Had some boiled linseed oil that was stored in a clear glass bottle. Applied some of this to a stained gunstock and now the oil doesn't seem to want to dry. When purchased, the oil came in a metal container. Does light affect boiled linseed oil? Thanks in advance.

Had some boiled linseed oil that was stored in a clear glass bottle. Applied some of this to a stained gunstock and now the oil doesn't seem to want to dry. When purchased, the oil came in a metal container. Does light affect boiled linseed oil? Thanks in advance.

This was called "paint" long ago. As I understand the biology, and that was not my strongest, lead oxide in red or white was mixed in boiled linseed oil and applied to the surface. The oil dried thru the action of light and oxygen to form a crude "plastic" layer. The flakes of lead in the layer protected the linseed oil from further damaged by light and oxygen until you rubbed on it and got that white rash on yourself/clothes... Then the process started again with light/air degrading the surface oil layer exposing more lead oxide...

So, yes, I am certain that light and oxygen in air affect boiled linseed oil. This is the reason it is supplied in a light tight/ air tight metal can. Sorry for your problem. How degraded it is I cannot say, but it would be expedient to scrub it off and start with new -- or spray on one of those new auto finishes... pure, new plastic from crude oil... luck.

Marshall,

Have you ever used any of this inseed oil? How long have you waited for it to dry?

Contrary to the last response, the lead in "boiled" ois is not red or white lead which are oxides of lead used as pigments. If these were in the oil it would be an opaque paint rather than clear. The lead in boiled linseed oil is lead stearate, also know as Japan Drier. he purpose of the lead stearate is to accelerate oxidation of the oil causing it to harden or "dry". The only basic difference between a linseed oil finish and varnish is the varnish contaoin some form of resin, usually natural rosin. (Contrary to common use resin and rosin are not the same thing, although rosin is a resin, there are many others, notably Epoxy). The oil will naturally oxidize and harden over time, even so called "raw" linseed oil. Even products such as GB Linspeed and Tru-Oil are no more than varnishes with more lead stearate to accelerate the oxidation to a matter of hours rather than the days bolied oil can take.

Now you know more than you ever wanted to, the short answer to your question is no, sunlight will not affect the drying of boiled linseed oil.

Either you haven't given it long enough, it was too cold which will slow oxidation, or what you have is raw linseed oil instead of boiled oil. Try putting the stock somewhere warm and see what happens. If it doesn't dry in a couple of days remove it with mineral spirits and start over with Linspeed or Tru-Oil.

Thanks for your input guys. Even though there were differences in your explanations, the common denominator is the same: remove the oil and try again which was also where I was headed. To give you a little history, I purchased the linseed oil in an airtight metal can and poured some of it into a shallow glass bottle with a cap to use on an oil finished stock. I rubbed five coats of it on the stock waiting for each coat to dry before adding another. Each coat dried beautifully in about a day and a half. Rather than pour the remaining oil back into the can, I left it in the bottle for future use. About a year later, I refinished another stock using the old oil from the bottle. I used the same technique and drying time as before and now the oil doesn't seem to want to dry. Several weeks after applying the oil, the stock still feels slippery and I can wipe traces of oil off it with a clean rag. I think I'm going to wipe it down with mineral spirits, allow it to dry, give it a light sanding, and try applying oil from the metal can which I still have. Appreciate your posts.

I have some linspeed that won't dry anymore, but I left the cap off for a while, which probably caused the problem. I do know that they recommend that the jar be stored upside down to prevent air exposure

Alk8944,

Is correct, it's the lead stearate that provides the curing action and many folks add more and double boil the oil again but that can be a very dangerous operation.

Light and air will quickly degrade raw linseed oil and boiled oil degrades 2-5 times faster.

If the oil you put on is tacky, you can rub it back with cloth dampened, not wetted, with mineral spirits, you need not remove all of it unless it shows signs that it's not sticking to the wood. Take the heavy stuff off and let it sit in a warm dry place with plenty of fresh air flow for about three days and see if it cures up. When the oil gets bad like you describe, often times it'll just skin-over on the outermost portion of the layer just about completely stopping the drying action of the oil under it. Removing only the excess will often let the small amount in direct contact with the wood act like a grain filler and thinning action of the mineral spirits will allow that thin coat to dry completely so it can be rubbed back and additional layers of good oil put on top of it. Unless it looks real funky, I wouldn't go though the hassles of trying to get it all off.

jb12string and markkw,
Thanks for your posts and tips guys. There must be a reason why boiled linseed oil comes in a can and not a clear bottle. All of you just explained why. Will be better prepared the next time. Best wishes.