I applied too much linseed oil

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nikolav
Gidgee
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:37 am
Location: Auckland

I applied too much linseed oil

Post by nikolav » Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:05 pm

My first ever attempt (not counting 1-2 necks) to use boiled linseed oil as a body finish is ending in a disaster.
I wanted to finish a swamp kauri body in linseed oil. Probably due to the inconsistency of the wood - burling, change of grain direction etc. when I started coating the body I had some nicely covered parts after the first 1-2 applications and some spots that completely soaked the oil no matter how many layers I applied. And I applied a lot - twice daily for at least 10 - 15 days. The "dry: spots remained "dry" no matter what I finally realized I did something stupid and gave up. Two weeks later the body is still very tacky. After a long day of scrubbing and sanding the result is a gooey mess. Even though I'm 99% certain I'm sanding the bare wood now, it still feels wet. So, I'm not sure I'm going anywhere with the sanding.
Is there a way I recover from this? Should I leave it alone and wait as long as it takes to cure/dry?
How would you recommend proceeding from now on?

PS. I should've said the body is for an electric guitar.

old_picker
Blackwood
Posts: 183
Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 1:51 pm

Re: I applied too much linseed oil

Post by old_picker » Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:08 am

Boiled Linseed will eventually set hard - may take weeks
Best plan is to mix BLO with polyurethane and turps - mix 1 unit of each together. 1/3 blo 1/3 turps 1/3 poly
flood the surface and leave for 10 minutes then wipe off excess
do this once every 24 hours 3 times
allow a few days for the smell to go away

nikolav
Gidgee
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:37 am
Location: Auckland

Re: I applied too much linseed oil

Post by nikolav » Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:50 am

Yeah, I figured that I have to wait. But I wasn't happy with the result anyway. There were still too much and too big "dry" spots. So I sanded everything down to bare wood. Then I wiped everything with turps and kept doing that for a few untill the rag stopped turning brown. And now I'll wait as long as I have to.
What you are suggesting (isn't that a DIY Danish oil?) I did for another body, but it turned too glossy. For this particular body, I was aiming for a more natural look, hence the BLO.
In another woodworking forum, someone suggested applying a layer of shellac before applying the BLO, so the shellac can seal the wood and stop it from absorbing too much oil. I may try this as well.

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