# Boiled Linseed Oil with finish



## Neededwill (Feb 12, 2013)

So I am new to pen turning and had a question.  After sanding can I use boiled linseed oil on my wood pen, then use EEE ultra shine followed by shellawax?

Just curious if this will make the grain pop more.


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## tim self (Feb 12, 2013)

Yes, it will make the grain pop like crazy.  Just remember to let the BLO cure before finishing.  I apply on the lathe at high speed and use a old t-shirt to "cook" it into the wood.


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## 1080Wayne (Feb 12, 2013)

With the T-shirt cit into 2 inch squares so you don`t polish the pen by wrapping your arm around it !


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## Neededwill (Feb 13, 2013)

What is the best time length to let it cure?


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## Ed McDonnell (Feb 13, 2013)

Before you use BLO to pop the grain in combination with a shellac / wax finish on a really nice pen, try it on a scrap piece of wood.  You might find you end up with a sticky mess over time (especially if the pen spends any time in the sun) as the shellac / wax wear away with use.  Even if you use just the tiniest amount.

A CA or polyurethane finish over BLO can look stunning.  These film finishes seal in the BLO.

With a shellac / wax finish, you might find tung oil or treated walnut oil as a better choice.  

Wipe some BLO on a piece of glass / metal.  Let it sit there for a couple of months.  After a couple of months, you'll likely find that it is at best a soft gel.  I keep a vat of BLO in my shop to soak thin walled woodturnings to get a translucent effect to the wood.  My 8 year old vat of BLO just gelled this year and needed to be replaced.  It takes a long time to cure, and it never really gets hard (unless mixed with something else, like poly).  I've seen woodturnings on display at craft shows exposed to the sun.  The ones heavily treated with BLO and not sealed with a film finish will leave oil stains from the BLO weeping out.

All just my opinion based on my experience.  Others with different experiences may have very different opinions.

Ed


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## Ian Thorn (Feb 15, 2013)

In my experiance useing blo I thin it with turps so that it soaks into the wood for the first coat wipe of the surpless leave to dry over night alight wipe over in the morning and again that night then its ready to polish this will give a nice deep finish and bring out the grain I know its a lot of time but worth it. Remember light coats and make sure you ALLWAYS hang polishing clothes out side to dry especly when using BLO other wise you may burn down your workshop,   .wipe on the blo with the lathe stoped or take the pieces of to coat then you can carry on turning

Ian


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