Tried and True Danish Oil versus Boiled Linseed Oil finish--question on application

[K_P]

I'm fairly new to muzzle loading, but I've refinished a few stocks in recent years for modern rifles. I really like a hand-rubbed BLO finish and have put in the time to make them come our right.

Now that I'm building my first muzzleloader (Bucks County), I'm experimenting with aqua fortis and then, Tried and True Danish oil. According to directions, I'm to apply it with a soft lint free cloth, wait 15 minutes, and then gently wipe off the excess with a clean rag. However, when I look at the label on the can, it appears it's primarily polymerized linseed oil.

Why wouldn't I apply it like BLO, using the friction of my hand to help set the oil?

 

[tenngun]

Linseed just takes forever and a day. I like it but it has its problems. If your caught in the rain it can turn sticky, and if your sloppy adding a coat it can be a Pia.
I use Tracks original oil finish myself, looks like linseed, good deep finish, but is a little harder then straight linseed and more forgiving to apply

 

[tenngun]

Linseed just takes forever and a day. I like it but it has its problems. If your caught in the rain it can turn sticky, and if your sloppy adding a coat it can be a Pia.
I use Tracks original oil finish myself, looks like linseed, good deep finish, but is a little harder then straight linseed and more forgiving to apply

I’ve not used Danish but it makes a good looker

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I've never used the Tried and True oil but I have used plenty of Watco and Linseed. The trick with both, or any finish for that matter, is to not let it build up on the surface in a gummy coat. Wipe it on and wipe it off after it sets up just a little. Other than that I think it's just a matter of letting the first coat dry or cure before the next coats go on. Patience is the key. Either linseed or Watco makes a fine looking finish and a tough one if they're allowed to dry for a few weeks and then given 3 or 4 coats of polyurethane or varnish wiped on and wiped off.

 

[SDSmlf]

Tung oil fan here.

 

[david w]

I’ve not used Danish but it makes a good looker

I have used Danish on five walnut stocks. The results were great!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm experimenting with aqua fortis and then, Tried and True Danish oil. According to directions, I'm to apply it with a soft lint free cloth, wait 15 minutes, and then gently wipe off the excess with a clean rag. However, when I look at the label on the can, it appears it's primarily polymerized linseed oil.

Why wouldn't I apply it like BLO, using the friction of my hand to help set the oil?

The stuff comes either as pure polymerized linseed oil or polymerized linseed oil and beeswax...., polymerized linseed oil is also known as boiled, linseed oil. A lot of the more readily found stuff like Watco Danish Oil has other ingredients with the BLO including petroleum drying agents and sometimes even wood stain pigments. So YES the Tried & True product should work like BLO, and the directions are because the product is mainly for use by persons accustomed to using the stuff with the drying agents, on furniture and etc.,,,. not an authentic antique formula used on a gunstock.

LD

 

[dave_person]

Hi KP,
It is likely because it dries so fast compared with BLO. It will get tacky quickly so you cannot rub it as long and thoroughly as BLO. I prefer the polymerized oils and after years of hand rubbing stocks, find the polymerized finishes are easier and produce just as nice a finish. Moreover, with hand rubbing you tend to squeeze finish into corners if you are not careful. Applying the polymerized oil with a rag, brush, or finger tips, letting sit for a few minutes and then wiping off completely, will prevent that buildup. Here are some examples using Sutherland-Welles polymerized tung oil but the same appearance can be obtained from Tried and True polymerized linseed oil.

Notice that I managed to create a low sheen on the first gun and one with a little higher gloss on the second using the same finish.

dave

 

[PathfinderNC]

Another consideration that I am having nice results from is using dark tinted Paste Wax over several rubbed in applications of BLO. It produces a really nice finish that is more durable than simply BLO.
One little side-story about waxed finishes: I was cleaning my Fusil the other day which has a wax finish. After cleaning I noticed rundown streaks from the touch hole to the butt plate. These kind of stains were more or less permanent in my BLO only finished stocks. But with the wax finish on my Fusil, the streak was easily removed.
And touch-up is a breeze, too.

 

[oldwood]

Been using Minwax Special Dark finish on all my m/l guns ,as a final protective finish. I like it on browning , and wood. Takes only a moment to renew the application , but worth it.

 

[rafterob]

I learned the hard way that wax is a good idea on top of BLO.

 

[LME]

I'm fairly new to muzzle loading, but I've refinished a few stocks in recent years for modern rifles. I really like a hand-rubbed BLO finish and have put in the time to make them come our right.

Now that I'm building my first muzzleloader (Bucks County), I'm experimenting with aqua fortis and then, Tried and True Danish oil. According to directions, I'm to apply it with a soft lint free cloth, wait 15 minutes, and then gently wipe off the excess with a clean rag. However, when I look at the label on the can, it appears it's primarily polymerized linseed oil.

Why wouldn't I apply it like BLO, using the friction of my hand to help set the oil?

I have use a lot of Watco Danish Oil and get excellent results. I have simplfied the procedure by using napkins to apply and wipe down instead of cloth. After each use of napkins I toss them in a tin container and burn them. they can have spontainious combustion but that is tthe only down side to Danish Oil that I am aware of? I like the product. If I can get good results anybody can. It is idiot proof!

 

[LME]

Another consideration that I am having nice results from is using dark tinted Paste Wax over several rubbed in applications of BLO. It produces a really nice finish that is more durable than simply BLO.
One little side-story about waxed finishes: I was cleaning my Fusil the other day which has a wax finish. After cleaning I noticed rundown streaks from the touch hole to the butt plate. These kind of stains were more or less permanent in my BLO only finished stocks. But with the wax finish on my Fusil, the streak was easily removed.
And touch-up is a breeze, too.

Nice work! I am not a fan of the high sheen one but it is done very well. I prefer the first one although both are very nice.

 

[TFoley]

I DO so wish that we could get Min-wax products here in UK. I can't show you a stock that I refinished from a flaking, peeling ruin in a dank cupboard as it is on an unmentionable, but almost twenty years later is still looks good - well, to ME, anyhow.

 

[TFoley]

I have use a lot of Watco Danish Oil and get excellent results. I have simplfied the procedure by using napkins to apply and wipe down instead of cloth. After each use of napkins I toss them in a tin container and burn them. they can have spontainious combustion but that is tthe only down side to Danish Oil that I am aware of? I like the product. If I can get good results anybody can. It is idiot proof!

Same goes double for linseed oil impregnated cloths/rags. Any that I use I preempt the spontaneous combustion habit and burn them on the spot in a little brick hearth that I assemble for the purpose.

 

[LME]

Same goes double for linseed oil impregnated cloths/rags. Any that I use I preempt the spontaneous combustion habit and burn them on the spot in a little brick hearth that I assemble for the purpose.

When I used rag I found they took a little longer to go completely out where as napkins flash burned in seconds. napkins are cheap, clean and easy to expose of not to mention the wonderfull job they do!

 

[The Appalachian]

How to use BLO......top secret, don't tell anybody.

Let whatever stain you use cure completely, plus another week.

Add Japan Drier to BLO, that is KEY. (Directions say a few drops, they're wrong. Add it 5 parts BLO to 1 part Japan Drier at least)

Warm the mixture up on an electric source of heat. (I use stainless steel measuring cups from walmart set in a larger pan on the electric eye of my kitchen stove. Heat until you see a slight whisp of "smokey" come off the surface, remove from heat.)

While you're waiting for that be warming your stock with a hair dryer. Warm but not too hot to hang on to. You will see some of wood pores "weep" the last coat. Wipe dry with a cotton wash cloth. When the pores are sealed in successive coats that "weeping" will stop.

Apply mixture hot with a natural bristle brush. Sop it on and let it drip. Hang for 20 minutes, then buff off all excess. Let cure in a warm spot. (I hang mine between my front door and the glass storm door on the south side of my house. Very warm even during the winter.)

Repeat this process exactly until the level of grain fill you want is achieved. A coat per day can be applied. Use 000 3M synthetic "steel wool" pads between coats. Be gentle so you don't get in to your stain under the finish. When done, wait a week and then apply 2 coats in two days of Axe Wax.

 

[user 34300]

After 50 years and hundreds of stocks I have opinions.

BLO, has no place in stock finishing. Yes, you can add dryers or add it to other stuff to make concoctions, but the BLO does nothing worth while to improve anything. Dozens of coats of BLO (I have done it too) has no particular merit.

The truth is that almost any clear finish will work. IN the no good category is shellac and the water borne garbage. For muzzleloaders I stick with a varnish type of finish. The key is to prepare the stock to 320 grit or finer. Apply the finish very thin. Use multiple coats. Thin it if necessary. Jim Kibler recommends Tried and True in his utube videos, that is good enough for me.

Not having easy access to Tried and True, I use spar varnish, cut with turpentine, and a dash of japan dryer. I apply it with a wad of womens stocking material (no lint). It takes about four coats to do the job. There is no need to over think this, unless you like fussing around with it, then have fun.

 

[The Appalachian]

Um, wait a minute.......

"BLO has no place in stock finishing"

Yet hails Tried and True because Jim Kibler likes it.

Ingredients of Tried and True Wood Finishes.

Danish ~ polymerized linseed oil
Original Wood ~ polymerized linseed oil & Beeswax
Varnish Oil~ polymerized linseed oil & pine sap resin.
Stain + Finish ~ polymerized linseed & earth pigments.

Main ingredient in all of the Tried and True finishes, is, well, linseed oil.

Commonly purchased Boiled Linseed Oil, or BLO, is linseed oil with heavy metal dryers added to quickly polymerize the finish and allow it to cure hard when exposed to air. The common misconception is because it is labeled "boiled" it's been heated. That's wrong. 'Boiled" in this case is the addition of heavy metal driers.

Polymerized Linseed Oil is created by heating raw linseed oil in the absence of oxygen to about 300°C (572°F) over the course of several days. During this process, a polymerization reaction occurs, which increases the oil's viscosity and decreases the drying time.

Now, Tried and True doesn't contain any heavy metal driers, and instead relies on the polymerization process to cure. Where this would matter to most of us is creating food safe woodwork. My rifle stocks are not butcher blocks or counter tops or soup spoons, so I don't care if my wood stock finish contains driers.

Also, dengrates "concoctions" but at the end lists a concoction that includes Japan Drier which is infact that heavy metal stuff mentioned above that Tried and True wont use.

Now, if you're using a traditional spar varnish in your non concocted concoction, be careful. Some of it was also made with that terrible linseed oil manure.

 

[user 34300]

I did not "hail" anything I said Kibler recommends it in his videos. I do trust his opinion. His rifles command huge prices. He is among the best ML gunmakers alive today. That is good enough to for me.

I also said it did not matter what you use. That is my experience. It matters more how you prep and apply the finish than the brand on the label. There is no magic finish. People who lack experience want a shortcut. Attention to detail it the important thing.

I said BLO, I mean hardware store BLO, has no place in stock finishing. I stand by that. IF you want to rub in coats until you hand bleeds, you can achieve a sort of finish. IT will take forever to dry. It will ooze in the hot sun. IT will darken the wood. IT is not good when it rains. But hey, have at it, it is not my gun.

Making varnish that includes linseed oil is a whole other thing. Other than for the sake of curiosity I can not imagine doing it myself. I can get a little can of spar varnish at the hardware store and get on with it. I think it is great that some people take a deep dive into making varnish in the old way. It is not helpful to the OP though.

The secret is that everyone does it a little different. Within reason it will work out OK.