# Why Blo?



## marter1229 (Oct 1, 2010)

What is the purpose of blo in the ca/blo finish?

Terry


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## snyiper (Oct 1, 2010)

You will get a few different answers, one being it smooths out the CA. Second it acts like a accelerator for the ca. I have done pens with and with out.


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## ldb2000 (Oct 1, 2010)

To make it impossible to get a good finish :wink::biggrin:

Just kidding . The BLO acts as a lubricant and a mild accelerant


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## PenMan1 (Oct 1, 2010)

I don't know why I use it. They gave me a free bottle of blo when I bought my yellow socks on a Wednesday.  ....Let the games begin


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## dl351 (Oct 1, 2010)

The biggest benefit that I've noticed is that it helps to keep the paper towel from sticking to the pen.  That's pretty much all for me.


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## marter1229 (Oct 1, 2010)

Where did you get the socks?


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## RussFairfield (Oct 1, 2010)

I think using the BLO depends on your thoughts on finishing and how you learned to put on a CA finish. Some use the BLO because that is how they did it the 1st time and they got good results. Others don't use it because that is how they did it the first time. 

Then there are guys like me, who find that some wood finishes better with the CA/BLO, there is some wood that finishes better with CA by itself, and who still like the BLO all by itself on some tropical hardwoods. .


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## PenMan1 (Oct 1, 2010)

marter1229 said:


> Where did you get the socks?


 
Terry: 
I'm just goofing with ya. We have had about a million discussions on here about how to get the perfect BLO/CA finish. We complied everyone's answers and it came out as :

The only way to get a perfect BLO/CA finish was on Wednesday afternoons while wearing plaid shorts, yellow socks, using only BOUNTY SELECT-A-SIZE paper towels to apply and chanting OH WA TA GO SIAM while jumping on alternating feet.

So..to answer your question...The CA Fairy left the yellow socks and BLO under my pillow on a wednesday night:biggrin:

In reality, Russ Fairfield's answer above is likely the most accurate answer you will get here. I think we have all agreed to disagree on how to use BLA/CA.


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## its_virgil (Oct 1, 2010)

This question has been asked several time on this forum and also on the Yahoo! Penturners group. The following answer has been posted by a chemist from the Netherlands with a phd. Henk has posted this same answer several times when the question has been asked.

Question from the Yahoo group: Does anyone understand how Boiled Linseed Oil and CA glue react to make such a
nice finish? When I use CA alone, it's extremely difficult to achieve a
consistent finish, but when you add BLO, it is very easy to get a nice finish.

_Answer from Dr. Henk Verhaar:  The CA acts as a crosslinker for the BLO - you basically get an
accellerated linseed oil resin matrix with added durability and water
resistance.

(Normally, oxygen generates radicals in the oil which then act as crosslinkers -a much slower reaction, and resulting in a resin with other properties than a CA-crosslinked BLO resin).
Dr. Henk J.M. Verhaar_ 

I'm not real sure what this means except I love the finish I get using the combination of boiled linseed oil and CA. I also agree with Russ that some woods finish better with just CA.  My thoughts are that I don't really need to know how the two work together to produce such a nice finish. They work together to produce an excellent finish whether I know how or why it works or not.

Do a good turn daily!
Don





marter1229 said:


> What is the purpose of blo in the ca/blo finish?
> 
> Terry


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## kinggabby (Oct 1, 2010)

PenMan1 said:


> I don't know why I use it. They gave me a free bottle of blo when I bought my yellow socks on a Wednesday.  ....Let the games begin



Ahhhh yellow socks.... that might be my problem ... I got green socks... well I should say my socks turned green ( wife says I should wash them back to their original color ) OK got it yellow socks good finish green socks so so finish.


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## ThomJ (Oct 2, 2010)

kinggabby said:


> PenMan1 said:
> 
> 
> > I don't know why I use it. They gave me a free bottle of blo when I bought my yellow socks on a Wednesday. ....Let the games begin
> ...


 

Am I sensing an Al Bundy rival here?


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## LarryDNJR (Oct 2, 2010)

ThomJ said:


> kinggabby said:
> 
> 
> > PenMan1 said:
> ...



"Let's Rock!"


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## J.L.DAVIS (Oct 16, 2010)

So where do you get BLO? Sorry if I missed it in other posts


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## leestoresund (Oct 16, 2010)

Lowes, Home Depot.
I only use it with sandpaper and CA when I want to fill the pores in an open grained wood.


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## moke (Oct 16, 2010)

I stopped using BLO about 6 months ago, and I have recently noticed that my CA finish will get some small white "dings" on my daily carrier.  Is this because I have stopped using BLO?  BLO adds durablilty?  Sorry, I noticed this post only today, don't know how it got past me.....
Moke


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## Mac (Oct 16, 2010)

I thought that ,when you apply the CA then you BLO it???


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## Dudley Young (Oct 17, 2010)

I always have yellow socks, I have incontinence.


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## ldb2000 (Oct 17, 2010)

TMI!!!! Dudley TMI!!! :wink::biggrin:


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## dalemcginnis (Oct 17, 2010)

dl351 said:


> The biggest benefit that I've noticed is that it helps to keep the paper towel from sticking to the pen.  That's pretty much all for me.




That's why I use it.


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## dankc908 (Oct 18, 2010)

RussFairfield said:


> Then there are guys like me, who find that some wood finishes better with the CA/BLO, there is some wood that finishes better with CA by itself, and who still like the BLO all by itself on some tropical hardwoods. .



Russ - I would be interested in which woods you find better with and/or without the CA (as well as the BLO only).  The main reason that I am staying with the BLO, when I do a CA finish, is that it seems to 'pop' the grain which I do like!

Dan


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## Smitty37 (Oct 18, 2010)

*ugh*



PenMan1 said:


> I don't know why I use it. They gave me a free bottle of blo when I bought my yellow socks on a Wednesday. ....Let the games begin


  Yellow Socks?????egad, keep your pants pulled way down and buy them with inseams two inches two long....else someone see you wearing them.


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## Rick_G (Oct 18, 2010)

Had to wear yellow socks as part of radiation clothing when I worked in the nuclear power plants.  Didn't stop any radiation but they sure didn't lose many pairs to theft.:biggrin:

I use BLO when I want to pop the grain on some woods but that's about it any more.


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## kludge77 (Oct 18, 2010)

I never used BLO with my CA,  I freely use accelerator, and even use cheap paper towels. I didn't know any better and just got lucky.

I think once you find your CA technique you're golden. It's like a golf swing...


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## bradh (Oct 18, 2010)

dankc908 said:


> RussFairfield said:
> 
> 
> > Then there are guys like me, who find that some wood finishes better with the CA/BLO, there is some wood that finishes better with CA by itself, and who still like the BLO all by itself on some tropical hardwoods. .
> ...



Russ discusses this BLO-to-pop-the-grain concept, and gives an in-depth discussion on Pen finishes on his web-site:
http://www.woodturnerruss.com/PenPages-FinishingPens-CAglue.html
   I strongly recommend all pen turners read Russ's articles on sanding and finishing! 
   I get a better quality, true colour, pop-the-grain effect with Russ's method of MM and CA described at the bottom of the web page.
   I only use BLO on days when the yellow socks are not working and my CA finish does not want to work. The CA/BLO method is more forgiving, but I believe a better finish is possible without BLO.
   Spring and fall are difficult times for CA finishes, the humidity in the shop is changing and that can throw off your finishing methods. BLO can help on those days.


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