"Rick Cook" > wrote in message
...
> I've used pure (unboiled) linseed oil to finish some oak carvings
(actually the top
> rail of a chest with an Anglo-Saxon motto carved around it) and it worked
well. It
> does take longer to dry, but hey, I live in Arizona!

Truly "raw" linseed oil will never completely dry, because of the fats and
fatty acids in it.

If you want true boiled linseed oil, cook your own. It involves heating the
raw oil in a water bath (double boiler)for several hours, until all the fats
agglomerate and float to the top. Then it's skimmed, like a greasy soup,
and the clear, fat-free oil is decanted.

Commercial "boiled" oil has those drying additives primarily to force the
fats to cure like varnishes. But oil with dryers in it never performs like
real boiled oil when doing a French polish on top of shellac.

LLoyd