Raw Linseed Oil/ Flax Seed Oil - Tasty(?), Healthy, AND Good for Your Stock!

[techkya]

I just recieved my one liter of Swedish Raw Organic (cold pressed) linseed oil for 14.95 + 10.00 shipping to PA....Google Viking Sales, Victor N.Y...Select the Silent Paint Remover title....On the right side 12th sub tittle, select Old Fashioned linseed paint....The Pine Tar is pricey...as is the Linseed Wax....Ph 585 924 8070....I have no connection...

[jmoore]

A very useful post, techkya! It's pretty well buried in their site, so here's a direct link to those interested:

http://www.solventfreepaint.com/cleaned_linseed_oil.htm

[techkya]

Thank you jmoore...If you call and speak to the nice lady she will take your cc info...I don't care for pay pal myself....The raw has a very light color...I don't know how to post a direct link...thanks again....Viking Sales visits a lot of boat shows on long weekends.... don't give up....regards

[WeeDavie41]

linseed oil has very little redeeming value when it comes to the care, preservation, or restoration of any wooden object. Of the many oils that are readily available Tung oil is one that is superior. Click on this link to read more, AIC - Caring for Furniture This link will put you in contact with the Wooden Artifacts Group of the American Institute for Conservation and a section that deals with “Caring for your Treasures - Furniture” . Also there is more to learn by reading the tenth chapter of Prf. Bruce Hoadley's book, "Understanding Wood" Taunton Press. This chapter deals specifically with the multitude of common finishes and their attributes and failings.

[jmoore]

linseed oil has very little redeeming value when it comes to the care, preservation, or restoration of any wooden object.

It may be "oh so horrible", but it's what was used exclusively throughout the service life of many of the rifles we collect. And I'm generally satisfied with it's performance, but my foul weather rifles do more often get tung oil. Most notably my Winchester 52C. Which ain't exactly "milsurp"!

[bob4wd]

Since my OLD quart can of RLO "cooked off" and won't flow any more, there was a need to buy some more. The paint store employee had no idea what linseed oil is(!!!! No foolin'!), so a prolonged search was made to find further mass quantities of this oil. Plenty of Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) available, some with "evil" additives, others "pure", but no RLO!

Remembering old Edward Horton investigations, and his sourcing of RLO from art supply shops, I found some good non-toxic gen-u-wine cold pressed oil. But price-y it is!:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tuff0202-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tuff0212-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tuff0232-1.jpg
Note that the English bottle is US$11 more than the Canadian for the same quantity!

About the same time I started a major clean of a '93 Oviedo Mauser, and wondered if they might have used a local oil, but unless they use olive oil on stocks that seemed unlikely. The research did bring up a reminder that "linseed" is another name for "flax seed" oil. Sooo...what might flax seed oil be used for? Turns out it's one of those "wonder" foods that is supposed to do all sorts of good things for you. "Whatever!" Still, that means SOMEBODY ought to be selling it locally, I was just looking in the wrong spots!

A trip to the local barber revealed a Whole Foods grocery store within walking distance, so after a 30 minute hunt through the multitude of olive, walnut, safflower, canola(rapeseed), and sesame oils, a whole section of Health Oils was found! Several varieties of Flaxseed oil included! Mostly "enhanced", but this one seemed tame enough:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...uff00221-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tuff0053-1.jpg


Got it home and commenced some informal tests. :
1)Smell- same!
2)Color-The Flaxseed oil may be a touch lighter, but not by much over the Canadian Linseed oil. The English oil was darker, and had some sedimentation.
3)Texture- same!
4)Viscocity- The Flaxseed oil is more fluid, but it's quite possible that's entirely due to it's being fresher, no oxidation or slow polymerization has yet occurred.
5)Taste- The linseed oil is a little "stonger" but otherwise tastes the same as the flaxseed oil. Both are good on greenbeans, BTW! Who'd a thunk it? Did not try the English linseed oil, as there is some apparent sedimentation going on in the bottle. Probably MUCH older, given that it's more than twice as expensive as the Canadian product.
6)Wood test- nothing definitive yet, but it LOOKS the same going on. Both penetrate much better than BLO.

Best part?- Price! The food grade oil is MUCH cheaper than the artsy stuff. (Both are FAR more than the old quart can variety, but it's unobtainium.) ~US$6.99 for 236ml of Flaxseed Oil vs. US$6.99 and $17.99 for 75ml of Raw Linseed Oil.

So, does anybody know of any "down sides" to using "flaxseed oil" versus "Raw Linseed Oil"? (Disregarding the "enhanced" uber-healthy versions of flaxseed that is.)

Old thread, I know, and you probably already found this out, but if not, you might be interested in this little tidbit. Turns put that flaxseed oil and raw linseed oilare in fact the same thing, different names for the same product. I use the gelcaps, very convenient as one cap does one gun!