outdoor wooden handles

[herb white]

I need to treat some wooden handles --- rakes and shovels ---with something. Linseed oil takes too long to dry so what else can I use? Thanks for any rfply

[dadiOH]

Over night is too long? That's BOILED linseed oil, not raw.

[micky]

Streptomycin?

[DerbyDad03]

I treat the handles of my outdoor tools badly.

Yes, I abuse my hoes.

[nestork]

In the hardware store you will find two kinds of linseed oil; raw and boiled.

Raw linseed oil is used as a finish by wood workers when making wooden salad bowls, wooden salad forks and wooden cutting boards. It does take a very long time to dry (about a month) but it doesn't contain any poisonous metals.

Boiled linseed oil is the oil used in the old "oil based" paints of the

40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and early to mid 1980's. You don't want to use this stuff on anything that will be handling food because boiled linseed oil contains metallic driers that make it dry in a few days instead of a few weeks.

Personally, if I wanted to put some finish on the handles of garden tools, I would use a better oil:

Tung Oil (also called "China Wood oil") is a fast drying oil that forms a harder stronger film than boiled linseed oil. It also doesn't yellow as much with age as linseed oil.

MinWax Wipe-On Poly - which is a fast drying polyurethane with an amber colour to it. It dries to a much stronger and harder film than either linseed or Tung oil. You apply this with a rag, so you don't get any brush strokes. Also, you leave the rag in a plastic bag in your fridge or freezer between coats to prevent the polyurethane in the rag from curing. Squeeze the air out of the bag before putting the rag in the fridge or freezer.

[Tekkie®]

micky posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

Oxy for the splinters?

[Tekkie®]

Oren posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

Prophylactic hand protection.

[Moe DeLoughan]

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