Almond oil

[eilam]

hi flute friends.
i'm doing a big dinning table top for a customer, and wanted to get advice on Almond oil,
those who used it, do you apply more then one coat? do you add vitamin E to keep it from going rancid? is there one that worked best for you? do you warm it a bit before applying? keep it in the fridge?, does it dry dull or shinny (i suppose how fine the surface is has much to do with this as well?)
have you used raw flax/lin seed oil before? how do they compare?

thank you so much, eilam.

[I.D.10-t]

Almond oil is not a drying oil. If you are making a table top, I would think that you would want to use linseed, tung, or other such oil.

I use Tung oil for around the house items. 3-5 coats is usually a nice starting number of coats for what I would consider minimum for protection, but then I add another coat during my cleaning and maintenance cycle. Different woods will suck up different amounts of oil, so it all depends. Pure Tung oil seems to be difficult to find these days. Linseed drys slower, penetrates deeper, and takes more layers to provide a nice coat.

I usually soak my used rags in water, and wrap them in a plastic bag when I throw them out.

...but I am by no means an expert, it's just what I do.

[Sillydill]

Hey Eilam,

The Almond oil is more like a moisturizer for wood. Pretty much wipe on, wipe off. It doesn't harden nor built a finish.

Linseed (Artist Grade) penetrates very well and will harden in about 40 days. But it doesn't appreciatively build a finish.

Pure Tung oil would probably serve you better. It penetrates well and will harden and eventuall build a finish (though it will still take a long time).

I presume since this is a dinning top, you are seeking non-toxic finishes.

Once you've used an oil (linseed or tung) to penetrate and seal the wood, you could use Carnuba wax to achieve a brilliant finish. Though this finish will not be extreamly durable and would be best reapplied bi-annually or annually.

Many "toxic" finishes will be innocuous once they have cured.

All the Best!

[eilam]

thanks !!
i usually use Tung oil finish..........followed by past wax like Carnuba mix..........but my supplier no longer ships to CA, and in the stores here, they only carry tiny amounts.
as i called to order the oil today, the sales person suggested Almond oil as a hardening non toxic oil, i know that lin seed oil hardens but thought to ask the exports (you), so now, i may just use what i normally would (tung oil finish).
thanks for the help, i have been wanting to try Almond oil, but this may not be the right application, i know that Tung oil has better water resistance then linseed, or other oils.

[I.D.10-t]

I was thinking about trying this place nest time I have a project.
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html
Mostly because I like their web page.

[boyd]

this being a flute forum, and all that...

which oil is the flute one and which is the tabletop one?????

[treeshark]

The best oil money can buy.... if it can protect boats in the arctic. It takes patience to apply though.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... =Deks+Olje

[Cork]

Hei, eilam,

On all of my wood flutes I use what is known as cold-pressed linseed oil.

The wood seems to love it, and I have never had any troubles.

[mahanpots]

Eilam:

A great company for buying oil finishes for wood is Bioshield. I'm sure you you'll find it if you google Bioshield. They make a variety of different finishes that are non-hazardous, unlike some companies.

[eilam]

thank you so much for all the info.
i opted for Almond oil (got it at the local market), after talking to the customer one more time, i realized that the intent for this piece is to be used as a butcher block, and so, hand rubbed oil seemed to fit best (that dark tung oil would have worked too, but i wanted to get on it and be done).

now for some flute playing


thanks again.

[I.D.10-t]

thank you so much for all the info.
i opted for Almond oil (got it at the local market), after talking to the customer one more time, i realized that the intent for this piece is to be used as a butcher block, and so, hand rubbed oil seemed to fit best (that dark tung oil would have worked too, but i wanted to get on it and be done).

now for some flute playing


thanks again.

Butcher blocks usually do not use a hardening oil, tung oil would not have been appropriate. Usually butcher block oil is similar to commercial bore oil. Almond oil with vitamin E would would probably be perfect and not smell as commercial products.

[Jeff G.]

The best oil money can buy.... if it can protect boats in the arctic. It takes patience to apply though.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... =Deks+Olje

I wouldn't use that on anything you are putting your mouth on. It contains cobalt metals that might be bad for your health....