst to speed up polymerisation these days, Double Boiled usually refers to the traditional heat treated oil which is already oligomerised (part polymerised) with better characteristics in terms of durability and coat formation.

Linseed Based Varnish is great stuff too, easy to make too, melt rosin and a little beeswax in a bowl over boiling water, then add linseed oil of approx the same weight as the rosin, stir until the rosin is fully dissolved in the oil, cool and thin to desired consistency with turpentine, extremely durable and takes a fantastic gloss when polished.