(Recovered from internet cache, part 1)

nedL
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Member # 1976

posted 08-28-2001 08:19 AM Profile for nedL Email nedL Send New Private Message Edit/Delete Post Reply With Quote I thought I'd try a discussion on this topic, or maybe correct my understanding (or some others).
I've seen a number of posts by people asking if they should coat this, or that, or an entire boat with lindseed oil. My understanding is that as lindseed oil is a vegetable oil, it will not inhibit dry rot at all, in fact it may actually "feed" or encourage the growth of dry rot. Lindseed oil should be used where woul want to prevent the excessive drying of exposed wood. It therefore is appropriate for use on railcaps, rubrails, spars, and other exposed locations as well as interior & bilge use on small open skiffs. It would not be appropriate for interior hull use on larger enclosed boats where excessive drying is not a problem.
What take do you have on its use? Posts: 1927 | From: Woodstock,CT. Scott Rosen
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Member # 1201

posted 08-28-2001 12:13 PM Profile for Scott Rosen Send New Private Message Edit/Delete Post Reply With Quote I have a gallon of dried linseed oil that's been sitting in my garage for a very long time. I bought it once upon a time because I thought there would be dozens of uses for it. Fact is, for every possible use of linseed oil, I've found something else that does the job better. Sure it can stop wood from drying out. But if that wood is exposed to the sun, the linseed oil will disintegrate in a matter of weeks, and it leaves a mess behind that needs to be bleached out. If you don't bleach it out, then the residue turns black and becomes a mold and mildew farm. Paint or varnish does a much better job of protecting wood from drying out. If my bilge were excessivly wet, then I would leave the wood untreated. Someone once painted the wet portion of my bilge. Of course the stuff peeled off in short order and the chips clogged my pumps and made a general mess. Linseed oil would have done just as bad a job, except the chips might have gone through the pumps easier. On the other hand, the dry portion of my bilge was painted with awlgrip twelve years ago and it still looks so clean you could eat off it. Linseed oil in that portion of the bilge would have required regular refreshing and would not have been anywhere as effective in protecting the wood from oil and chemicals. In those places where I want an oil finish, I think pure tung oil is a better choice, although it would be pretty expensive if you were planning to coat an entire 30 footer.
On the other hand, there are people who use linseed oil for just about everything and are satisfied with the results. Those people should probably stick with the linseed oil. Posts: 6954 | From: Northeastern USA Wayne Jeffers
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Member # 4680

posted 08-28-2001 03:10 PM Profile for Wayne Jeffers Email Wayne Jeffers Send New Private Message Edit/Delete Post Reply With Quote I love linseed oil for a lot of furniture I make. I would rather rub oil than brush varnish. There are some furniture applications where oil is not an acceptable substitute for varnish and I use varnish.
Linseed oil is the classic "oil" in oil-based paints. In modern paints and varnishes, I believe linseed oil is chemically modified and many other additives are used for a variety of purposes. Even in the old days, lead was added to paint to inhibit micro-organism attack, etc.
While I love oil finishes in my (dry) home, I have no inclination to try linseed oil on any of my boats. I have no experience in marine use of oil, I just can't envision a situation where another product wouldn't be better suited.
Wayne Posts: 2849 | From: Athens, OH USA Georg Moe
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Member # 114

posted 08-28-2001 04:48 PM Profile for Georg Moe Email Georg Moe Send New Private Message Edit/Delete Post Reply With Quote First of all, I prefer Deks D1 over linseed oil. But, as noted in one of the recent cpes-threads, my boats (http://home.c2i.net/cmotorba/Allegro.htm and http://home.c2i.net/cmotorba/sulamit.htm)(60-65 years old) have been treated with linseed oil. And it has done a good job preserving the wood.
However, it is important to remember that linseed oil is available in different qualities. In Scandinavia, at least, you have 2 qualities of raw linseed oil, one that is comparable to extra virgin olive oil (type1) and one that has a lower quality (type2). Then you have boiled linseed oil. Type1 oil is mixed 50/50 with turp. Most classic wooden boats in Sweeden have been saturated with this mixture, after a few weeks you apply the boiled oil to seal the wood. (this mixture has also been used in Norway, but Deks D1 has for several reasons become more popular during the last few decades) In most cases this has prevented rot, water has no chance to enter (well, almost no water) the wood. After saturating the wood with type1 oil and boiled oil, you can start your varnishing or paint job on the outside of the hull, the inside should not be painted/varnished (easier maintenance and the wood is also allowed to breathe). Yes, there are disadvantages. Especially if you use type2 oil, because it never really dries. It is constantly on the move inside the wood, and blisters are not uncommon after a few years. And, as noted by Scott Rosen, it can sometimes become a real mess.
Well, linseed oil can 'feed' rot, but if you start with the right amount of poison, this should be eliminated. If the linseed oil is covered by varnish/paint, the rot will not get much oxygen either.
Linseed oil can't be that bad, after all, there are a lot of old wooden boats in Scandinavia, and most of them have been treated with linseed oil. However, the latitude of Oslo and Stockholm is comparable to Anchorage, so there is a slight difference regarding the climate...
:-) Georg Posts: 106 | From: Oslo/Norway