# BLO and Pine?



## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

I am making several pistol cases out of pine. Nothing fancy, no staining involved, but I do like the slight amber tint that BLO gives. 
I am wondering about using 50/50 mix of BLO and denatured alcohol followed by shellac or poly, but I have never used BLO on pine before. Any suggestions or thoughts? Thanks


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

You could mix BLO, DA and Shellac and make yourself some "O.B. Shine Juice".

http://eddiecastelin.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/shinejuice.54184110.pdf


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If you are going to thin linseed oil 50%, I would thin it with mineral spirits or napatha rather than alcohol. I think alcohol is a bit hot for linseed oil. I think the shellac alone would do the trick making the grain pop however if you are going to put poly over it be sure to use dewaxed shellac as standard shellac is incompatable with polyurethane.


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

Steve Neul said:


> If you are going to thin linseed oil 50%, I would thin it with mineral spirits or napatha rather than alcohol. I think alcohol is a bit hot for linseed oil. I think the shellac alone would do the trick making the grain pop however if you are going to put poly over it be sure to use dewaxed shellac as standard shellac is incompatable with polyurethane.



Thanks Dave and Steve for the inputs.

Steve, I have a couple of questions...
1. What do you mean by DA being "hot"?
2. You think I could just use shellac alone and nothing else? I have no problem with that, just that I have never done it. 
3. What do you think about non-diluted BLO?

Thanks again for the info.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Sorrowful Jones said:


> Thanks Dave and Steve for the inputs.
> 
> Steve, I have a couple of questions...
> 1. What do you mean by DA being "hot"?
> ...


Alcohol is a pretty strong solvent. It burns you hands when you handle it a lot. I believe the solvent is so strong that it would damage the integrity of the linseed oil. This is what I meant by the alcohol being too hot. I think the shellac alone would make the grain pop as well as the thinned linseed oil. You might try some on some scraps to be sure. If you choose to use linseed oil without diluting it, that would be fine however I would let it dry for a few days before proceeding. I'm sure the undiluted linseed oil would make the grain pop much better. A lot of people finish walnut gunstocks using linseed oil. If you keep applying it, it will make an emulsion.


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## shopsmithtom (Nov 3, 2009)

About the only thing to use denatured alcohol for is to thin shellac or clean shellac brushes. I wouldn't use it as a compatible thinner for oil based products. If you use BLO, put it on heavy (undiluted is fine), let it soak in for 15 min to maybe an hour, then you must wipe the excess off or you have a gucky mess. Also, ALERT!!!! hang all BLO rags up to dry in an open air environment. Crumpling them up & tossing them into a waste basket is a surefire(pun intended) recipe for disaster.

If you use BLO, let it dry/cure at least 24 hours (48 is better) before applying shellac. Zinsser's sanding sealer is clear de-waxed shellac & will look good, but if the boxes are to be handled, shellac is not the most durable finish. I'd use a polyurethane varnish, rub out between coats, and when you're sure you have enough finish build up, lightly sand dead flat with 320 or so, and thin some poly about 25% w/ naptha (I prefer it to mineral spirits in that it hastens the drying process) then make a pad of non fuzzy cotten (old bed sheets work well) & wipe on a thin final coat or 2. (you can buy wiping varnish, but all it is is thinned varnish, so you'll spend more to get thinned varnish that you can make yourself) You'll have a smooth, durable finish. (try it on scrap to get comfortable with it)


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

shopsmithtom said:


> If you use BLO, let it dry/cure at least 24 hours (48 is better) before applying shellac. Zinsser's sanding sealer is clear de-waxed shellac & will look good, but if the boxes are to be handled, shellac is not the most durable finish. I'd use a polyurethane varnish, rub out between coats, and when you're sure you have enough finish build up, lightly sand dead flat with 320 or so, and thin some poly about 25% w/ naptha (I prefer it to mineral spirits in that it hastens the drying process) then make a pad of non fuzzy cotten (old bed sheets work well) & wipe on a thin final coat or 2. (you can buy wiping varnish, but all it is is thinned varnish, so you'll spend more to get thinned varnish that you can make yourself) You'll have a smooth, durable finish. (try it on scrap to get comfortable with it)


Thanks for the good info. Would this work on other woods like African mahogany or walnut?


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## shopsmithtom (Nov 3, 2009)

Sorrowful Jones said:


> Thanks for the good info. Would this work on other woods like African mahogany or walnut?


I've not used any mahogany but in general, I've found this process works for anything I've used.

I usually break the finishes into categories by their respective solvents. 
1) Alcohol based - Shellac, some dyes
2) Oil based - Linseed oil (and others with "oil" in the name), oil based poly, useful solvents with these are mineral spirits & naphtha (lacquer thinner, too, but use with care) oil based stains & dyes
3) Water based - water based polyurethane, water based stains & dyes 
4) hybrids mixes of several products. The most common, I think, is BLO, poly, & mineral spirits (or turpentine for a slowed drying time or naphtha for a faster one) These work well as long as the solvent base is the same.

In general you can use these different based products over/under one another *IF* the previous product has fully cured/dried before laying down the next one.


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