I think folks would find it interesting if you did a comparison of different drying oils: linseed oil, walnut oil, tung oil, poppy seed oil, and perilla oil. Well, I'd find it interesting anyway.

The one from Ottossons Färgmakeri is without any drying agents. Just oil according to the safety data sheet. I use it for almost everything. :)

I've checked the Safety Data Sheet for the Allback boiled linseed oil and it DOES contain drying salts (2-Ethylhexanoic acid,manganese salt' 0,07mg/litre ). The data sheet is here: linoljeprodukter.se/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MSDS-Allba%CC%88ck-Linseed-Oil-120924.pdf . The data sheet covers the raw and boiled linseed oil. Only the boiled linseed oil contains salts.

I started using the Tried and True original and, save for a couple special projects, it’s all I use. I just finished a bookcase using this product and found that it polishes great with just some crumpled up clean newsprint or an old paper bag. Easy to find at my local Lee Valley.

I must be a woodworking nerd.....I got a little excited when I saw the title of this video. I might try some Tried and True next time I'm at the store.

The cheapest way is definitely buying bulk cold pressed linseed oil, usually used to feed horses. You get 5 liters for 15 EURs here in Europe. I wouldn't drink that stuff, because you never know if the press they used doesn't have some impurities and oil in the mechanicsm, but for treating wood, that is no problem. (it will be only the tiniest of hints, as it's still food save) If you want to use it unboiled, you can clean it from gum by adding a slight bit of water + vinegar mixture (water to get the water soluble gum and vinegar to have the acid break off the non water soluble gum), shake it up and then let it settle and drain off the cleaner linseed oil, leaving the gum and slime behind. The resulting oil can be cloudy, you can put that in the fridge and wait for a week until more sediment has settled or cool it down even more for refinement. If you drain the result through a simple paper coffee filter, you have a very stable base linseed oil. It has barely any organic material left, so it won't go rancid as fast (a year is no problem), it won't yellow as much when drying, because the gum is a good part of it that causes the browning of hardening linseed oil. You can then store the oil in transparent glass containers and leave them out in the sun to bleach it even further. From that point on boiling it will only improve its properties as boiling destroys even more gum, waxes and impurities, creating a more stable but less penetrating product.

Great comparison! 2 other interesting things to try would be how much more they yellow over time. Especially without sunlight. And mould-resistance. I see a very big difference in mould resistance for different linseed oils. If you live in a wet climate, try storing that wood piece outside in a semi moist environment during winter.

James, I too am a fan of BLO and often use it to pop the grain before a film finish, depending on the project. Another class of oil finishes that seem to be gaining popularity are the hard oil finishes. Osmo is popular in Europe, there is also Monocote and now Briwax has one has well. Would love to see a test as you did her with these products.

Good call with the rags. I lay mine out in my driveway overnight& usually they are crunchy & ready to toss the next day.

I agree with you. Tried and True Danish Oil is excellent. It's my go to finish. Works excellently and smells great.

Nice work James. Would love to see a similar comparison of pure Tung oil products (Hope's, Real Milk Paint Co...). It is a little slower to cure... but more water proof and does not grow mold the way linseed oil does makes it a winner for me.

This was super helpful, thank you!

Thank You For The Good Comparison👍

Cool!!! Thanks James!!! 👍😎

Great testing, James! Thanks a lot! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

There is a FWW magazine video with Christian Becksvoort on applying T&T's varnish oil. It is worth a watch.

I would like to suggest a follow up to this video. Gather the MSDS sheets for each product and see if the information alters your recommendations.

Thank you very much !

In Europe, the 'pure' boiled linseed oil ( without solvents and metallic salts) is known as STAND OIL and is commonly used by artists for the oil paints. I can find STAND OIL on AMAZON/EBAY but it's expensive. I've found one from Germany by Kremer Pigmente. Their list of oils specifically states that it contains no heavy metals (the salts, I assume). The safety data sheet says that it's >99% polymerised linseed oil, so no solvents, I assume. Let me know if you fgind out differently.

do all the oils u can think of next for comparing (i mean things that u normally wouldn't use on wood to test like cooking oil and baby oil and maybe essential oil go crazy with it )

I've also experimented with naturally catalyzed vegetable oils for many years. I'd advise the unfamiliar to simply buy the smallest can of Tried and True varnish oil they can find, probably a quart, and take measures to prevent further oxidation once the can is open because a quart is enough to finish most of a houseful of furniture. Some years ago one of the woodworking magazines carried a humorous piece about sloppily finishing with natural oils. In the final line the author claimed that his flannel shirt burst into flames.

Thanks!!

Awesome thanks so much

Thanks!

Try pure hemp oil, you'll love it. Dries quick and is % 100 non toxic.

Great video. I have just treated an english white oak beam with boiled linseed oil and after 3 days its dried way to dark. I obviously didn't sand it enough prior and would like to use acetone to remove the oil before i go back to the sander and start again. Would acetone do the trick and break the linseed oil down so i can wipe it off?

Great video! Curious if you have any thoughts on Walnut oil vs. Linseed oil? I love the tried and true products.

If you apply paste wax after applying oil, do you need to remove that wax before repairing the finish later?

My Joiner's Bench is nearing completion! What do you think of Plaza/sawdust putty, followed by BLO? No major voids, just little crevices around knot holes of Doug Fir and Yellow Pine construction lumber.

James, that was a very good review. I manage social media for Tried + True & I will share this on Tried + True's social media.

I'm working on a new, red elm axe handle. I'm thinking to use a base of Tried & True Danish, followed by two or three applications of T&T Original.

For my bowls I tend to use shellac as a sanding sealer and then carnuba wax to friction finish. How would you compare that to the Tried & True Original or Varnish Oil?

Maybe you can help me out here. I would like to use boiled linseed oil with my oil paints. Does this stuff smell like regular linseed oil? Because I couldn't stand a chemical smell like linseed oil for water soluble paints smells like. Thank you so much for your excellent, informative video.

I've seen Tried and True Danish oil at Walmart before. It was considerably cheaper than it was at Wood Craft.

I checked out the price of the ALBAC in Canada and it is slightly cheaper than Tried and True which I can get locally at Lee Valley but unless you can pick it up the shipping doubles the price

Awesome information! What do you think about using linseed oil paint on exterior cedar siding? I've got mixed feedback about how long it'll last and how much maintenance it requires. I have heard that it pretty much just fades away over years and you can just keep applying more....doesn't really crack and peel requiring scraping like regular paint does. Do you have any thoughts on that? Much appreciated!!!

It isn't that there is anything I disagree with, but there are a couple of things I wanted to add. 1. If you need info on finishes, you need to look up the SDS or MSDS for the products. You'll find out what is in it there. 2. ALL finishes are food safe once cured. Every safety agency basically says so. Yes, when uncured the heavy metals and petroleum compounds can irritate the skin. But once that is either interlocked within the oil or evaporated, there is no issues with it. Any amount of cobalt or manganese that came loose as the finish degrades would be so minimal it wouldn't be an issue. And lead has been banned from use for decades. 3. That being said, I would prefer to not use a product with heavy metal driers on a cutting board. For that I prefer the T&T Original because the beeswax works excellently for that type of application. It is easy to renew and actually lasts quite a while on the board. And would last even longer on something like a fruit bowl that won't be washed frequently. 4. I am becoming more and more of a fan of easy to repair finishes or those that age nicely. C. Schwarz did a nice blog entry on this recently. So unless I really need it, polyurethane is probably out -- and thank god, what a pain to apply. 5. BUT, in many applications I just need the damn finish to dry. Even following T&T's instructions, it can be days or weeks to reach a cure time. I am making a cabinet for a friend for Christmas. My finish of choice right now is T&T's Varnish. The MSDS lists "sylvetic" resin; their marketing identifies it as pine resin. I think it does work fairly well for scratch resistance and it does build to a film. Even after several layers it maintains a "close to the wood" feel. Some steel wool and paste wax and you're good. Haven't dared subject it to water, but why would you? Yet even following their application guidelines it takes too long to cure. And the amount you apply is so thin that I doubt you get much penetration into the wood. So... 6. Japan drier to the rescue! Christian Becksvoort often adds spar varnish to his T&T varnish to get the driers needed to cure. I add 0.5 mL japan drier to 30 mL (1 oz) T&T Varnish. Works like a charm, and in a week I can build up about 4 or 5 layers. I just don't think you can do that with the unmodified stuff. I get their reasonings for it: both environmental, health, and even just marketing (VOCs and regulations, etc). So yeah, had to get that out there.

I bought a jug of circa 1850 double boiled linseed oil (Canada) to motivate me to finish some projects.

Would anybody have any suggestions for restoring a 2’ redwood statue of a grizzly? It’s been outside for ten years and I’m trying to save it because it’s beautiful.

Have you tried walnut oil? It seems to give wood a BLO like luster. Though it isn't cheap.

Allback BLO has 2-Ethylhexanoic acid and manganese salt in it. I'm not judging, but your definition of "pure" may be different than theirs. I didn't look up any of the others.

"OIl baron." Ha Ha - good one, James.

James, hoping you have some advice… I have an Amish gentleman making home made baskets for resale. They are beautiful but he seals them with linseed oil and the smell is toxic and heavy … takes at least 8 weeks for it to fade. This really delays ability to resale. You didn’t mention anything about the toxic smell. I’m seeking other options that are odorless. Or is he not boiling it and that’s why it smells so heavily? Thanks so very much! Lisa

Can we use Tried and True as an oil painting medium? on a canvas too?

As the undisputed king of BLO within the woodworking community, have you ever played with Pine Tar as a wood preservative? Seems to have similar benefits to BLO, with a darker color and IMO a nice smell to it. Research on the internet is absolutely bewildering though, so would love your opinion or even an in-depth spreadsheet type of study? LOL!

Just a little note, both Ottoson and Allbäck(albac) are made in sweden:) It was obviusos for me when i saw the stickers bacause I´m from Sweden .

Seems to me you would of gotten much farther if you had contacted the manufacturer and asked, typically they are very helpful with that.

Plaza Double Boiled Linseed Oil has claimed that they use metallic drying agents, and therefore is not food safe. Just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone still looking. I'm trying to find one with no additives without doing at home.

I take Flax Seed oil as a supplement... I noticed it smelled like linseed oil and no wonder it is the same

So it took me a small minute to figure out how to purchase the tried and true, turns out I can buy it at my local Woodcraft, so anyone who has one nearby there ya go

Is it possible to thin(dilute) the Plaza ?

If you Google the company name, something about the product, and SDS (safety data sheet), you can get good info about the ingredients. Allback came up right away and it says it has manganese salts etc. Don't know the rules exactly but companies that sell this stuff are usually required to make an SDS available for the product.

Not sure if anyone has asked this before, but I recently came across a site called shop-earthpaint.net that sells what they call Special Linseed Oil that I have yet to try and wondered if you had gotten the chance?

I just found the Tried & True on Amazon - looks like a reasonable price - and available for Prime shipping too. Just ordered

Across the board....I see what you did there. Very punny

If your ever test varnishes consider Rubbed Effect from Epifanes would like to hear your thoughts www.epifanes.com/page/rubbed-effect

The natural, home made oil, has the better appearance

The brand for the Swedish oil is "Ottosons"... The word Färgmakeri means "paint factory". The "Allbäck" seems to be from Sweden too. I did enjoy your futile attempt at pronouncing Swedish, it's a language where the letters and sounds have seemingly no relationship to each other.

Can i buy a gallon of your Raw Linseed oil?

"across the board" ...wait for it to kick in...

Allback linseed oil originates from Swede.

I stopped using BLO/RLO a few years back. Both are the perfect Petri dish for black mold. For outside furniture that sees the sun and rain, I no longer use a film forming finish (sorry Waterlox). Tung oil with a mildewcide and a UV stabilizer seem to be working well in the PNW. Each spring I wipe down/sand if necessary, and apply another coat or two if needed. Allow to dry and let the party begin.

No matter what, drinking any finish is always a bad idea.

if it is sold in the U.S. look up its M.S.D.S ( Material Safety Data Sheet)on the net.

Allback SDS for its boiled linseed oil states: 100% linseed oil; 0.07 mg / L 2-Ethylhexanoic acid, manganese salt; 0.06% (wt/wt) 2-Ethyl hexane acid So does have manganese salt as a drier. See SDS at: linoljeprodukter.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SDS-Allback-Linseed-Oil-2021-01-20.pdf