Do they really boil linseed oil? (And other oily answers) 

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“...not from its tongue but from its nuts.” Delivered with a straight face. Amazing control! Kudos!

James, had you researched how the carriages for cannons as found on ships prior to the invention of the modern naval ship cannon 1890-Present. The wood carriages were soaked in raw linseed oil that were heated in large metal tanks for the term of 30 calendar days straight. This process kept the wood free from bugs that could attack the wood and kept the wood stable from sea water. Of course the wood parts were drip dried then given several coats of an paint. Then the carriages were assembled.

Today I learned that I can eat as much cheese as I want, as long as I use mineral oil as a finish.

If I continue drinking coffee when watching your videos I'm going to need a new computer screen.

“It doesn’t come from the tree’s tongue but from its nuts” hahaha.

Mineral oil can be bought in gallon jugs at farm supply stores. It's used as a lube for certain veterinary purposes.

Back in my high school days (about a half a million years ago), I spent a lot of time in wood shop. My favorite toy was the lathe and I used to carve up a lot of Myrtlewood. Al;so made a number of Myrtlewood cutting boards. That was where I got clued in to using Walnut oil on cutting boards and salad bowls. It provides a great finish that is food-safe and it never goes rancid.

You've been saving some of those lines up for a long time I'd bet.

Awesome video in typical James Hamilton style. I am such a fan! THIS GUY SHOULD HAVE HIS OWN TV SHOW.

I haven't watched too many wood workers channels but after watching yours I wouldn't even bother. Thank you for giving very complete information & for your very extensive library.

excellent mix of solid information and great humor. I've learned so much from this channel!

Awesome delivery on several lines, James. Thanks for a little education and even more entertainment.

That was the funniest video on woodwork I've seen in a while.

This had to be one of your most entertaining yet! Definitely had a grin on my face by the end. Damn good info too!

Thanks for the great video James. I always learn something and get a chuckle from your channel.

Your videos are really informative and fun. Thanks James.

Thanks James, good lesson taught well! Thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks again James, a very interesting topic, a loot of funny lines and a very informative video like always. I like the "no intro, right to business" type of video 😄

Pure tung oil is my go-to coating for all my work handles and such. Great durability but does take many coats and time to properly cure. A bit of UV from the sun also helps for the final layer.

Always there when i need you. Great video.

The "one-liners" were strong in this video!!! Nice job!!!

Well, now there's no need for me to continue reading the book on how to boil linseed oil. Darn, it was just getting interesting too! Thanks again James, another good tutorial.

So, it appears somebody was in a rather sarcastic and "dry sense of humor" mood when recording this video. You gave me several good laughs! Nice job - I even learned a thing or two.

That was amazing; very informative. Well done!

Back in the day used boiled linseed for our USMC m-14 stocks

Holy crap, thank you for this! I've been getting into the weeds of finishes and I was starting to get the old familiar feeling that someone was trying to oversell me on some BS. Now I know better and I'm off to watch your video about varnish!

I figured out all the stuff you said about varnish and oil finishes in your video's a few years ago but BOY did I have to trudge through a lot of nonsense to get there. Your two consice and to the point videos could have saved me hours of reading and research.

Helpful overview of the key points. Thanks

I really like these explanation videos that you do. I'm new at turning and watch a lot of RU-vid videos for learning new skills or ideas. I wonder if you might do a video talking about all the finishing products. For example sanding sealer, Yorkshire grit or Ack's paste, Hampshire sheen (or Ack's restor?), Shellawax, shine juice, Feed'N'Wax, etc. How they work or don't work in combination or on different surfaces(resin or wood), in turning situations.

Informative. You said what needed saying. Refreshing. I learned something. Thank you. Thumbs up and a new sub!

Bob Flexner did a great job explaining the differences in oil finishes in his book, *Understanding Wood Finishing*. If you want to know what your "oil finish" is, smear some on a nonporous surface and let it cure for a week. Wiping varnishes like Formby's Tung Oil Finish will be hard and clear. Oil/varnish blends like Watco Teak Oil Finish will be slightly rubbery and wrinkly. Pure oils will be soft and boogery if they cure at all. For that reason, I have trouble calling applications of pure oils "coats" when they don't actually coat anything and just absorb into the wood. If they do leave anything on the surface, just about everybody would immediately think to remove it. You can polish the wood, but you'll never polish the oil! Unless it's a polymerized oil like Tru-Oil or Tried & True, which behave more like varnishes...

Thanks stumpy that was really helpful.

Thanks for the valuable information in a short time.

Great info, great humor.

A really valuable briefing on the various oils. I must admit that I normally use Linseed oil by default - polyurethane seems to dry with a "milky" sheen - maybe I put it on too thickly ? I'm going to check out your "varnish" video now ! Many thanks !

Stumpy, never come across your stuff before but I'm a bit slow. Loved it. Learning should be fun, I got both. Thanks

James, For something that'll see high wear-patio furniture, deck tiles-can we first condition the wood with mineral oil, let it dry, wipe excess, then give it some coats of pre-cat lacquer? Looking for a durable finish that'll last at least 5 years.

OMG I loved this guy video it's informative and funny, I just subscribed. Thanks for a great video, Cathy

Or walnut oil for bowls, utensils and cutting boards. Unlike mineral oil, it is food and it dries.

This was a valuable video. I like the mineral oil buying tip :)

Another helpful video Stumpy! I found one to be very informative, marketing I guess

Thank you so so much for sharing this information. It simplified many things for me. Regards my friend.

I'm finding your latest vlogs about wood finishes interesting and quite pertinent as I'm about to take possession of a Narrowboat (I'm in England) where the interior is finished in an unadulterated ash veneered plywood - I'm not about to ask you for recommendations etc. as I think I know what I want but just wanted to say thanks for producing this very interesting 'mini series' covering wood finishes

"...not the tree's tongue..." gets you the thumbs-up!

Good one. Thanks

I use organ oil with bees wax and citrus turpentine to thin it out to desired thickness and if you treat the timber before assembly it will stop it from splitting.

Well done, thanks.

Thanks for good info.

Is neatsfoot (neat's?) oil any good for wood protection? I had accidentally spilled some on an unfinished piece of red meranti and it looks rather nice.

I seem to remember from my childhood that we used to "treat" our new cricket bats with Linseed oil. I think we believed that it would extend the life of the bat, prevent cracking and reduce bruising the face of the bat...Just a thought from "way back when"

Thanks for clearing the oil dilemma a bit. What would you prefer to use on guitar necks or guitar body?

I like this channel so much.

Great and useful information, better than your usual excellent standard. You've been storing up sophomoric expressions to unleash them all in one video, eh? They made me laugh each time. Thanks much for this, and thumbs up to crush a troll.

I read about a finish mix using BLO, Mineral Spirits, and Wax (I believe Paraffin). I used it on our fence here and it turned out well. The wax has to be melted, of course, and the mixture is best produced on a hot day so that the wax doesn't solidify in the mix. I can no longer find the resource but would love to hear others thoughts about its use and longevity. So far the fence has only dealt with one fall and one winter but looks as good as the day I applied it.

SAFETY: Not a word about the risk of spontaneous combustion of boiled linseed oil-soaked cotton rags. Most people already know this but, nevertheless, it deserves mentioning.

I like coal tar oil, raw linseed oil, and a good solvent, usually turpentine or kerosine. Mixed in even parts. For finishing gun stocks I add some beeswax. I warm the wood and the finish with a heat gun. Use beeswax melted into raw linseed for a top coat.

really helpful video. I wish you would have touched on polymerized linseed oil as well as some beeswax type products.

Hey there. Good video. What would you suggest for axe handles? I hear that BLO may be hazardous to your health due to the chemicals. Axe handles (Hickory especially) dries out over time and the heads become loose. So the goal is to prevent shrinking, yet provide protection from the elements without exposing ourselves to harmful toxins. Thanks.

" It doesn't come from its tongue, it comes from its nuts" Yup..🤣🤣🤣 I like to thin the BLO that we get in a rather thick viscous state, with about 10 to 15 percent odorless mineral spirits. It improves wipe-ability, and the coat will dry more quickly. I never add polyurethane for indoor use finish.. but for outdoor use, may match the volume of spirits with equal amount of polyurethane.

great video. Had me giggling the whole time. I have always been a fan of BLO and paste wax. Ive also sprayed hundreds of gallons of Lacquer and used lots of marine spar varnish on rafting and boating gear, of course that has been hard to get ahold of in the last few years due to the restrictions on VOCs. Diamond Vogels industrial division does make a low VOC marine spar varnish. Unfortunately its not near as good as the old stuff. You can still get some of the old product but they can only sell it in quart quantities and they raised the price so that now a quart is the old gallon price. I remember asking for marine spar varnish a few times in the big box stores and they directed me to a product they call marine spar polyurethane, which of course is a physical impossibility.

Okay there’s about six puerile jokes in this but “my stool has an oily finish” genuinely made me laugh.

What’s your thoughts on hard wax/oil?

"and I eat a lot of cheese" 😂😂😂😂

I know this is an old video, but what do you think of hardwax oil. I have tried some on recent project and so far I like it.

BLO. Boiled Linseed Oil. I toured a windmill in the Netherlands that makes linseed oil. It was next to a wind powered saw mill and a wind powered pigment mill. The Netherlands version of a one stop shop.

Whats you opinion on walnut oil. Thanks

Hi ! Nice video. Wat finish can you suggest me for my chess pieces that I have just finished turning

you rock i love learning an having a giggle

Hi It is recommended to apply a thin coat of linseed oil on my timber before applying yacht varnish? Or directly the yacht varnish Thanks

Many many thanks

Good, no, I take that back. It's a great video James !!. Informative and entertaining as usual. I was going to add one about How many babies do they use in Baby Oil, but I couldn't figure out how to fit it in so never mind.

THAT'S the James Hamilton I enjoy!

Please, what's better for a new axe handle, treat iit with raw Linseed oil or Tung oil? I would really appriciate any opinion.

Hi James, I went by your new shop today. Was going to stop in for a minute and say hi, but I wasn't sure if you were there and I didn't want to disturb anyone working there.

This WAS slick

I’m going to be re-oiling my workbench in a couple of weeks when I make some improvements. The first time I used Danish oil, but my homemade wax polish is linseed oil, gum turpentine, bees wax and carnauba wax. So this time I was just going to use linseed old and put some wax polish on on a regular basis. Can anyone tell me if this is the right approach please? A very useful, and somewhat humorous video, thank you.

Thanks for the video. What about unboiled tongue oil ? any advantages ? I have heard that it polymerizes, and will result in the feared spontaneous combustion of a rag pile, but how does the polymerization affect the durability of the wood ? should it be applied in frequent layers, or hardish, or even fully polymerized before another coat ?

Can you paint the wood after using linseed olie? More specific, paint with colour waterbased, paint with color terpitine based, paint with poly uritine?

I made a little desk organizer with three drawers out of birch. Since it doesn''t need that much protection I just gave it a coat with mineral oil but that sh*t doesn't want to cure, still sticky after 3 weeks and when I lay a letter or smthg on top, it ends up blotchy. Could I top coat (seal) it with furniture wax? Thankful for any advice!

what if you've applied BLO then a layer of wax to some wood, can you refinish it with Tung?

maybe dumb question but would danish oil be ok for children wood toys?? If not what would you recommend for that??? Ive seen so many idk which to actually use, thanks in advance!

My stool has and oily finish? Thanks!

Ya managed to sneak in a lot of laughs in this one.... Another good reason for using mineral oil over other oils (tung) for cutting boards and wooden food prep implements is that nut based oils can likely cause allergic reactions in folks with bad nut allergies. I used tung oil on some small candy bowls years ago. But now I use a mix of beeswax and mineral oil mixed so when at room temperature it's roughly the consistency of paste style furniture wax. It gives a finish that looks and feels nice without being oily and it doesn't wash away as rapidly as straight mineral oil. And of course it doesn't go rancid over time like nut or vegetable oils can do.

I'm installing a new Maple butcher block countertop I think because I have the luxury of time I will use the layers of tung oil....

I need just a tiny bit of blo...can I boil the one I have for eating?

Mineral oil.... TMI. PS love that black truffle pecorino.

Any thoughts on pine tar?

Also, thanks. Learned alot...rr

Can you use boiled linseed oil as an oil painting medium?

Can acrylic gesso be applied on wood with boiled linseed oil?

Flax, walnut, or hemp are pretty decent drying oils

Could you give us a recipe for Danish oil? And how 'bout one for a cheese danish? Thanks!

Why am I laughing so much watching a video about wood finishes? If you haven't subbed yet, do it now. Yeah, I'm talking to you.

Well done, maybe they have changed the formula for Goof off but I alway thought that when it first came out it smelled like toluene. the newer stuff I am not so sure. I have never used Naphtha much it sounds like it could be useful thanks

Where can I get this Snake Oil?

What do you think about using traditional BLO that doesn't have metal driers in it as a finish for cutting boards?

What about hemp seed oil?

is linseed oil flammable after it dry

Maybe it was worth mentioning that mineral oil is a petroleum based product, especially given that the edibility issue came up multiple times, and the topic was 'natural oils'.