linseed oil, boiled or not?

I use walnut oil on our cutting boards and have been quite happy with
it. Walnut oil does polymerize, but it seems to do so faster at room
temperature than tung oil and linseed oil. One of these days I'll
remember to quantify the speed of polymerization with a quick DSC run.

RB

patriarch < wrote:
> "john west++++" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>
>>hi, im told linseed oil is the best oil to use on a wooden cooking
>>chopping board, also i want to use it on a garden seat. however it
>>comes in ordinary linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. what is the
>>difference between ordinary and boiled linseed and what are the
>>advantages of the two different types?
>>
>>thanking you for any assistance, yours john west.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> John,
> The Boiled Linseed Oil is typically NOT boiled in the classic sense of the
> word, but rather made to behave in a manner as classic boiled linseed would
> behave. In other words, it polymerizes, or cures, more quickly, than the
> 'raw' type. This is done with heavy metal driers added to the mix. While
> I'm not all that uncomfortable with having those in my furniture finishes,
> the notion of adding them to my food preparation surfaces makes me nervous.
>
> So for your garden bench, the difference would be in how quickly the oil
> cures, or hardens. Other factors affecting the cure rate would be the
> materials you used, how dry they are, the temperature, weather, the solvent
> type and amount you may have used in mixing the oil, the rate and method of
> application, and likely several other factors I've missed.
>
> So either kind on the outdoor furniture, and neither kind is necessary on
> the cutting boards. If you MUST use something on the cutting boards, get
> it from the cooking specialty store or catalog. Otherwise, just hot water
> & a stiff scrubbing. And it will likely need replacing in 20 years or so.
>
> Patriarch

The cold-pressed "organic" varieties do, however, normally contain nut
proteins. Can be bad for about .01% of the population. Extracted
commercial stuff is free of same, but is likely to make folks who worry
about siccative residue in BLO nervous, because the solvents they use are
pretty harsh.


"patriarch [email protected]>" <<patriarch> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> RB <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
> > I use walnut oil on our cutting boards and have been quite happy with
> > it. Walnut oil does polymerize, but it seems to do so faster at room
> > temperature than tung oil and linseed oil. One of these days I'll
> > remember to quantify the speed of polymerization with a quick DSC run.
> >
> > RB
> >
>
> And the walnut oil generally is free of the heavy metal driers, too. ;-)
>
> Patriarch

"Boiled" linseed oil is a holdover term from when the oil was heated
while air was bubbled in at a very controlled rate so that the oil would
perform a part of the polymerization process. Today, it refers to linseed
oil that has driers in it. These driers are typically heavy metals so I
would not use it for any cooking, serving, or eating ware. Raw linseed oil
does not have any driers in it. As a result, it will not cure in any
meaningful length of time.
There are several food safe finishes out there, among which Walnut oil
is a relatively inexpensive drying oil. Just be aware that some people may
be allergic to it. There are other food safe oil finishes that do not have
this issue.
As for the garden bench, a linseed oil finish offers very little
protection and will likely turn black after a few years or less. I have
read that in some parts of the country, items finished with boiled linseed
oil serve as food for a type of fungus that will also turn black. If you
really wish to use a penetrating oil finish on your garden bench, there are
several meant for outdoor use such as Penofin, Cabot, etc.

Good Luck

"john west++++" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> hi, im told linseed oil is the best oil to use on a wooden cooking
chopping
> board, also i want to use it on a garden seat. however it comes in
ordinary
> linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. what is the difference between
ordinary
> and boiled linseed and what are the advantages of the two different types?
>
> thanking you for any assistance, yours john west.
>
>
>

> Oil softens wood so don't use any of any type. Food chopping blocks
> should just be scraped and washed. Butchers use scalding water and wire
> brushes.

When I worked in a butchers shop we scrapped it clean. A wire brush would
tear it up.

"john west++++" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> hi, im told linseed oil is the best oil to use on a wooden cooking
> chopping board, also i want to use it on a garden seat. however it
> comes in ordinary linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. what is the
> difference between ordinary and boiled linseed and what are the
> advantages of the two different types?
>
> thanking you for any assistance, yours john west.
>
>
>

John,
The Boiled Linseed Oil is typically NOT boiled in the classic sense of the
word, but rather made to behave in a manner as classic boiled linseed would
behave. In other words, it polymerizes, or cures, more quickly, than the
'raw' type. This is done with heavy metal driers added to the mix. While
I'm not all that uncomfortable with having those in my furniture finishes,
the notion of adding them to my food preparation surfaces makes me nervous.

So for your garden bench, the difference would be in how quickly the oil
cures, or hardens. Other factors affecting the cure rate would be the
materials you used, how dry they are, the temperature, weather, the solvent
type and amount you may have used in mixing the oil, the rate and method of
application, and likely several other factors I've missed.

So either kind on the outdoor furniture, and neither kind is necessary on
the cutting boards. If you MUST use something on the cutting boards, get
it from the cooking specialty store or catalog. Otherwise, just hot water
& a stiff scrubbing. And it will likely need replacing in 20 years or so.

Patriarch

RB <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> I use walnut oil on our cutting boards and have been quite happy with
> it. Walnut oil does polymerize, but it seems to do so faster at room
> temperature than tung oil and linseed oil. One of these days I'll
> remember to quantify the speed of polymerization with a quick DSC run.
>
> RB
>

And the walnut oil generally is free of the heavy metal driers, too. ;-)

Patriarch

"john west++++" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]

> hi, im told linseed oil is the best oil to use on a wooden cooking chopping
> board, also i want to use it on a garden seat. however it comes in ordinary
> linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. what is the difference between ordinary
> and boiled linseed and what are the advantages of the two different types?

Oil softens wood so don't use any of any type. Food chopping blocks
should just be scraped and washed. Butchers use scalding water and wire
brushes.

Wood by the way is the most hygenic of surfaces in a kitchen as it has a
sterilizing effect.




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"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:U%[email protected]...
>
> > Oil softens wood so don't use any of any type. Food chopping blocks
> > should just be scraped and washed. Butchers use scalding water and wire
> > brushes.
>
> When I worked in a butchers shop we scrapped it clean. A wire brush would
> tear it up.
>
>
We used a special type of wire brush. It was a series of flat blades, about
3/16" wide. Soft of a bunch of mini scrapers about the thickness of a wire,
but wide. We used a dilute leash solution to sanitize. Never used any
oils.