Raw Linseed Oil & Wax Finish

The perfect finish for the furniture you build with your vintage tools. The finish gives your pieces a new, old world look. It is the antidote to those eschewing dangerous lacquers and modern petroleum finishes.

Raw linseed oil is a rarely used finish in the modern day. The finishing industry changed immensely after World War II. The petroleum industry got its hands into woodworking, and the finishes of old quickly disappeared for plastic, resinous alkyds. While many modern woodworkers will encase their projects in a plastic coffin or oils filled with chemical dryers, many of the ingredients used in the "olden days" are still perfect for finishing.

Boiled linseed oil is a favorite among modern woodworkers. But most BLO is filled with toxic driers. In the Rennaissance, when it first began seeing use, BLO was filled with led. Today, cobalt is often the preferred metal. Whatever the heavy metal, the effect is the same. BLO dries fast and hard. It is a undeniably good finish, but it does have its drawbacks. Most notably, BLO adds a tinge of unwanted color to your project.

Raw linseed, on the other hand, has no dryers added. Its drawback is its long drying time. But for the heirloom furniture maker who has a bit of time to kill, it makes the perfect finish. RLO is less impenetrable than BLO. It allows the wood to breathe. It is easily reapplied over time if the wood begins to show signs of dryness. And, as far is this formulation is concerned, the wax adds a small amount of waterproofing.

Old paints were made of RLO because of its qualities for letting wood breathe. This feature has the strange effect of letting wet wood dry completely, and disallowing the trapping of water within the wood itself. The best feature of RLO is that it does not alter the color of the wood as much as BLO. While BLO often darkens wood a significant amount, RLO is a bit more like blonde shellac insofar as it merely makes the wood look wet and gives it a soft amber hue that mostly reflects the natural color of the wood itself.

For the classic furniture maker making, what they hope to be, heirloom furniture that lasts hundreds of years, there is no better finish. And its single application makes it one of the simplest finishes to apply.

Instructions for applying:

1. Sand the wood using between 180 and 220 grit sandpaper.

2. Apply the finish on the wood by rubbing it all over with glove-covered hands. (I use my bare hands, but they are sticky after I apply the finish).

3. Let the finish sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Wipe the finish off completely using a rag. Leave no residue.

5. Show your wife.

Ingredients:

• Raw Linseed Oil
• Beeswax
• D-Limonene (orange oil)