use of Linseed Oil/ repainting Tractors

[gwood 16]

wondered how you apply a hot boiling Linseed Oil?

Do you usually have to take the tractor apart to paint the frame?

[rmaynard 15,481]

8 minutes ago, gwood said:

wondered how you apply a hot boiling Linseed Oil?

Do you usually have to take the tractor apart to paint the frame?

If you are using boiled linseed, you are not painting. If you are using it as a "protectorant", then I guess it doesn't matter. All you are doing is coating the old paint and rust to slow down the oxidation process. The rust will continue (all-be-it slower), and when you do decide to restore, it will all have to come off anyway.

[ebinmaine 67,527]

5 hours ago, gwood said:

wondered how you apply a hot boiling Linseed Oil?

Do you usually have to take the tractor apart to paint the frame?

We haven't tried to treat any patina paint around this shop yet so I can't comment there.  

 

As to the frame painting...

Disassembly amount required is based purely on your desired amount to be painted. 

 

We've done several frame off restorations here.  ALL parts and fasteners are separated for painting.  

 

[Rob J. 1,942]

I don’t know the validity to this but I’ve heard once you linseed oil them they can never be repainted.?.?

[gwood 16]

56 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

We haven't tried to treat any patina paint around this shop yet so I can't comment there.  

 

As to the frame painting...

Disassembly amount required is based purely on your desired amount to be painted. 

 

We've done several frame off restorations here.  ALL parts and fasteners are separated for painting.  

 

Eric, thanks for your response! I've picked up 5 W H tractors that the owner left out for a long time. Haven't really checked on whether the motors run, the decks can be used OK, or even found out what models I have! Hope I can save them. I have a GT1142 and GT1100 completely torn down to the frame I want to refurbish. One of them my wife had when we married and that got me started on my interest in Wheel Horse's 20 years ago. I'll be 80 yoa  Sept. 1, so probably got in over my head but it keeps me going! Sorry for being so long winded!!

 

58 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

We haven't tried to treat any patina paint around this shop yet so I can't comment there.  

 

As to the frame painting...

Disassembly amount required is based purely on your desired amount to be painted. 

 

We've done several frame off restorations here.  ALL parts and fasteners are separated for painting.  

 

r responding 

[gwood 16]

6 hours ago, rmaynard said:

If you are using boiled linseed, you are not painting. If you are using it as a "protectorant", then I guess it doesn't matter. All you are doing is coating the old paint and rust to slow down the oxidation process. The rust will continue (all-be-it slower), and when you do decide to restore, it will all have to come off anyway.

Hi Bob, I guess I was understanding from comments from others, a while back, that the use of boiled linseed would bring out the color of faded out tractors. Maybe I misunderstood. I've just bought some to use and didn't understand what a person uses to rub a hot boiling linseed oil on the tractor to bring out the color. Thinking folks use a paint brush, let it cool, then rub it in?

6 hours ago, rmaynard said:

 

 

6 hours ago, rmaynard said:

 

 

6 hours ago, rmaynard said:

If you are using boiled linseed, you are not painting. If you are using it as a "protectorant", then I guess it doesn't matter. All you are doing is coating the old paint and rust to slow down the oxidation process. The rust will continue (all-be-it slower), and when you do decide to restore, it will all have to come off anyway.

 

[ebinmaine 67,527]

9 hours ago, Rob J. said:

I don’t know the validity to this but I’ve heard once you linseed oil them they can never be repainted.?.?

I've wondered about that myself. 

@peter lena @rmaynard @AMC RULES @stevebo

 

Who does patina paint preservation?

If linseed is applied what's the future surface prep?

 

[rmaynard 15,481]

9 hours ago, gwood said:

Hi Bob, I guess I was understanding from comments from others, a while back, that the use of boiled linseed would bring out the color of faded out tractors. Maybe I misunderstood. I've just bought some to use and didn't understand what a person uses to rub a hot boiling linseed oil on the tractor to bring out the color. Thinking folks use a paint brush, let it cool, then rub it in?

 

 

 

There is linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. Both used in the business of refinishing wood. Neither is applied hot. One will give wood a more aged look. Neither will do anything for painted metal.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

 Similarly, this won't improve the WHEEL-HORSE flavor but is about as useless when applied.  

 

[squonk 41,121]

Brush on and walk away. 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,576]

 

Works beautifully on metal and fiberglass... 

[953 nut 55,260]

If you use linseed oil for anything the most important consideration is the fire hazard associated with the cotton cloth you apply it with. Always take the cloth outside of your building, spread it out and let it air dry where there is good ventilation.

The risk for spontaneous combustion if linseed oil is absorbed by porous organic material (cotton waste or rag). This oxidation, which give rise to heat can happen even at room temperature, but raised temperature increases the risk.

[Mickwhitt 4,626]

As rmaynard said, you do not boil the linseed oil and apply it hot! You use boiled linseed oil.

I don't think it's a magic solution to paintwork.

There are better products you can use made for the job. 

 

[Gasaholic 224]

Agree with others. Linseed oil (Natural, Polymerized, or Boiled) is a curing oil used on wood to help protect & enhance the wood. As it is a curing oil, if you apply it to non-porous surfaces, once it cures, you'll be left with a rather sticky gummy surface coating, if there is even a little bit of film left... You'd have to rub everything down several times with dry cloths  every few hours (BLO from the hardware store contains chemical dryers so it can cure in as little as 18 hours... Natural Linseed oil, which is not much different from the Flaxseed oil supplements you buy at the pharmacy since it comes from the same flax plant, can take several months to fully cure.)  It may be useful to a point on things like decals (which have some porosity, but not much) 

 

Boiled Linseed Oil is something you buy in a can at the hardware store, you don't boil it (In fact if you try to boil it, you're going to have quite the flash fire/explosion!) I would never use it on any machinery (other than on wooden parts) as there are far better products these days to preserve paintwork and/or patina.

 

Also, what they sell as Boiled Linseed Oil , isn't really boiled technically speaking - and even polymerized linseed oil (Which is pure linseed that has been heated to a controlled temperature just below its flash point - far lower than its boiling point - for a specific amount of time) - none of them are ever boiled (boiling point is higher than flash point, and flash point means , like with gas fumes - exposure to an open flame source equals KABOOM!)   BLO is a heavily processed oil that contains a mixture of chemical and metallic dryers (Toxic stuff) and intended to be used straight out of the can. 

 

 

[peter lena 8,631]

@gwood  , have never used boilied oil . on a paint recovery , most important part of recovery is to start it , this is not a 1 and done , far from it . often refer to the opportunity to feed hot paint in the sun to long neglected paint , when ever I get a used anything , while I am working on the major issue , the penetrating oil , KROIL WILL CUT THRU JUST ABOUT ANYTHING , let it soak at least a day , hot sun , wipe it down with a clean oiled cloth , cloth turns dusty red , slight paint shene , oil it down again . usually cuts thru to actual paint . use a 6" electric palm buffer , with a cleaner wax , go easy on it , another thing I do is to regularly clean cloth , oil wipe it down after the paint breaks thru , paint is deep and clean , sheds water like a duck , done this on my 3 horses .  do a lot of recovery  on neglect , like to make them look / run like they can .  paint recovery , pete

[peter lena 8,631]

@gwood   nothe the color and depth of the paint , always has a smooth slick finish to it  , pete

 

[Mickwhitt 4,626]

I've only ever heard of linseed oil being used to treat cricket bats. 

[Gasaholic 224]

2 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

I've only ever heard of linseed oil being used to treat cricket bats. 

Yeah. To follow off topic a bit we used it on grandpa's farm (I still have a quart jar full of plain linseed oil from the 1960's, still good) used to treat tool handles (shovels, axes, hammers, wheelbarrow handles, etc) as well as "drive links" (Such as used to run sickle bar mower on the Farmall A, or the Hay Baler (a part that goes from the PTO shaft to the big flywheel that runs the packer portion, I think it was maybe originally a metal part, just rigged up with a block of wood instead) and many other places around the farm. I recently used up the last little bit of a second quart jar for my own wheelbarrow (I made new handles for it) and my double bit axe handle. (Which is how I know it takes a couple months to fully cure)  It was useful stuff, but never heard of using it on painted metal or any metal) because it being oil, and when cured, can be quite sticky, would attract a ton of dirt.  I have some more "modern" pure linseed oil that has been polymerized (Heated to 175 degrees F for 3 hours) for my woodworking projects, it cures in a few days. I have also used the Miniwax BLO (Which reeks of mineral spirits and the metallic driers) for some shop made tool handles (Because it cures fully in 18-24 hours) , and honestly you can FEEL the difference in similar woods that have been treated with BLO Vs Polymerized. (IMHO the feel of the Polymerized finish feels nicer)  But anyhoo.. Only other thing I would caution about is disposing of your wipe rags (even if they seem almost dry) by laying them out flat until they dry into a stiff crackly piece of cloth "paper" - wadded up rags can spontaneously combust in as little as an hour or two. (Two small fires on the farm taught us that lesson quickly.. thankfully rags were disposed of outside and only caused grass fires.) 

[Horse Newbie 7,070]

I try to keep all of my oily rags in a small galvanized can with a tight fitting lid…

[gwood 16]

On 8/6/2023 at 11:37 AM, peter lena said:

@gwood  , have never used boilied oil . on a paint recovery , most important part of recovery is to start it , this is not a 1 and done , far from it . often refer to the opportunity to feed hot paint in the sun to long neglected paint , when ever I get a used anything , while I am working on the major issue , the penetrating oil , KROIL WILL CUT THRU JUST ABOUT ANYTHING , let it soak at least a day , hot sun , wipe it down with a clean oiled cloth , cloth turns dusty red , slight paint shene , oil it down again . usually cuts thru to actual paint . use a 6" electric palm buffer , with a cleaner wax , go easy on it , another thing I do is to regularly clean cloth , oil wipe it down after the paint breaks thru , paint is deep and clean , sheds water like a duck , done this on my 3 horses .  do a lot of recovery  on neglect , like to make them look / run like they can .  paint recovery , pete

 

[WHX?? 48,821]

I used linseed on this tractor and like the patina.

 

I also did this one with it. Note the tranny top cover has not been done yet. The before look.

Edited August 11, 2023 by WHX??

[Wild Bill 633 846]

On 8/6/2023 at 8:45 AM, squonk said:

Brush on and walk away. 

 

The "Improves Penetration" is interesting. I will have to give it a try.

[Beap52 811]

Back in the '70's and '80's when we were going to paint a barn whose paint was long gone we'd give it a coat of linseed oil and let it dry for a month or so.  If we primed the bare wood, the oils could soak into the dry wood and leave the pigments on the surface. The linseed oil, in our opinion, helped to replace the lost oils in the wood and gave the primer something to cling to.  I have mentioned before that I treat of my pickup and 1947 Chevrolet and inside fender-wells and undersides with Penetrol and am satisfied with the results.  I have noticed a yellowing inside the fenders that where the Penetrol has been sprayed.

 

When we had wooden ladders, each winter I'd treat them with boiled linseed oil.