Fat over Lean

Not only my preference for meat [apologies to my vegetarian friends] but also my preferred method of applying linseed oil.  This tradition dates back centuries and the Old Masters would follow this rule while oil painting.

The basic rule is using a ‘lean’ oil first.  Lean oil is linseed oil that has been thinned with turpentine [Moses T’s Reviver is my most lean oil, followed by Moses T’s St. John’s Oil].  After this has dried [at least 24 hours] then a ‘fat’ oil [Moses T’s Gunstocker’s Finish is a fat oil finish] is applied.

The reason for this is because a fat oil will adhere better to a lean oil rather than vice-versa.  This has to do with the available bonding sites and some other alchemy, but it works and has been a standard for several hundred years.

So when applying linseed oil as a finish or to pop the grain of the wood, thin it with turpentine for the first coat, then it can be used undiluted for the successive coats.

Stephen

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Traditional Putty for woodworking

I needed some putty for a large scale restoration job, the woodwork on a building constructed in 1850.  This is for exterior application on sills, lintels, bargeboards, moldings, etc.  Mostly for covering cut nails used in the restoration, but some to fill seasoning cracks.

Here is my recipe based on traditional formulations: 1/2 cup whiting [calcium carbonate], 2 tablespoons of zinc oxide [metallic dryer] and 3 ounces of Moses T’s St. John’s Oil and mixed together.

It takes a while to dry and does remain flexible for wood movement.

Stephen

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