Boiled linseed oil

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Apr 17, 2012
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Does anybody use boiled linseed oil for rust protection on their car? I hadn’t thought of this before but I wiped my axe heads down with it and they seem to hold up pretty good…. Although that is probably a much less demanding application than a car underbody in the rust belt.

what I was thinking is adding boiled linseed oil to fluid film. This would have at least one benefit of making the fluid film spray easier as well as perhaps increase in the economy. But would it improve the rust protection and or durability of the application? Or is this just a waste of effort?
 
You and I think alike; I have used double boiled linseed oil on my B2300, especially after I replaced the rusted thru diff cover.

I will take a look @ it tomorrow; I have also thought of mixing it with fluid film. Interested in the outcome of this thread.
 
I’ve heard of using BLO or Penetrol as a rust protectant. I don’t think it will film over, so I’d try it very sparingly, a very thin coat.
 
I experimented with it for a few seasons but ended up going with a real rust protector product because it didn't cost that much more and was designed for rust proofing (eg. it creeps into places better). The application of linseed oil did seem to last through the winter season and dries hard. Would probably be best to thin it out somehow so that it sprays better. What I didn't like about linseed oil is that it's very hard to clean and will very easily clog up your spraying equipment. It's also exothermic when drying, with some rumors of the possibility of starting things on fire (not sure how true that is).
 
I experimented with it for a few seasons but ended up going with a real rust protector product because it didn't cost that much more and was designed for rust proofing (eg. it creeps into places better). The application of linseed oil did seem to last through the winter season and dries hard. Would probably be best to thin it out somehow so that it sprays better. What I didn't like about linseed oil is that it's very hard to clean and will very easily clog up your spraying equipment. It's also exothermic when drying, with some rumors of the possibility of starting things on fire (not sure how true that is).
Oh, it's true all right. One of my neighbors burned their house down with linseed oil. They were re-finishing furniture and threw the rags in the trash. Several hours later, those rags caught fire. It's dangerous stuff. They were sleeping and were lucky to get out alive. Someone was walking their dogs and saw the fire in the garage. He ran up and pounded on the front door and got them all up.
 
Linseed oil works well as a rust encapsulator. The raw version is better at it but dries much more slowly than the boiled one and becomes a dust magnet for weeks or even a couple months. Don't wad up rags or paper towels that have linseed oil on them. Spread them out flat and let them dry, or even better, burn them.
 
I keep old motor oil on hand. I am not sure how acidic it might be but I use it as a general garage tool lubricant, especially for wood handles to keep them from dry rot, metal tool heads like shovels and post hole diggers and such, just hose them off, let them dry clean, and wipe them with old oil. I've wiped down parts of my vehicle under carriage with a rag and old oil. I don't think it can hurt, and it's free oil.
 
i have used linseed oil for years on my vehicles..i still have a 99 accord that i "rustproof "yearly in the fall before they salt the crap out of the roads and i have no rust at all ..learned this years ago when i worked on a farm as a kid..the farmer used linseed oil on a lot of equipment that was used a few times a year then stored outside
 
My dad refinished an old wooden ladder with it when I was a kid. Seemed like it never truly dried and dust slowly settled into the finish and was permanently stuck.
Then he did it wrong.

Boiled Linseed Oil will not dry on the surface of wood. It has to be wiped on, allowed to soak for a bit, 15 minutes, tops, then the excess wiped off.

A day between coats until several coats are applied, then, at least a week between coats.

It's a finish that's been used for centuries, but the application has to be done properly. Boiled Linseed Oil used to be just that - boiled. Boiling starts the polymerization. Modern BLO has metallic driers to speed the polymerization.

Even raw linseed oil will dry if applied properly. You can buy raw linseed oil at the grocery store, by the way, it's called flaxseed oil and sold as a dietary supplement. I use raw linseed oil on my antique rifles that were originally finished with linseed oil.

They are not sticky, gummy or gooey, because the oil is applied properly, just as it was applied many decades ago when the rifles were first finished.

Yes, you must be careful disposing of linseed oil soaked rags - the polymerization is exothermic - it gives off heat. Wadded up rags can exceed the ignition point of the oil and spontaneously combust. Spread them out to dry, I use the rim of a metal trash can in the sun, and that keeps the heat from building up in the interior of the rags. Once completely dry, they're safe to throw out.
 
I used boiled linseed oil on my levels when I was a mason, the lime that would get on the wood would dry it out fast and eventually crack. I kept a rag with some on it in my tool box in an open sandwich bag and wiped them down at the end of the day for many years. I guess I was lucky one never caught on fire.
 
I have certainly heard of people using it, usually with melted candle wax or toilet bowl rings. I don’t really know how it would do mixed with fluid film, probably ok...I don’t know how it dries...reading here it sounds like it dries into a wax, while others say it stays wet and accumulates dust/dirt, which is actually probably preferable. The dust/dirt adds a protective layer...in fact it’s advised to run the vehicle down dirt roads after a fluid film application to let it adhere to the frame better.

There is some outstanding rust prevention videos on YouTube comparing all sorts of different applications. Used motor oil actually comes in last in tests. Which was a surprise to me. Fluid film usually does pretty well (top three). Anything like cosmoline usually takes top two (and there are many products that copy it now, but they’re all expensive).

I’ll tell you what, for those high traffic areas under the vehicle that take a lot of wash off, I use white lithium grease. And in tests anti-seize is excellent in rust prevention and can take direct contact with some water pressure and not wash off...so I’ve been using that on certain points of my frame. So far so good. And as everyone knows...don’t use anything that dries into a hard coating.
 
I’ve been very impressed with AMSOIL Metal Protector. Easy aerosol application, appears (and smells) to be a wax coating when done. Durable. Doesn’t wash out from water. Excellent product.
 
I used boiled linseed oil on my levels when I was a mason, the lime that would get on the wood would dry it out fast and eventually crack. I kept a rag with some on it in my tool box in an open sandwich bag and wiped them down at the end of the day for many years. I guess I was lucky one never caught on fire.
More than luck. Your plastic bag kept it from drying (polymerization via oxygen). The drying is exothermic. The drying rags are what can combust from that heat. Linseed oil in a sealed container is stable. Your bag did just that.
 
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