Ever saw linseed oil with another oil as an old recipe?

[Ttrees]

Hi folks
I have this special blend of oil for tools, and I have some concerns about using it.
It definitely has linseed oil in the mix, I'd say its from some rare book. :roll:
It is no good for me for honing as its too thick and will carry grit easily to the finishing stone.
It does however possess some qualities which would be good for coating tools that will not be used for some time.

I have a rag in a pot but am nervous about the linseed oil combustion.
I suppose a handful of shavings will suffice.
I have a big bottle of the stuff and don't know what to do with it, any thoughts?

Tom

 

[AndyT]

Hi folks
I have this special blend of oil for tools, and I have some concerns about using it.
It definitely has linseed oil in the mix, I'd say its from some rare book. :roll:
It is no good for me for honing as its too thick and will carry grit easily to the finishing stone.
It does however possess some qualities which would be good for coating tools that will not be used for some time.

I have a rag in a pot but am nervous about the linseed oil combustion.
I suppose a handful of shavings will suffice.
I have a big bottle of the stuff and don't know what to do with it, any thoughts?

Tom

I don't quite see the problem. If you don't have any tools that you want to preserve against rust by coating them with it, and you are nervous about how hazardous it is, are you asking for a safe way to dispose of it? If so, I suggest taking it to your local civic amenity site, in its bottle. I have disposed of old anti-freeze and paint this way - they seemed quite relaxed about what was actually in the bottles I left there.

 

[Ttrees]

I guess I will use it up eventually for the odd thing, say in about 10 years for things in the workshop
or I could coat the wheelbarrow every so often to use it up.
It might be more useful for green woodworkers I suppose.
I was just wondering if anyone has seen the reference to the addition of linseed oil in blends of workshop oil before.

Restically ones asking for possible trouble to use it with cotton?
Taking a potshot guess the linseed would be left on the rag and the oil would migrate.

Any applications where one might want a thick oil for a cabinet shop would be appreciated.
Suppose its more of a general woodworking thread, but thought these old recipes might be familiar with the hand toolers.

Thanks
Tom

 

[Bod]

Might be mixed with Neatsfoot oil. That's fairly thick, especially in colder weather.

Bod

 

[Trevanion]

Are you sure it's a mix? I don't see why you'd ever want to mix two different oils together, to be honest.

I put a dash of BLO on my wooden tool handles (woodwork and others) every so often, perhaps once a year. I've had a rag get hot once but not gone up in flames, I think it's down to the driers, solvents, and additives added to the mixture that makes it combustible. As far as I know, regular raw linseed oil isn't combustible at all due to the lack of the additional chemicals.

You could always add a bit of pure turpentine to the mix if you wanted a lighter (and consequently more) oil.

 

[Rich C]

As far as I know, regular raw linseed oil isn't combustible at all due to the lack of the additional chemicals.

Raw (and boiled) linseed oil are both exothermic when drying meaning they can burst into flames. Additives are not required (though they may exacerbate things).

 

[Ttrees]

Thanks for the replies.
It is definitely linseed oil I can smell mixed with some other thin oil.
I probably should have explained sold as a honing oil, so is still quite thin compared to something
that could semi solidify.
So I should really have called it a slightly tacky thin oil.
No clue what other oil is used for the mix.
Seems good for wiping a plane down that you don't plan on using for a few months.
I seem to get grit coming from the soft ark to a diamond hone.
It will clog the diamond stone also, so I don't like it.

Tom

 

[Jacob]

Brilliant on tools, both metal and wood. Just splash it on and it stops rust, leaving a thin permanent film.
Good as a finish on wood - will eventually polish up to make a very durable surface.
No good for honing - it sets and clogs up the stone.
Widely used - most common component in all sorts of combinations with other stuff, for varnishes, paints etc.
Slight fire hazard with oily cloth - it heats slowly as it sets and rarely, in very particular circumstances, can get hot enough to smoulder and burn.
Needs plenty of air so no risk at all if contained; keep oily rags in a jar with the lid on.
Boiled linseed oil is said to be worse than raw, as it has additives to speed up drying which raises heat faster.
There are various youtube demos showing this and showing how to stay safe (keep wet oily rags in a closed container.)
PS any non setting oil or other fluid will do for honing. I use 3in1 oil, thinned a bit with white spirit.

 

[D_W]

I'd save it for tools. Linseed oil by itself can allow formation of mold on tools. I use it extensively, but always add paste wax as a final step on a tool to avoid picking up a moldy plane down the road.

For honing, sperm oil was popular until mineral oils were in expensive. Mineral oils dominate, obviously, as do some other thinner non-drying oils. Is it a problem if LO clogs a stone these days? not really if the stone doesn't absorb much, but there's no good reason to use an oxidizing oil on a stone unless you're clogging it on purpose (I have seen strop top washitas clogged to a glaze and then used for razors - the product of the exercise looks VERY deliberate).

As far as the reason for various things, it's hard to tell without finding the target. There's a PHD chemist and pharmacist on another forum that i frequent and older recipes will come up from time to time. He does a pretty good job of separating vintage recipe ingredients that are useful vs. those that may have been added in hope, but are detrimental or don't contribute.

All that said, I'd put it on a plane, no problem.

For years, I have laid linseed oil rags flat all over the place and never had even noticeable warmth from any of them. Linseed oil is my preference for planes (before the wax), and every time I have heard a story of a fire and asked for more depth, it's involved rags bunched up, in layers and/or contained in something that would allow heat to build without free airflow. It is one of those things that's a known risk, and without carelessness, it doesn't have the mystical powers of criticality that some like to give it.

 

[Jacob]

........
For years, I have laid linseed oil rags flat all over the place and never had even noticeable warmth from any of them. Linseed oil is my preference for planes (before the wax), and every time I have heard a story of a fire and asked for more depth, it's involved rags bunched up, in layers and/or contained in something that would allow heat to build without free airflow. It is one of those things that's a known risk, and without carelessness, it doesn't have the mystical powers of criticality that some like to give it.

Same here - never happened to me. It can happen though but a lot of the vids are possibly set up, otherwise you could be sitting there for hours waiting for it to happen.

 

[ED65]

Ttrees, one thing that isn't clear is whether this is a commercial product or some workshop concoction. If it is the former maybe you've located a rare surviving bottle of the stuff responsible for clogging up so many old stones!

I was just wondering if anyone has seen the reference to the addition of linseed oil in blends of workshop oil before.

Not that I recall but there are many oddball recipes in 'receipt' books, and commercial oils could be virtually anything – shades of snake oil, patent medicines etc. Again this comes back to the identity of the oil, what makes you think it is a workshop oil, is there a label?

Are you sure it's a mix? I don't see why you'd ever want to mix two different oils together, to be honest.

Could have been just to vary the viscosity, although linseed being one of the oils does seem a bit odd. But mixtures of oils for a specific viscosity are definitely a thing; technically a mix of any oil with white spirit is a mixture of oils.

In finishing it's not unheard of to mix something with more than one oil, although with natural oils the actual value of doing so is very questionable.

 

[Ttrees]

Thanks for your replies folks.
It is sold as a honing oil from an old school tool seller in southern Ireland.
I'd say you know of the guy if you went on any local advert websites.
He has recently started selling a new type of organic esterified vegetable oil which I haven't tried.
I'm not sure its linseed oil in the bottle I have, but my nose thinks it is.
Maybe there's something else that smells the same as linseed oil, but I doubt it.

I mentioned it was too thick, but haven't used it enough to know if it would clog an oil stone.
I just find it clings to the steel and clogs the diamond finisher I have.

Tom

 

[ED65]

It is sold as a honing oil from an old school tool seller in southern Ireland.
I'd say you know of the guy if you went on any local advert websites.

Aha. And yes.

Maybe there's something else that smells the same as linseed oil, but I doubt it.

The compounds in linseed oil that account for its smell – once it has aged, fresh linseed/flax oil is virtually odourless – are shared by other seed/nut oils, in differing proportions. Rancid (i.e. oxidised) walnut oil can smell a bit like linseed for example, enough that it might be mistaken for it if you weren't doing a direct comparison.

I mentioned it was too thick, but haven't used it enough to know if it would clog an oil stone.

Willing to be proved wrong but I am virtually certain that it will!

Edit: easy way to find out. Put a drop of it on bare cast iron or steel and leave it there. No matter how long it takes, if it gets sticky or dries to a gummy solid you have your answer. You can do the same test on glass or glazed ceramic but it works faster on cast iron or steel as iron has a weak drying, or siccative, action.