Trying boiled linseed oil finish

[JW_Halverson]

I finished out a hackberry bendy handle Eastern Woodland-inspired bow just the other day. I laid on some walnut stain and gave her 24 hours for the stain to dry. I have been using shellac almost exclusively for a while now because it is such a nice finish, can be laid up quick, and will reduce to a matte finish with a few strokes of some very fine steel wool.

But this bow is gonna look a little more rustic, so I am going with an oil. And that's where the collective hive-mind comes into play. For those of you that use BLO, what are your tips and tricks?

[Pat B]

John, on my earlier bows I would wipe down the finished bow with turpentine to remove the dust and to penetrate a little into the wood. Then I would hand rub with boiled linseed oil into the wood. I'd hand rub it to produce heat from the friction to help it penetrate the wood. I'd them give it a few days to dry. I don't think it's enough protection here in the east but the drier west it might be different.
 I know Jay Massey used French polish in his earlier days, even hunting in wet Alaska. French polish is linseed oil and shellac, hand rubbed into the bow wood.
 Maybe adding a little bees wax to the linseed oil would give a little more protection.

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I use it in some things like my walking stick or some tools I use enough  to think to apply a coat every now and then. I slather it on heavy to start with, let it soak for a few minutes before I wipe off t he excess and rub the snot out of it. If your hand isn’t wanting to blister your rubbing enough. Repeat a coat every day or two for the next couple weeks. Once this fully cures it’s actually a pretty good finish. I used just BLO on my black cherry walking stick last summer and put a coat on periodically and t looks good. Even after a heavy rain you can’t even tell it’s been wet. It just takes several coats and time to let y he oil polymerize to get a solid finish.

Kyle

[Hamish]

 "French polish is linseed oil and shellac, hand rubbed into the bow wood."
True, but to avoid confusion for those that haven't done it, the oil is used as a lubricant on the pad, to help application rather than as a necessary part of the mixture. I personally don't bother with oil when french polishing. I knock down any runs, or spot build up between coats by wiping with alcohol, and or steel wool between coats.

Boiled linseed oil as a finish is OK, but it still takes longer to dry than other finishing oils which have more driers, like tung, or Danish oil. Quicker drying allows a quicker build up of layers, for a rich finish.

[Pappy]

I use it quite often on knife and ax handles, horns or bone projects, it's a good finish but like has been said , don't get in a hurry, it helps if you will put it in the sun as it dries, I wipe on another coat every day or 2 for a week or more, then maybe once a year wipe it down with a coat. 
 Pappy

[GlisGlis]

I like to give the first hand with 2/3 blo and 1/3 turpentine ( i've read someone also add a little vinaigre for long term mold protection)
It help to absorb the oil into the wood
As hamish told you it is not very fast to dry and if you use too much without wiping off the excess it will form unpleasant sticky pellets

[Pat B]

An old adage for oil finishes is...once a day for a week then once a week for a month then once a month for a year and finally once a year there after. This is probably for woodworking in general and not necessarily for bow building.

[upthecreek]

Been using boiled linseed oil cut with turpentine for refinishing gun stock,finishing bows, and treating hoe, rake ,shovel handle and on and on. Mix 1:1 and keep some in a sealed ball jar. Get a mark on a stock or bow just rub a little of the mix on the spot. Quick repair and returns to nice satin finish. the repaired spot does not show. when applying finish to a new project i apply with a small high quality brush. Leave it rest 30 minutes then wipe the excess off with paper towel. The next day so the same. Put on as many costs as you want. I use three coats.

[Pat B]

It seems the best way to apply an oil finish is like upthecreek said, let it sit 30 minutes and wipe off the excess. This is like the wipe down with 0000 steel wool on Tru-Oil,knocking down the high spots and filling in the low spots with each coat and wipe down.

[Marc St Louis]

Linseed oil is not a very effective moisture barrier.  If you were to apply some wax over top of that it would seal the bow better

I have a finish I rarely use, mostly because it takes a long time to dry.  It's oil and pine resin, I don't know what type of oil it is.  It does produce a nice looking finish though.

[JW_Halverson]

Linseed oil is not a very effective moisture barrier.  If you were to apply some wax over top of that it would seal the bow better

I have a finish I rarely use, mostly because it takes a long time to dry.  It's oil and pine resin, I don't know what type of oil it is.  It does produce a nice looking finish though.

In this dry climate, I am not too worried about a moisture barrier.

I cut my BLO to two parts oil and one part turpentine. The first I rubbed on with a lint-free cotton cloth just seemed to soak in and disappear. 8 hours later I did another coat and it disappeared, though not quite as quickly. I put the third coat in after 24 hours and it needed a bit more rubbing, but dried quickly, too. I'll do that once a day routine for a while and try leaving it in the sun and wind whenever possible.

Thanks everyone!

[Dances with squirrels]

I like to rub boiled linseed oil into a Yew bow, it adds richness of color and slightly darkens it, but then I spray it with a catalyzed finish after the blo is dry.

Fyi, boiled linseed oil is a decent moisture barrier for steel too. I use it on anvils and raw steel things I forge to keep them from rusting.

[hoosierf]

Linseed oil is not a very effective moisture barrier.  If you were to apply some wax over top of that it would seal the bow better

Completely agree, BLO until the wood barely takes any. For me several coats for several days.  Then Johnson’s paste wax two or three coats. Hand rub with a soft towel to generate some heat and final polish with a piece of paper bag.  Been doing gunstocks that way for 30 years.  Very durable and impervious to water. 

[bassman211]

I am French polishing bows lately with just shellac. Thin coat , and bone it in till it is hot. I use rubber gloves to apply ,and bone. Next coat do the same. You can finish a bow in a little over an hour. Then I cover with wax. Makes a shiny beautiful finish. I also use a concoction of turpentine, bee's wax, and linseed oil. Heat the limbs first. Then wipe on wax, and keep adding the wax till the wood stops sucking it in. Works ,but not a pretty finish. I also use min poly finish, and I have also used Birch Wood Casey. Shellac ,and linseed oil does make a beautiful French Polish finish also. I use it also when I am not in a hurry to finish a bow.

[organic_archer]

I haven’t had good luck with BLO. Stays wet for a very long time. Tung oil (with mineral hardener) and Danish oil give a better finish in my opinion. 6 coats or so of either builds deep lustrous finish. A 50/50 fat and beeswax combo over the top dulls the shine and makes it ultra-waterproof.