Howdy; It’s been a while since my last post, which is probably good as it means I’m actually getting some work done instead of just talking about doing the work.
The missus and I have exposed some (okay, lots of) 100+ year old semi-rough pine trusses in our ceiling. They’ve been cleaned and have a nice red oxidized color to them. We want to accentuate their natural color, so we thought we’d apply an oil to bring out some life in them, and actually started testing some spots with boiled linseed. It looks good, and after a few days we’re happy with the look when dry.
I’ve read a lot of pro/con posts related to flooring or exterior uses, but how about some opinions for this use. No traffic/damage to resist (like with flooring), little-to-no direct sunlight to deal with, and theoretically mildew won’t be a problem if we do our roof right (and don’t turn the building into a sauna…). We’re okay with the odor while it dries, as it’s in the area under construction, not a living area.
Are we asking for trouble using the oil in such quantities (I’m calculating around 30 gallons)?
For reference, this is an 1895 brick-walled church, if the structure makes any difference, and we’re in Central Illinois as far as temperature/geography.
Thanks for your thoughts.
My kingdom for more tools
Replies
Go for it. Old time classic and cheap.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Sounds great!
or
Sounds simply adorable
depending on your gender
;)
<working on being PC as well as entertaining as an upgrade to plain old boring advice>
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Piffen - PC???............ snork!
you'd be pleasantly surprised to learn how PC I can be when it comes to justice and fairness issues... For instance, in my real life, as chair of the planning board, I referred to myself as chair PERSON not Chairman, which set the precedent to make things easier for the first female chair of that board - a person I selected to follow me and groomed for the position
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Ah, so you did it all to get into her ... tool locker!!
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
I was joking - I really know you as an ok person, & I like your work.
So much of what many people think of as political correctness is just fairness, common sense, & decency - extensions of the golden rule - & a lot of the rest serves to jolt us out of our hackneyed speech patterns...
gonna spray it?
I'd add my approval to the previous poster's -
do be careful - I used some on a recent project and my dear daughter thought she would help out by washing the various rags, including the one I used to wipe BLO - after washing and drying it still set the hamper of rags on fire - luck was that dear wife spotted it before it flamed - a buddy and I were admiring the project when a hamper of smoldering laundry came flying out the door (literally) -
scary close to disaster -
Wow, I'm glad it didn't ignite in the dryer!
Heh - I saw several references to the very real combustion issues of BLO when trolling for opinions earlier tonight. I spread out the rags and rollers that had been used up to this point on some concrete out back to air out (and burn harmlessly if they decide to get fired up).As for how I'm applying? I decided to use a roller, as the airless sprayer I have would (in my estimation) be tougher to maneuver with. The trusses (scissor trusses) span about 28' wall to wall. the lower beams start @ 6' from the floor and meet @ 13' up. The upper beams also start @ 6' and end @ 21' at the peak. All in all there's lots of pulling myself around on the scaffolding to reach things as it is. The roller (and 12' extension) seem to work so far with minimal dancing on the scaffolding. I'm using a roller meant for painting rough surfaces (popcorn ceilings, or something fun like that).So far I'm seeing about two trusses covered per gallon of BLO, which I hope to improve with better technique and less overlapping. I think I was bit surprised how fast the oil gets used up. I suppose 100 year old wood is pretty ready to soak up anything.Thanks for everyone's speedy responses. I'll sleep well tonight with the musk of linseed to impress the missus.
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My kingdom for more tools
" I spread out the rags and rollers that had been used up to this point on some concrete out back to air out (and burn harmlessly if they decide to get fired up)."Another way to handle that is if you've got a spare small kettle grill like a Smokey Joe or some such -- toss the rags in there to dry, and if something flames, well, it's a barbecue! :^)soj
BTW, how did the foam work out? Haven't seen any updated pics on your web page. Heck I am around the corner and just noticed your dumpster gone....
Hey Ernie;
The foam went in pretty well. The key was wrapping all the trusses in plastic beforehand, so over-spray had minimal consequences. They were in and out in 3 days time.Once we get these trusses treated, we start putting up the t&g ceiling. That should provide lots of teeth-gnashing, hair-pulling fun.Stop by anytime - you've still got a bit of time before the foam is covered (probably a lot of time...)--------------------------
My kingdom for more tools
My home is mostly all white pine (posts/beams/ceiling liner) I used watco oil and colored it just a wee bit to get an aged look.......gallon goes a long way................
My floors are entirely covered in white oak (cabin grade) this I also covered in Watco .......love it ...........cause it immediately after I layed it the floor looked a hundred years old. I will just add more to the worn areas when they need it...no big deal.
Nothing uglier IMO that a lovely old beam wrapped in poly plastic.
waiting on the revolution..............
It probably does not matter for this particular use, but BLO straight takes a long time to fully dry. Whenever I use it as wood treatment under a paint finish, I mix it 50/50 with turpentine. A bit better penetration, and it dries enough to paint over it pretty quickly.
Since you are not going over it with anything else, it might not matter for you. I'm sure the furniture people have more experience with this type of application.
BLO straight takes a long time to fully dry.
on smooth tight wood this is an issue - I'd wager in this situation, old rough wood, that it sucks in and disappears almost immediately, without any puddling or ponding -
"there's enough for everyone"
You got it - those beams wick it right up. They wick it, and then it looks wicked.--------------------------
My kingdom for more tools
"BLO straight takes a long time to fully dry"It does go off slowly, but it does not dry.it cures in reaction with oxygen in the air and in the wood. This reactive oxidation is the same thing that causes the rags to burst into flame occasionally. heat is the byproduct of the chemical reaction and rags kept closed up where they cannot exude more heat than they create in the curing process, spontaneous combustion is the result.not picking on you personally, but I think it is an important thing for users of the product to be aware of. I have a similar pet peeve about those who refer to concrete 'drying'
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yes, definitely be careful with the stuff. It's not that it MIGHT spontaneously combust. Rather it WILL, given half a chance. It's not even a gamble, it's shooting yourself in the foot (or elsewhere).
All rags/sponges/towels that are even slightly damp with the stuff should be either burned immediately (not an hour from now, but NOW), set out on a fireproof surface until completely dry, stored under water until disposed of, or stored in an airtight metal can that is itself kept in a fire-safe location.
I don't know what is in "Penatrol" (sp?) but after i sand blasted some large heart pine beams and the cast iron that they were perched on..i didn't want the cast iron to rust... so i sprayed em down with what i had (penatrol) in a pump up garden sprayer... that was 3 -4 yrs ago the cast iron still looks good and where it got onto the heart pine... looks pretty good also....
the pump up garden sprayer might work vs your roller? i purchased BLO in some 5 gal buckets and it was ALOT cheaper than buy'n by the gal...
keep us posted on your project
p