Good BLO alternative?

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PatrickKnight

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Jan 24, 2012
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I was wondering if there is a good blo alternative that doesn't have the chance to spontaneously combust? I like blo but with currently living in an apt I don't really have a place to store it.
 
It's not the container you have to worry about as long as you store it in a cool dark place it's the rags that can combust.
 
And then only under certain conditions. But it's something that you need to be mindful of because it would just take one time for it to cause a big problem! If you have a metal tin of some kind you could put your rags in that.
 
or do like me an apply it by hand using latex or nitril disposable gloves, these will not combust when disposed off.
 
Agreed...it's not the container, it's wet balled-up rags. I lay mine out on the concrete floor overnight to dry once I am done with them, and I use the smallest piece possible for the job, so I don't waste a ton of BLO into the rag and not onto the wood. Once the oil is dry on the rags you can throw them away normally. I would think if you got a cheap tin turkey pan you could lay a rag or two in there flat to dry without much issue.
 
PatrickKnight said:
I was wondering if there is a good blo alternative that doesn't have the chance to spontaneously combust? I like blo but with currently living in an apt I don't really have a place to store it.
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Linseed oil dries through a process of oxidation, similar to rust. Linseed oil contains linolenic acid which reacts with oxygen and oxidizes. (that is very oversimplified) A small amount of heat is generated during that oxidation process. It is referred to as a low-temperature oxidation. That said, when you fill up a trash can full of rags containing BLO, a much larger amount of heat can be generated as one low temp oxidation process can be a catalyst for a second, and so on.

If you leave BLO exposed to the air it will have an unlimited supply of oxygen and therefore will eventually oxidize. If however, you close the lid of a can/container of BLO, there will be a limited source of oxygen and therefore only a limited amount of BLO will ever be able to oxidize. Though it is never really a great idea to keep chemicals in your home, if properly stored, a small amount of BLO is perfectly safe to store anywhere and will never spontaneously ignite.

Industrial (the kind we buy in the hardware store) BLO has various chemicals and additives to facilitate everything from homogenization, color consistency and quicker dry times. Food grade linseed oil (flax seed oil) is used in many parts of the world as a dressing or as nutritional supplements. Usually antioxidants are added to flax seed oil and it must be sealed and refrigerated, but it is kept in many kitchens, refrigerators, etc. very similar to olive oil or the like.

As others have said, it is discarded oily rags that are the risk, not the properly sealed and stored container (cool, dark place). I usually wear nitrile gloves and use a cheap paint brush (chip brush) to apply BLO and clean up with shop towels (thicker paper towels) rather than waste piles of rags. HTH.
 
1215 said:
I usually wear nitrile gloves and use a cheap paint brush (chip brush) to apply BLO and clean up with shop towels (thicker paper towels) rather than waste piles of rags. HTH.
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Same here. Shop towels or paper towels are then spread out on the concrete to dry. These won't combust.

If you're working in an apartment and don't have a balcony or any outdoor area then you're in a tough spot. Just the odor will be intrusive even without worrying about caring for the rags. Is there a parking garage where you could work and lay out your BLO soaked materials? Or perhaps you could work in a bathroom with the bathroom fan on and leave the rags on the shower floor to dry. Spread the rags out on a baking sheet or on aluminum foil or something.

If you must work totally in your apartment without ventilation then you might look into a low VOC water based polyurethane finish like Benjamin Moore's 'Stays Clear' or SafeCoat's 'Polyureseal'.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/...ucts/benwood-stays-clear-acrylic-polyurethane
http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Customer-Favorites/AFM-SafeCoat-Polyureseal-BP

These are not going to penetrate and preserve the wood the way that BLO or tung oil would. But they will form a clear waterproof coating. They wouldn’t be much good for restoring an old haft. But they would be a way of finishing a new haft that might fit your situation.
 
Square_peg said:
Same here. Shop towels or paper towels are then spread out on the concrete to dry. These won't combust.

If you're working in an apartment and don't have a balcony or any outdoor area then you're in a tough spot. Just the odor will be intrusive...
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Did I win the lottery???
My better half comes out into the garage because she says she likes the smell of BLO as it reminds her of new wood floors!
 
1215 said:
Did I win the lottery???
My better half comes out into the garage because she says she likes the smell of BLO as it reminds her of new wood floors!
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It's possible...my wife hates the smell in the garage when I've been treating a bunch of wood with BLO.

Also, a good alternative to BLO (if you are wanting food-contact-safe oil) is the Tried and True oils. I have used their Danish Oil on a spoon I carved, and it dries quickly and is low oder (and is, of course, food-contact-safe). It's still polymerized linseed oil, but it's been treated to dry quickly like BLO without the non-food-safe additives. You pay for it though...it's about $20 for a quart. They also have a finish and an oil/beesway mixture you could try. Keep the lid tight on the can and you should be good to go for a long time.

Oh, and because it's still linseed oil, it can still combust.

If you are that worried about it, grab some Boo's butcher block oil or their cream, which is mineral oil with a lot of beeswax. They still metion a possibility of combustion though (though I would guess it's greatly reduced).
 
I'd be wary of using a non-drying oil like mineral oil. A greasy axe sounds dangerous to me.
 
Once mineral oil soaks in it's not bad at all, but it also evaporates off over time.
 
I use tung oil, but that's more or less the same effect with BLO.
I live in an apartemnt also, but I have a porcelain tub so I'll use the smalest piece of rag I can use then lay it flat in the center of the tub
 
Instead of BLO I often use straight flax-seed (linseed) oil. I notice that straight oil soaks in faster and leaves less residue, and the wood tends to take more of it, than boiled oil.

I have some handles treated with BLO and find that letting them dry in the sun keeps the pores open long enough for the oil to soak in, instead of leaving a tacky surface. I have yet to experiment with thinning BLO with turpentine.
 
Skiv said:
I have yet to experiment with thinning BLO with turpentine.
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I sometimes thin with mineral spirits. I think it penetrates slightly better. But you need more coats. Or you can do two coats of thinned and then go with straight.
 
Square_peg said:
I sometimes thin with mineral spirits. I think it penetrates slightly better. But you need more coats. Or you can do two coats of thinned and then go with straight.
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I refinish furniture, rifle/shotgun stocks etc... using this. I'll mix 1 part BLO to 4 parts mineral spirits to start with because it will penetrate much deeper into the wood and get a good deep seal. I start wet sanding using a 1/4 mix and let it polymerize for a week or two. Then wetsand with 1/3 mix, and let it polymerize. Then multiple wet sandings (and polymerizing times between) with 1/2. I almost never just use straight BLO. It gets fantastic results.
 
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If I lived in an apartment I'd be fine using BLO as long as I had a respirator and a window fan exhausting air until I was done. Then you can just hang the rags on one of those clothes drying racks until they are dry enough to dispose of in the trash.

I leave the rags I use hanging on my wood pile behind my shop and then re-use them.
 
mix equal parts BLO and Pine Tar, add a little turpentine if desired.
once applied to the handles let dry for a few days, best to do this in the summer when temperatures are up in the 80's-90's so the mixture can air dry some.
then it's time to use a heat source like a gas torch or propane to heat the wood and drive the coating into the wood.
i use my charcoal grill to "Roast" the handles cause that is a convenient heat source for me
leaves a waxy feeling coat on the wood.
a couple of waffles on the use of Pine Tar

http://youtu.be/DGIfsNv_7zs
http://youtu.be/6SD62udn_Lk
buzz
 
Square_peg said:
Good video. Fun to watch him using that old gasoline torch.
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yeah, he is a true believer. a friend has one of those old gas torches, i might borrow it and give it a go.
i've coated a few axe handles with the PT/BLO mixture. waiting for warmer weather in a few days to fire up the BBQ.
if i get a chance i'll post some photos.
 
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