some advice on oil finish please

[markturner]

Hi, I am restoring an old Norris plane and have stained the wood ( beech) a nice colour, using a stain that Jimi43 sent me. After the stain dried, I applied a coat of boiled linseed oil. All was looking good, so i applied another, but this one has not dried yet after 2 days and the surface is still slightly tacky even after wiping down. It is also not a nice smooth coat, like you get from a coat that has soaked in and dried nicely.

I want to achieve a nice smooth, hardwearing finish over the stain, how should I best proceed from this point? Should I leave it longer to dry ? what about wax after to polish up? Should I sand it down at all ?

Cheers, mark

 

[Jacob]

Linseed oil doesn't "dry" - it oxidises. If put on too thick then it can skin over and never cure properly. So with your plane I'd suggest removing as much oil as you can by rubbing it all off, with a rough cloth if necessary, then leaving whats left to cure for a few weeks. Buff it up in the meantime and use the plane, it won't harm the finish though you might get slightly oily hands.
You are aiming for a surface filled with hardened linseed oil, rather than a surface varnished over.
Then give it the thinnest possible wipe over with linseed oil, every now and then.

 

[jimi43]

Hi Mark....

I usually use Tru-Oil or Button/Garnet polish on stained wood as they all dry really fast and seal the stain without wiping it out...and then after a few seal layers you can build up the finish without affecting the stained wood.

I leave linseed oil for raw wood such as raw beech and boxwood...where I want a protected natural finish.

Glad you were happy with the stain...it is far superior to premixed stuff of any base.

Jim