I made a table top for a patio table last year using shoshugibon-ed cedar (I slightly burned the cedar) then put a few coats of thinned boiled linseed oil on it for a finish. Looked great!
My understanding is that BLO is, ideally, supposed to get another coat every year. I just put it on straight without thinning this year. Now, a few weeks later, the top is sticky. I have wiped it with mineral spirits (in increasing amounts) 3 times since trying to get rid of that stickiness. That is, obviously, not working.
Suggestions? I thought about trying naptha or perhaps another coat of thinned down BLO, but thought I'd get suggestions before guessing.
(05-26-2018, 09:08 AM)JosephP Wrote: I made a table top for a patio table last year using shoshugibon-ed cedar (I slightly burned the cedar) then put a few coats of thinned boiled linseed oil on it for a finish. Looked great!
My understanding is that BLO is, ideally, supposed to get another coat every year. I just put it on straight without thinning this year. Now, a few weeks later, the top is sticky. I have wiped it with mineral spirits (in increasing amounts) 3 times since trying to get rid of that stickiness. That is, obviously, not working.
Suggestions? I thought about trying naptha or perhaps another coat of thinned down BLO, but thought I'd get suggestions before guessing.
BLO never really cures, so if you try to use it as a film finish it will never dry to a hard film, as you found out. If MS hasn't removed it you will have to move up to stronger solvents. Try naptha then lacquer thinner if that doesn't work. If neither works I think you will have to use a chemical stripper to get it off.
Once you get the BLO off I recommend you switch to a commercial product, like a deck oil product or maybe GF's Outdoor Oil, and follow the directions for how to use and maintain. If you want a film finish then look into Epifanes Marine Varnish- and be prepared for the nearly yearly maintenance. If you decide on Epifanes or other film finish you will almost certainly have to chemically strip the table first for the varnish to be able to penetrate into the wood.
Tried Naptha today. Seemed like it was working while I was rubbing it, but felt the same when it was all said and done. I'll drag the table to the sun to see if that makes a difference. It normally sits under a covered patio.
Should I pour some on it and let it sit? I was using a very well soaked rag and kept adding more, so it is not like I went light on the naptha. The frame of the table is aluminum with an antique bronze finish of some kind. Nothing I have done so far has damaged that, but I'f afraid the harsher I get, the more I am endangering that. I can take the wood out if need be, but just one more pain in the neck I'd rather avoid.
Do you think thinning down some BLO with the Naptha (25:75 ratio?) would dissolve what is already on there any better or would it just make the film on top that much thicker?
It went into the wood so well last year and it was pretty dry so I thought a quick coat of unthinned BLO would absorb right into the wood. The table is not unusable, just a little sticky like a sugary drink was spilled and not cleaned up as well as it could have been. It has a little more of a built-up sheen than I'd prefer. Before it looked unfinished, which is what I wanted. Probably could have left it unfinished....that is the traditional point of shoshugibon.
05-28-2018, 08:22 AM (This post was last modified: 05-28-2018, 08:25 AM by Ed in NC.)
If it were mine, and if the thinners you are trying didn't work, I would strip the top and sand it back down to the original appearance, and leave it alone. You said it was under a covered patio, so it will grey over time, but you could renew the look with some deck wash and a pressure washer using a fan tip. This has worked for me with similar cedar furniture on a screen porch. Fairly quick and easy maintenance, especially if it is just a flat top.
05-28-2018, 03:40 PM (This post was last modified: 05-28-2018, 07:14 PM by giradman.)
Guys - I was wondering whether 'shelf life' might be an issue (although not mentioned by our OP) - searching a number of woodworking forums, numerous posts seem to state that BLO can last for years if not decades! My current quart can of Klean Strip is 6 years old and seems to still work fine; however, on their Website, the statement quoted below is present which seems like a selling plot!
In our OP's situation, I doubt shelf life is an issue - not sure whether temp/humidity and/or oily cedar are issues, but agree w/ waiting, sometimes takes several weeks or more to dry. Dave
Quote:What is the shelf life of Klean Strip® Boiled Linseed Oil?
The shelf life is three years unopened and six months after opening.
(05-28-2018, 03:40 PM)giradman Wrote: Guys - I was wondering whether 'shelf life' might be an issue (although not mentioned by our OP) - searching a number of woodworking forums, numerous posts seem to state that BLO can last for years if not decades! My current quart can of Klean Strip is 6 years old and seems to still work fine; however, on their Website, the statement quoted below is present which seems like a selling plot!
In our OP's situation, I doubt shelf like is an issue - not sure whether temp/humidity and/or oily cedar are issues, but agree w/ waiting, sometimes takes several weeks or more to dry. Dave
BLO has metallic driers added to help it polymerize faster, if it actually ever does. I've had a gallon of the stuff for at least 20 years, which tells you how often I use the stuff, and it still seems to work fine. The key with BLO is to wipe off whatever does not penetrate into the wood after 10 minutes or so. If you leave a film on the surface you will end up with the sticky mess the OP has.
Update: after scrubbing it with liberal amounts of Naptha it was still a little sticky.
I pulled it out into the sun and after about a week, it is feeling pretty good - I don't think that is just because of the cottonwood cotton and various tree pollens - but I'll give it a few more days and wipe it down with a gently soaked rag one more time.
Still a little more shine than there was to it before, but better than it was a week ago.
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