Flaxseed Oil versus Linseed Oil?

[Cicatriz]

I'm not sure why a thread asking about Flax oil vs Linseed oil got derailed into an advertisement for canola oil...


My experience and study of raw Flax oil, Heated Flax(polymerized linseed) and processed Boiled Linseed.

Raw Flax seed oil- Will stay oily quite a while, not be drawn into wood as well. May go rancid smelling in warm humid environments. Takes many thin coats over a couple weeks. Protects well.

Polymerized Linseed(Heated to 572f etc)- Penetrates wood really well. Won't get rancid. Dries fairly quickly. Takes a few thin coats over a couple days. Protects well.

Boiled Linseed- Penetrates wood well. Won't get rancid. Dries quickly. Takes a couple thin coats over a few hours. Will glob, gel and get gummy if applied too thickly or too quick between coats. protects well.

For things that may touch food I use- Walnut oil. Tung oil.


Here's a good breakdown from another source- Vermont Wood Studios

 

[transmaster]

Pure tung oil is a great food safe oil for wood also. It needs a little time (a day or so) to fully dry but it protects the wood well. I use it to finish walnut spoons and bowls I make for use in the kitchen.

Pure tung oil is pure. Don't buy any tung oil "finishes"

You can get the real deal were I do.

https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/

 

[elevator man]

I usually keep a quart of it in a quart mason jar. My wood piece is dried out, then I submerge it for a few hours to let the wood soak it up, pull it out and let it dry and polymerize. It's my favorite finish on most woods. I use it on non food items alot also just because its easier for me to just keep one finish

 

[Old Axeman]

A trick for keeping any pure wood finishing oil (linseed, tung, walnut, etc.) from drying out in the container is to eliminate as much of the air space as you can in the container before you reseal it after use. I buy large amounts of cheap marbles on the internet, put them in the oil container to eliminate the air space before resealing the container. I just keep adding more marbles after each use. The marbles are reusable after you empty the container.

 

[elevator man]

Very good idea!

 

[Grizzly3]

Now to order some marbles.

I've been using Corey's Tung Oil. It's about 40% tung oil, then food grade citrus oil for drying and some Brazilian Gum rosin. I've been using it on knife handles and now all the garden tools. The nice thing about it is you don't stink up the house if you want to work indoors. The citrus smell is pretty pleasant.

https://www.coreys.us/product-page/amazing-tung-oil-polymerized

 

[cudgee]

Rapeseed/Canola is fine for using on woods or on ironware but you wouldn't catch me cooking with any of that stuff, it has an unpleasant taste together with toxic possibilities.

With you there brother, i won't even have it in the house anymore. When heated is toxic, research has now shown this. Sorry for hijacking the thread. My dear old dad just used old fashioned linseed oil on everything, but everyone did back in those days.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Kind of tired about the hullabaloo over canola oil, but this was all brought up only due to false remarks about its safety. Any oil heated above its smoke point is inadvisable for you to consume, and the "when heated is toxic, research has now shown this" appears to be referencing the fact that lineolic acid will break down into HNE when kept at high heat for extended periods, which is bad for your heart and can exacerbate neurological conditions. But canola oil has less lineolic acid content than a whole host of other common vegetable oils, though a little over twice as much as olive oil. However, olive oil has a low smoke point and isn't very suitable for high-heat cooking applications as a result. Please feel free to send any actual research articles actually showing that it's notably more dangerous than other common cooking oils via direct message so we can avoid dragging it back out in this thread.

Back on topic, testing has found that unless you're using a vacuum chamber, drying oils (including raw linseed oil) don't actually penetrate very deep in the wood, even with prolonged soaking, largely due to the viscosity of it. You really don't need more than a simple top coat of the stuff with periodic reapplications to replenish any spots where it's been removed by wear. Its main job is to simply act as a sealant for the wood to keep it dimensionally stable and resistant to water damage and rot.

 

[flexo]

no camellia for me, thanks... linseed oil that I boil myself, because that's what's easiest for me to find, nothing more, but it works!

 

[transmaster]

no camellia for me, thanks... linseed oil that I boil myself, because that's what's easiest for me to find, nothing more, but it works!

I completely understand the only reason I have a supply is because it is used on Japanese Magnolia Cutting boards. Magnolia wood is very easy on super hard Japanese edge steel. You ONLY!!!! use Japanese Magnolia boards with vegetables, Camellia oil is what is used in Japan to maintain them. I get Tung Oil Half & Half from Milkpaint.