I have a cedar wall that was finished with a brushed-on coat of uncut linseed oil. When I tried to refresh a part of the wall with a second coat, maybe 10 years after the first, the result left some shiny, sticky patches. Now, several years later still, I'd like advice on
1) eliminating the shiny-sticky bits, and 2) refreshing a linseed oiled surface without creating more such patches.
Shiny-sticky bits are where the linseed oil has stayed on the surface as the rest of the application soaked in. There is little you can do if the wood has such differing absorption qualities. Chemical stripping of the entire wall might produce a more uniform substrate for another finish. Perhaps you should consider that and refinish with something more durable and attractive. Linseed oil has little merit except for old walnut shotgun stocks and antiques. Just a guess here, but you could try a mild heat application (heat gun on low) to encourage the linseed oil to soften and penetrate the wood better and then quickly wipe away the excess surface coating. HTH
Joe
BOILED linseed oil, once applied, will slowly oxidize overnight, so youll have to remove the excess with rags before it starts to harden. You have to be VERY CAREFUL how you dispose of those rags as they will spontaneously ignite and burn your house down! That is exactly what happened to Windsor Castle!
Raw linseed oil is not for finishing wood. If you used THAT, you might get lucky if the boiled linseed oil may dissolve it, but that's a long shot. Good luck. BlackHawk
You can use a rag moist with appropriate solvent (turpentine or 99% isopropyl alcohol) and gently rub the shiny spots, turning the rag often, to remove the excess oil and even out the finish.
Technique is important. You have to develop a feel for it.
After that, if you want an oiled finish, use a prepared rubbing oil finish, not linseed oil alone. If you have a piece of the material, use it for a trial first, if not I highly recommend a small spot in an inconspicuous location to ensure the look is what you want.
I personally like the Minwax Original (in the red can), but there are a zillion others as well and everybody has their favorite(s) or their own brew...
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