« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: Linseed oil on a bow?  (Read 10193 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline amberb_57

  • Member
  • Posts: 14
Linseed oil on a bow?
« on: October 03, 2010, 05:44:44 pm »
I was wondering what bow builders think of finishing a bow with linseed oil instead of a more modern finish.  Also, will it work on a linen backing?  I'm building my second bow right now, just oak from a board from the lumber store, it's 72 inches long right now, I'm going for a medieval type long bow.  Anyway, I just put a linen backing on the first bow with titebond 3, also oak from a board, and I'd like to finish it with linseed oil if that will work.  I'm also planning on using it on the bow I'm roughing out right now.
  Thanks for any information!
Amber
Logged

Offline DustinDees

  • Member
  • Posts: 192
  • the kingdom of bahrain, deployed
Re: Linseed oil on a bow?
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2010, 06:27:22 pm »
I have finished bows with boiled linseed oil. It makes a great look but doesn't provide much for humidity resistance(so I've been told). In short the finish is entirely up to you weather it be linseed, bees wax, or tru-oil or one of tons of commercial finishes. My personal preferance is for tru-oil after hearing the suggestion from many on the board once you try it you'll be hooked. Hope this helps.

Reguards
Dustin D
« Last Edit: October 03, 2010, 07:05:00 pm by DustinDees »
Logged
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's Relativit

Offline El Destructo

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,078
  • Longhaired Crippled Hippie Biker And Proud Of It!!
    • Desert Sportz Primitive Archery
Re: Linseed oil on a bow?
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2010, 06:40:12 pm »
Amber...I have used Linseed Oil over the Years...and have always liked the Finish I got from it...If you seal it three or four times with it...then do it again once or twice a year for the life of the Bow....it will give you a very servicable finish....JMO
Logged
As a species we're fundamentally insane. Put more than two of us in a room, we pick sides and start dreaming up ways to kill one another.Why do you think we invented politics and religion.
Think HEALTHCARE Is Expensive Now,Wait Till It's FREE
Do Or Do Not,There Is No TRY
2024...We Will Overcome

Offline adb

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,339
Re: Linseed oil on a bow?
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2010, 12:51:42 am »
Sure, Linseed oil makes a fine finish.
Logged

Offline CraigMBeckett

  • Member
  • Posts: 398
Re: Linseed oil on a bow?
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2010, 04:45:11 am »
Amber,

I generally use linseed oil, applied in the way an old cabinetmaker advised, one coat an hour for a day followed by one coat a week for a month etc. I rarely get past the one coat per week :) I then finish with a beeswax/pure gum turpentine mixture, (produces a nice paste) which is rubbed on, allowed to dray and then polished. Produces a beautiful finish that is readily maintained.

Craig.
Logged

Offline jimmy

  • Member
  • Posts: 185
Re: Linseed oil on a bow?
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2010, 04:10:11 pm »
i finish my bows with linseed oil. i very frequently apply it and then wipe off the excess. i accidently left my bow outside all night in a rain storm. no negative effects. granted, it was osage and very saturated with oil from a few years of applications, but i like linseed oil a lot.
Logged

Offline PeteC

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,014
Re: Linseed oil on a bow?
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2010, 09:55:26 pm »
Use Boiled linseed oil.It will dry a lot quicker than the un-boiled kind. It makes for a great finish,and, as all finishes with linseed oil,the wood will darken more than with other finishes. I like it though.Even Tru-oil has linseed in it. God Bless
Logged
What you believe determines how you behave., Pete Clayton, Whitehouse ,Texas

Offline amberb_57

  • Member
  • Posts: 14
Re: Linseed oil on a bow?
« Reply #7 on: October 07, 2010, 12:34:27 am »
Thanks a lot for the information!
Logged
Pages: [1]
« previous next »