Here’s An Opinion On:
By HJ Smith
In Europe in the Age of Oak, from the beginning of the 16th century to the middle of the 17th century, furniture finishes were limited to vegetable oils and waxes.
People were probably more concerned with preserving the wood than with enhancing its appearance.
Until revived in recent years by some leading furniture makers, the use of linseed oil alone was forsaken – save for a few diehards – in favor of commercially prepared penetrating tung oils.
Although the tung oils work into the wood, sealing and hardening the surface and leaving a more natural look than a brushed-on finish, nothing produces a sheen as incomparably silky as a coat or two of linseed oil, properly applied.
This finish is particularly suited to hard, close-grained wood. If heated and used on a warm day, the oil penetrates deep into the wood, drawing out color and indistinct surface configurations that may have faded or been bleached out.
But not all woods can stand such a revival, for linseed oil can permanently change the mellow look that aged wood may have taken so long to achieve.
The rich, golden brown of antique cherry can become an insignificant red.
Curly maple, though, thrives on this finish and can produce superb amber tones to contrast with the dark, slightly raised tiger stripes.
Linseed oil is also well suited to most stripped bent wood of all shapes and sizes, and on rockers – provided the wood is sound – the finish never seems to fail.
If you decide to try this finish, set a glass container of the oil in a pan of hot water and heat it to a comfortable 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which also thins it for effective penetration.
Apply it with a piece of cotton toweling lightly wetted with the oil and then rubbed over the surfaces. Use comfortable but vigorous pressure to maintain surface warmth.
Continue until the wood will absorb no more and its surfaces remain wet. Dry it, again, vigorously, with a coarse cloth like denim or canvas, and leave the work for a day or two.
If there is surface sweating in that time, rub away the beads of oil with the coarse cloth.
If the piece is too sticky and stubborn to respond to this treatment, use the applicator pad again, but dampen it with paint thinner.
Next, rub in another coat, but apply the oil sparingly and keep it warm.
When you can rub your palm over the surfaces without picking up any oil, the wood is ready for the final step, polishing with a paste wax. Use white wax for light-colored woods and brown wax for darker ones.
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