A 5000 year old wood finish formula that can't be messed up!

How to apply a flawless BLO and Wax wood finish in three easy steps!
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[StumpyNubs]

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[johnpatton]

As a firefighter please advise your followers that "Boiled Linseed Oil generates heat as it dries, which can cause the spontaneous combustion of materials contacted by this product. Oily rags, waste, and other oily materials contacted by Boiled Linseed Oil can cause spontaneous combustion fires if not handled properly". Place oily rags into metal containers, or layout to ventilate so heat does not build up. Thanks. John. P

[ohwingman]

My Grandfather used to use a home made concoction of boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and bees wax. You mix equal amounts of oil and turpentine and then add an equal amounts of melted beeswax in a glass jar with a lid. Cap the jar and place it in a sunny window or any other place that will keep it warm for a day. This will allow the beeswax to be totally dissolved. To apply wipe it on the wood surface, wait 15 minutes, and buff it out. Another variation is to use 50/50 carnauba wax with bees wax if you wish to and then combine it as an equal part to the turpentine linseed mixture.
Grandfather told me that the turpentine acted as a carrier to thin the bees wax so that it would penetrate into the wood fibres instead of just coating the surface of the wood.

[thedevilinthecircuit]

Gunsmiths have for many years used a boiled linseed oil finish on wood furniture on firearms. The application process could not be easier: place a few drops of oil on the sanded-smooth wood, and use 600-grit paper to rub it in. The paper generates a slurry of wood dust and oil that fills the pores and levels the surface. Multiple applications over several days creates a glass-smooth surface that is completely weatherproof. The finish looks a foot deep. And if the wood gets scratched, repeat the process over the damaged area and the repair is virtually invisible.

[yassoam]

As a novice woodworker I have been finishing my projects nearly exactly in this way, but with danish oil (which is just linseed+something else) with paste wax on top. I thought I was breaking some major rules since I hadn't seen this combo from any of the usual YouTube woodworking suspects, but I kept doing it since I was getting great results. Thanks for codifying my approach!

[renedalmeijer]

For a really smooth finish I would like to share a tip I got from a specialist paint store Duller&Co. After applying and letting it soak in, lightly hand sand with 800 grit wet & dry paper. The wet sanding removes the lifted fibres due to the oiling. Depending on how hard the wood, you can get extremely smooth finishes.

[Bogie]

I have been using this finish for 60yrs and was introduced to it by a very old gunsmith. I thin it a bit with turps and also ad oil based artist tints to give colour to what shade I want. Also I rub each coat down with 0000 steel wool that burnishes the surface. The best tint I have found that gives the most beautiful shades is burnt umber available in any arts store. The trick is to rub a spot until it gets hot and move on. This acts to polymerize the finish a bit with each application. For a truly stunning finish I apply and rub down about 8 times leaving at least 24hrs before hitting it again. What I do is called a hand rubbed oil finish and takes this simple finish to exceptional quality. Its hard work but you will only ever have to do it once. I usually top it off with paste wax too.

[damiangruszewski]

I love your chanel. Please don't stop. I'm amateur woodworker who learn so much from You. I'm really grateful for your advice.
Greetings from Poland

[higgs]

My dad taught me this finish along with a number of other traditional finishes that he'd learned as a young sailor in the 1930s. Some of them have beautifully stood the test of time.

[Pappderbarp]

I recently made my own wood finish by mixing terpentine, bees wax and boiled linseed oil in equal parts (actually a bit more wax) in a container and letting it sit for a day. It all mixes very well and I put it on for a final sheen after "soaking" the wood in boiled linseed oil once, like you showed here.

[KOutOfMyYard]

Stumpy is on fire.. you are prolific with your pontification about the craft and I love it.

[guywithpaddle]

Thinning the oil with mineral spirits for the first few coats (in decreasing amounts for each coat) can let the oil penetrate deeper. Was recommended by a professional canoe paddle maker.

[donrad]

Been doing this for over 50 years. Tung oil also works quite well. If I want deeper penetration I mix in some natural citrus based solvent that "carries" the oil deep into the wood and then evaporates. These two oils are good to use on cutting boards because they are non-toxic. Tung and Linseed oil are considered to be "drying" oils, but they don't actually dry, they polymerize when exposed to the air. All oil based paints used to be based on linseed oil before alkaloids came around, and it is still used today. Especially in artists' oil paints.
I have about 20 antique quart cans of boiled linseed oil that I picked up for free at my local county "hazardous waste recycling center" over the years. The younger generations find it in grandpa's garage and don't know what it is.
A lot of the Danish Oil Finishes like Watco are linseed oil mixed with a solvent and some stain. Anyone can make their own for a lot less cost.
Tung oil is traditionally used on marine applications (teak wood). References to tung oil turn up as early as 400 B.C. in the writings of Confucius. Chinese sailors used it to waterproof their ships' timbers, and mixed with mortar it is still used today to caulk boats.
Linseed oil that is not "boiled" will not "dry". The un-boiled Linseed Oil is used to make window glazing putty because it stays pliable for a long long time. Glazing putty needs to stretch and shrink with the temperature swings.
Boiled Linseed Oil mixed with fine crushed limestone was used by the old-timers to fill nail and knot holes in wood. It will withstand the weather well in exterior applications.

[robstevenson]

Most beginning craft woodworkers back in the 70s quickly discovered the ease of application and good looks of a boiled linseed oil finish, and almost as quickly discovered they had to protect it with paste wax. (Paste wax is a good idea over ANY finish, by the way.) Few of those woodworkers went on to discover the drawbacks of an oil finish. I was lucky. I worked as a furniture and wooden objects conservator for 18 years through the 80s and 90s, so I had a chance to learn the science behind all sorts of finishes and saw hundreds of examples of old furniture with old finishes still more or less intact. One thing stands out… when a linseed oil finish gets old enough it turns black and sticky, and there’s no way to stop it from doing so. The reason is simple. The long-chain molecules that are part of any oil break down under the influence of light and heat. The chains get shorter and shorter, and as they do so the finish gradually dims and gets less protective. Eventually the sticky parts harden as they too break down, and then you’ve got an impenetrable mess of opaque ugliness which only chemicals or abrasion will remove. Nobody who builds a few pieces for themselves or for friends will ever see this happen, of course, because it takes decades. But if their work is good enough and liked enough to survive, it will happen. The solution, of course, is to avail ourselves of all those improvements made to finish products over the decades. They’re called improvements for a reason, ya know. ;-)
By the way, after 45 years of experience, my favorite finish for my own furniture is shellac (made from shellac flakes and alcohol; don’t buy the ready-made gunk) topped with paste wax. The finish is easily maintained with a little more wax from time to time and can be renewed easily to whatever extent is required. It is not resistant to water or alcohol stains, so I don’t use it where that might happen—polyurethane is your best bet there—but for all else, shellac and wax is the best.

[Erik_The_Viking]

I used to use lacquer, poly and other finishes. When I discovered Osmo, a great oil wax finish, I've stuck with it since. Easy to apply, goes a long way, and also easy to fix any issues - just sand and reapply. Expensive but worth it.

[rickpratt]

This formula is similar to one we were required to use 30 years ago on some millwork, made of Cypress, which we were restoring on one of the Spanish Missions in San Antonio years ago. The National Park Service historian gave me the recipe, which consisted of 1 gal boiled linseed oil, 1 qt of turpentine, and 1 oz of beeswax. Melt the wax into the blended oil and turpentine, and apply 2-3 coats. My painter liked this product so much that he used it for the rest of his life (20 years), said it was better than anything on the market. Over time, he modified it slightly by increasing the turpentine to 1 gal, making it a 1-to-1 mix, and substituting paraffin for the beeswax.

[davidharris]

As a professional finisher for many years, I can tell you that boiled linseed oil sanded in with 600 grit on the 1st coat, sanded in with 1000 grit on the 2nd coat, followed by 1 or more straight linseed oil and after curing for 4 or more days, apply any good paste wax does makes a very elegant finish, If boiled linseed oil finish is used in a high humidity area like a bathroom, or in the cabin of a boat, or anywhere in Florida, the finish will mildew horrendously. Boiled linseed oil is a food source for mildew, and requires a high degree of maintenance to prevent mildew from growing. Thanks again for the great videos.

[larrygardner]

Barns are traditionally red because a hundred or more years ago, paints were not widely available. Farmers used BLO and added ferrous oxide (rust) to discourage insects and fungi, which turned the mixture red. BTW, as you probably know, despite its name, boiled linseed oil is not boiled. Keep the great info coming!

[BrianThorstad]

Perfect timing! I have a project I’m working on, and this looks to be the finishing line.

[bobstroud]

I just realized that the walnut blanket chest I made as a senior at Kent State is 50 years old! I made it for the girl who would become my wife. I used boiled linseed oil and turpentine mixed 50/50, just as Mr. Heasley taught us in Woods 2. I’m looking at it in our living room now, and it still looks beautiful! N.E.OH Bob