Made a stitching awl and... ruined it with linseed oil

[garypl]

On 4/12/2018 at 4:20 PM, zuludog said:

You can see that one of my hobbies is knife making; in fact I learned leatherwork in order to make the sheaths

I used to treat the handles with linseed oil, and though I never had problems with it being sticky, I thought it left them dull & matt

Now I use Danish Oil. That's lighter and leaves a finer finish. Just clean off the linseed oil and follow the directions on the can

I also have used Danish oil for years because it is easy to use, provides a nice smooth finish, and is very easy to repair or touch up.  I apply oil liberally and let it soak into the wood.  Then I wet sand starting with 200 grit wet/dry paper and moving up to 400 grit and then 600 grit to finish.  The sanding dust mixes with the oil to create a slurry that fills the wood pores.  You can make a glass like finish (and after curing is also food safe.)

Gary

[zuludog]

I watched an American TV series this morning, ( shown on a British channel ) called 'History in the Making' which features traditional crafts & industries

It showed someone repairing & renovating an M1 Garrand rifle, taking it right back to the components and rebuilding it. They stated that when it was first introduced the wooden parts were treated with linseed oil, but it was found that when the rifles were used in hot countries, or when the rifle became heated through firing a large number of rounds, the linseed oil became sticky and attracted dirt & dust. So from 1943 onwards it was treated with Tung Oil

[Fowlingpiece]

45 minutes ago, zuludog said:

I watched an American TV series this morning, ( shown on a British channel ) called 'History in the Making' which features traditional crafts & industries

It showed someone repairing & renovating an M1 Garrand rifle, taking it right back to the components and rebuilding it. They stated that when it was first introduced the wooden parts were treated with linseed oil, but it was found that when the rifles were used in hot countries, or when the rifle became heated through firing a large number of rounds, the linseed oil became sticky and attracted dirt & dust. So from 1943 onwards it was treated with Tung Oil

They just dipped those stocks in raw linseed IIRC. A linseed varnish made by cooking  with the addition of leaded dryers is more of a finish but not like a modern finish. A raw  linseed dip was more for shovels, picks and hoes etc 

[olfart]

On 4/29/2018 at 10:34 AM, DrmCa said:

Do you mind sharing the brand that you use?

I have a pint of Sunnyside BLO that I picked up at the hardware store a few years ago.  It doesn't take much.  The mineral spirits are Klean Strip brand that I got at Wal-Mart.  I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon of each in a small bowl, stir it with a finger and apply it with my hands.  Rub until it feels almost dry and do it again.  After a couple of coats I let it dry overnight and repeat.

[dikman]

I experimented a bit with BLO but didn't really like it. I had to re-finish the stock on one of my muzzleloaders as the previous owner had varnished it (yuk!). I stripped it back and then used a tung oil-based burnishing oil. This stuff is thin and you have to apply several coats, hand rubbing in between like garypl said. It dries fairly quickly, though, and you can get a finish like glass!