Oil

addicted · May 14, 2015, 10:09:05 AM

Hey Guys
I'm looking forward to raising my first frame in the next couple of months. I started looking into what sort of finish to put on the timbers before raising and found two web sites of the same name (very popular timber frame oil). Can anyone offer some advice as to what the difference is between the two?

Is it common to apply a borax solution before the oil? If so can you offer any specifics as to concentration and application methods?
Thanks
rusty

Brian_Weekley · May 14, 2015, 04:18:38 PM

Rusty,

Can't offer any advice on oil since I didn't do anything with my timbers. However, looking forward to seeing your frame go up. What are you building?

Brian

beenthere · May 14, 2015, 05:27:27 PM

Do you want an oil finish, or are you just asking for a finish recommendation?

Are you after a particular look or some degree of protection against something... which is what?

addicted · May 14, 2015, 10:04:32 PM

Hey Brian
I'm building a garage/barn. I want to put some sort of oil finish on the timbers to sample what we might like. I thought we would try land ark. My only experience with it was when I took a TF class in Maine. And that consisted of rolling it on a handful of timbers. When I googled their name, two websites came up. I was curious as to which company most people use since they both have the same name yet claim they are different.

Beenthere
Yes to all the above. The barn will be a smaller version of the house. So we plan on having a few different things in the barn to see what we like for the house. Rough cut timbers in one area, sanded in another, sanded and oiled in the next. Then there is the leanto that will be exposed to the outdoors that might need something Jim describes in one of his posts, BLO and turpentine.
I'm open to hearing anyone describe what they used and how they might have done it differently.

Rusty

JimXJ2000 · May 16, 2015, 09:41:13 PM

I tried a few in sample pieces. Ended up using plain linseed oil on the soft woods and a Thompson's water sealer on the hard woods.

I think the couple online companies have samples you can order.

addicted · May 16, 2015, 09:48:04 PM

Thanks Jim
What were the other samples that you tried? Are you happy with the boiled linseed ol?
Rusty

Dad2FourWI · May 16, 2015, 09:58:16 PM

We did a bunch of research on this and we really liked Penofin

Here is the link in text http://www.penofin.com/

and I will try the link as a link... http://www.penofin.com/

Very interesting company and products... we will be using them in our entire cabin (inside)

For our outside (again we researched this waaaaaay too long) we decided on One Time

http://onetimewood.com/

link here (I hope) http://onetimewood.com/

HTH (hope this helps) and PLEASE share what you come up with!!!!

-Dad2FourWI

witterbound · May 17, 2015, 06:41:43 AM

We used a stain and cut it with one half raw linseed oil.

addicted · May 17, 2015, 08:39:22 AM

Witterbound
what are the benefits of raw linseed oil? I've never heard of raw, only blo.

Dad2fourwi, thanks for the links. They seem to offer a wide variety of products.

Rusty

Brian_Weekley · May 17, 2015, 10:27:05 AM

Hi Rusty,

I did use boiled linseed oil to stain the inside of my barn doors that I made. It went on easy and penetrated fairly well. It also darkened the pine slightly, giving them a warmer color. Takes a long time for it to dry. My understanding is raw linseed oil takes even longer to polymerize and dry (months). Be aware that linseed oil can be extremely flammable until it dries. Linseed-oil soaked rags and paper are known to combust.

Brian

witterbound · May 17, 2015, 03:19:53 PM

The raw doesn't have some chemicals added to the boiled, therefore we thought it safer. It also, we thought, might reduce checking since it soaked in and takes linger to dry. Our big timbers still checked, so I don't know how effective it was on that. I believe we are in the minority, as most use boiled.

scsmith42 · May 17, 2015, 04:15:04 PM

I've used a few different mixes, and some commercial stuff. Shop mixes include BLO + turpentine (or d-Limonene if you want a nicer smell), BLO+tung oil, BLO+Tung Oil + varnish, and the commercial product was Heritage Natural Finishes Original finish (formerly known as Land Ark finish). The BLO+turpentine and Land Ark were recommendations from other members on the FF a few years back when I solicited feedback.

IMO, The Heritage Natural Finish is a couple of steps better than what I can mix myself. It just goes on well and dries nice. The color that it brings out is really nice too. It works well on green timbers and does not cloud up.

For around the shop I'll stick with my own mix. But if I were to build a really nice timberframe, I would invest in the Heritage finish.

I have not used the Penofin so have no comparison. Everything that I've heard about it is top notch though.

addicted · May 17, 2015, 09:59:55 PM

Thanks guys
Looks like I've got some samples to produce
Rusty

JimXJ2000 · May 18, 2015, 03:31:36 PM

I think I tried all of the Land Ark samples, boiled linseed oil (from lowes), some turpentine, and some linseed oil turpentine home mixes, a couple deck sealers.

Linseed oil had the best, most natural color on the old pines. A Thompson's water sealer looked best on the hardwoods. My project was all old timbers and boards. The linseed oil did not have the same color reaction on new wood when we tried it.

Be careful will linseed oil and rags for preventing fires. The linseed oil was very easy to use and "dried" within minutes on the old wood. Having some saw dust or uneven application was very easy to fix.

Price was much better than the online mixes.

addicted · May 18, 2015, 08:22:19 PM

Thanks Jim
Were your timbers old and worn by weather, planed, sanded, rough cut? Just curious what condition of the surface might effect the look of the oil.
Also did you use any sort of pest treatment like borax wash?

Rusty

JimXJ2000 · May 19, 2015, 03:14:47 PM

I am re-using an old (~1760) barn frame. Timbers were old and dry.

We did soak/wash everything with simple green and water for cleaning and soaked mix of borax soap and boron (bug killer). Then we applied the oil.

addicted · May 20, 2015, 08:25:33 AM

Great information Jim
Do you remember how much borax and boron you put in that bug solution?
Did you see any signs of existing bugs before the application versus after?
Just curious as to how long the wash deters bugs.
Thanks
Rusty

JimXJ2000 · May 21, 2015, 09:55:26 AM

I used a mix of boric acid and borax soap. I forget the exact mix, but you can find on the internet. Look for Navy boric acid treatment. I think it was 60/40 by weight mixed into a couple gallons of water. I used a garden sprayer to apply.

We had very little visible bugs at the time, but evidence of past damage. We did have some ants start on the beams while waiting to be put up. They were all gone in morning after spraying (lots of little dead ant bodies). My understanding is the boron dries into the wood so it is only needed once...assuming you can keep the bugs away later. My foundation is rather high off the ground which will help. My first floor deck is normal stick frame construction with pressure treated wood at the low points. I hope to not have to re-apply but will be watching.