Woodworking Asked by François Beaune on May 17, 2021
After sanding my wood table with sandpaper grit 80, 180 and finally 240, I applied a first layer of a mixture of 25% turpentine and 75% raw linseed oil, then two layers of 100% raw linseed oil.
After 48 hours the table shows no signs of drying. I realize that I should have used turpentine or other drying agents on all layers, but it’s too late.
Is there anything I can do to speed up the drying process? Would sanding it again with a very fine sandpaper (grit 240?) help? Wiping off excess oil with a cloth lightly soaked in turpentine? Adding a layer of beeswax? Any other tip?
I realize that I should have used turpentine or other drying agents
Turpentine doesn't really promote the drying of linseed oil despite many references to the contrary. In a woodworking context what it does is thin the mixture so that less oil is actually applied, and that obviously dries more quickly than more oil.
Is there anything I can do to speed up the drying process?
Provide plenty of air for the linseed oil to react with. Linseed oil 'dries' by oxidation and it needs air to do so.
Higher temperatures help quite a bit too, but the main thing is to ensure there's plenty of moving air going over the table.
Assuming you do nothing to the table but give it plenty of air the surface should be reasonably 'dry' in about a week (assuming all excess was wiped away after every coat as should be done). But expect it to take many months to be more fully cured.
Would sanding it again with a very fine sandpaper (grit 240?) help?
You'll probably clog the sandpaper fairly quickly but sanding will remove oil-saturated wood and what's left in the surface will dry more quickly.
Wiping off excess oil with a cloth lightly soaked in turpentine?
Yes again this will remove some oil from the table and what's left will then dry faster.
Adding a layer of beeswax?
No. This will slow the curing of the oil.
The problem with removing some of the oil is that you still need to oil further to give the table a proper finish. In my experience four full-strength coats of linseed oil are the bare minimum needed for a decent finish, and 7-10 is usually much better. With boiled linseed oil* this process takes as much as two weeks, with raw linseed oil I guess it could take 3-6 months!
*Not boiled but instead has metallic drying agents added to speed curing.
Correct answer by Graphus on May 17, 2021
You really cannot speed up the drying of raw linseed oil - it takes somewhere between a long time and forever to dry.
Your best bet is to wipe off as much of the raw linseed oil as you can using rags. You can try more fine sanding, but the sandpaper will clog up very rapidly.
Once you get to a point where you are satisfied that no more raw linseed oil is coming off, apply multiple coats of boiled linseed oil.
One common adage is to apply one coat per day for a week, then one coat per week for a month, one coat per month for a year and one coat per year forever. While this is extreme, it does drive home the point that a boiled linseed oil finish should be maintained regularly.
Answered by Ast Pace on May 17, 2021
It will eventually dry and soak in. Raw linseed not boiled is what the Military used to dip stocks in. It is great at keeping wood from drying out and cracking. They then turned to Raw Tung oil, which smells kinda like peanuts and is waterproof. Both take forever to dry. Both will dry in a week if wood is very dry( by oxidation) I’ve seen wood soak it up but then slow down. Linseed will darken wood a good bit, Tung oil just barely. Linseed can mold Tung oil no. Sometimes after thoroughly dry I put Tung oil finish or tru-oil on top to seal the finish. Or boiled linseed, it has chemical dryers. Raw linseed and Tung oil are non toxic and can be applied by hand.
Answered by Bruce Schneider on May 17, 2021
In your linseed oil mix add a very small amount of terebine to your oil and turpentine. This speeds up oxidation ie drying. Wipe on sparingly and remove excess oil to get a smooth satin finish. Allow each coat to dry first .
Answered by Oliver von Wilpert on May 17, 2021
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