Replies

1. 
   Karl | Feb 16, 2009 06:03am | #1

   I have a rusty old wrought iron lamp that I wire brushed with a wire wheel and rubbed down with tung oil. The oil immediately added depth and lustre to the steel and it has held up great. The oil seems to seal in any loose rust and grime that is on the steel. You could rub up against it with a white t-shirt and come away clean.

   I keep the lamp inside so I can't comment on how it would do outside.

   I also did a fireplace heat shield out of some old rusty sheet metal and used a wire wheel to get the loose rust off. It looked fantastic after oiling it.

   It almost seems like it is beneficial to let the iron oxidize a bit before oiling it to give it a bit more of a random natural patina.

   It might be that you were advised to heat the metal up prior to oiling to get at least a bit of oxidation prior to oiling it???

   I say go for it, I have had only good luck with it.

   Karl

2. 
   DavidxDoud | Feb 16, 2009 07:40am | #2

   I use BLO on steel - looks good, lasts like paint -

   I would guess the heat aspect gives you the 'quick dry' - room temp and it will be oily for several days -

   be careful with the rags -

   "there's enough for everyone"
1. 
   ponytl | Feb 16, 2009 10:38am | #8

   i welded up some brackets yesterday that woud be exposed.. so i thought i'd try the wipe down while it's hot with blo...

   was just hot enough to smoke just a bit.....  but there was a difference between just wiped on to cold metal vs the instant "baked on"  a bit blacker... and not oily...   looked older so i guess it added that patina (yuppie word for old and worn)

   thing inside here don't tend to rust anyway  so i think it shoud hold up... i might try try adding a bit of polyurathane in the mix... as that seems to work well with wood..

   thanks

   p

1. 
   joeh | Feb 16, 2009 07:35pm | #11

   looked older so i guess it added that patina (yuppie word for old and worn)

   Think it's antique dealer code word for dirt. Old dirt.

   Joe H

3. 
   yojimbo2 | Feb 16, 2009 08:25am | #3

   I often come across acronyms on this site and I have no idea what they stand for. BLO was a new one for me, so i looked it up, here is a short list:

   Acronym Definition
   BLO Below
   BLO Blower
   BLO Boston Lyric Opera
   BLO Barbie Liberation Organization
   BLO Boiled Linseed Oil (finishing oil applied to wood and metal)
   BLO Back Loop Only (crochet instructions)
   BLO Border Liaison Office
   BLO Binary Large Object
   BLO Bounded Linear Operator
   BLO Base Level Operations
   BLO Better Life Option
   BLO Butt Line Zero

   BLO Bacon, Lettuce, and Onion (Sandwich)

1. 
   Dreamcatcher | Feb 16, 2009 08:45am | #4

   I believe he means "Black Oxide" or "Black Liquid Oxide" Although I've never used BLO, I took a few blacksmithing courses several years ago and we used bees wax on the metal while it was hot. All the pieces I made are still beautiful lustrous black. Another technique we learned was to use a brass bristle brush on cold steel to add a fine layer of brass to the pieces; made it look like cast brass.DC

1. 
   ponytl | Feb 16, 2009 10:25am | #6

   searching the net people who work with metal have all kinds of things they use to preserve the look they want... seems the most common is BLO (boiled linseed oil the oil from the flax seed) usually mixed with something.. bees wax being one of the common things to mix it with... sometimes a thinner is added usually mineral spirits...... BLO is the base for many oil based paints...

   p

1. 
   Dreamcatcher | Feb 16, 2009 05:03pm | #10

   D'oh....Boiled Linseed Oil.....thanks, makes sense now.I remember a friend of mine who collects old tools said that's what old carpenters used to put on their tools to keep off rust and protect the wood. It's why many antiques develop beautiful deep patinas. I've kinda teased him because he does it to his tools now too. It just doesn't look as cool on a new hammer as it does on a 100 year old hammer, but I guess you gotta start the working in the patina sometime.DC

4. 
   fingersandtoes | Feb 16, 2009 09:14am | #5

   If you want the natural metal to show through, why not use Varethane?

1. 
   ponytl | Feb 16, 2009 10:30am | #7

   BLO wipes on..  i've already painted miles of rail..  thats a PIA...  plus any clear finish can/will chip.. seems BLO or some mix of the same  almost is like the protective blue on a gun... the tests i've done. you can't tell it has a finish on it yet it looks "finished" i guess like an oiled finish on good wood...

   p

1. 
   fingersandtoes | Feb 16, 2009 01:10pm | #9

   Sounds very cool. Have you ever posted pictures of your loft?

5. 
   Piffin | Feb 16, 2009 10:55pm | #12

   "by wipe'n down a metal work while it was still hot"

   way back in my scratchy memory is something about heat annealing or some such where you oil the metal while hot and it draws the oil into the pores of the metal to make it a part of the microscopic structure.

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   Sphere | Feb 17, 2009 12:32am | #13

   Yeah, I recall a blacksmith at Col. Williamsburg, quenching in BLO due to the fact that used motor oil was not an option. I think, its been a long time.  Also, I know that dipping brass in the oil and adding a torch flame will blacken or antique it. I've done that with some homemade hinges.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

    

    

6. 
   fingersandtoes | Jun 06, 2009 06:15am | #14

   How did the rails turn out?

1. 
   ponytl | Jun 06, 2009 06:40am | #15

   i think they turned out very well... very close to ART in my eye...  i used BLO on many welds when they were still hot.. took on a blued steel look....  the rest we just wiped down with the same mix we used for the first seal coat on the wood floors... a mix of BLO poly mineral spirits and a small amount of wood stain... (the wood stain added color to the wood floors but you can't tell on the steel)... it's just what we had mixed up and did it all at the same time... been a few months

   don't know how it will wear  but... so far it looks good

    

   thanks for asking

   p

1. 
   fingersandtoes | Jun 06, 2009 07:35am | #16

   That's great. I have a couple of I beams running through my living room and dining room that I painted black and now hearing your description I wish I hadn't. Maybe someday I'll go after them when I have the time.

   edit: thinking about the railings wearing, it may even improve the look. It's nice to have materials and finishes that don't only look good when brand new. I have been using quite bit of stainless steel - mainly as backsplashes and around fireplaces. Instead of waiting for the inevitable first scratches, I've work the surface with a wire wheel. Any other wear just adds an interesting patina.

   Edited 6/6/2009 12:42 am ET by fingersandtoes

1. 
   ponytl | Jun 06, 2009 04:21pm | #17

   I agree with you...  if by design everything is random then one more scratch is just added detail...  whereas one scratch on a perfert surface ruins the whole job...

   I freehand all my concrete floor scores... a perfect line cut next to a guild and you might as well have laid tile or something....  my wavey lines and imperfect cuts are way softer to the eye and screwups become/add "artistic character"

   p:)