OK Nutmegger, here goes! I knew it was flax seed oil......here is 'the rest of the story and a good site to check out, very useful.
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http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infpai/inflin.html
Linseed oil is a slow-drying liquid with good preservative properties and water resistance.
Before the advent of modern preservatives and synthetics, it was commonly used as a stand-alone preservative for wood, natural (hemp) rope, and masonry, as a conditioner for natural boar's hair paint brushes, and as an additive for oil paints. It was also valuable inside as a furniture finish and for wood floors.
It was found that the addition of solvents such as mineral spirits, japan drier, and turpentine would speed linseed oil's drying time, making it a more useful product. After all, what good is putting a preservative on your deck in the spring if you wouldn't be able to use it till the fall?
Which is the 'right' linseed oil for the job... Raw or Boiled?
"Raw" linseed oil is just that... linseed oil mercilessly squeezed from flax seed and packaged with no additional additives or preservatives. Raw linseed oil dries very slowly, taking weeks to fully cure. You should limit its use to the insides of wood gutters, chopping blocks, sawhorses, and other items exposed to the elements where drying time is not a consideration.
Slow drying is a mixed blessing. For oil-based paints, slow drying is a benefit, since this allows the paint to "level" itself, giving a smoother finish with fewer brush marks. The best looking paint jobs are invariably oil paint jobs, without question. However, when used as a wood preservative for items that are handled or walked on, such as tool handles, furniture, or wood decks, long drying times are undesirable.
Enter boiled linseed oil...
"Boiled" linseed oil is not boiled. The actual boiling of some oils changes their drying characteristics, true. With linseed oil, though, it is the addition of certain solvents that causes linseed oil to dry more quickly, acting as if it were boiled. This makes it a better product for preserving tool handles, decks, and furniture. I suppose they should have named it "sort-of-boiled linseed oil", or "kinda-like-boiled-but-not-really-boiled linseed oil". You know... to make it less confusing. Uh huh.
Linseed oil, extracted from flax seed, is one of the most useful natural oils. It is used as a preservative for wood, concrete, and an ingredient in paints, varnishes, and Poor excuse for a flax flower... sorry, horticulturists everywhere!stains.
Boiled linseed oil
Boiled linseed oil is used as a paint binder or as a wood finish on its own. Heating the oil causes it to polymerize and oxidize, effectively making it thicker and shortening its drying time. Today most products labeled as "boiled linseed oil" are a combination of raw linseed oil, petroleum-based solvent and metallic dryers. The use of metallic dryers makes boiled linseed oil inedible. There are some products available that contain only heat-treated linseed oil, without exposure to oxygen. Heat treated linseed oil is thicker and dries very slowly. This grade of linseed oil is usually labeled as "polymerized" or "stand" oil, though some types may still be labeled as "boiled".
Wood finish
When used as a wood finish, linseed oil dries slowly and shrinks little upon hardening. Linseed oil does not cover the surface as varnish does, but soaks into the (visible and microscopic) pores, leaving a very shiny but not glossy surface that shows off the grain of the wood. Wood treated with linseed oil is resistant to denting and scratches and is easily repaired, but the surface is not as hard as a modern varnish, and the wood will slowly absorb moisture if allowed to stay wet. Soft wood is protected from denting, but requires numerous applications and even more drying time than harder wood. Garden furniture treated with linseed oil may develop mildew. Oiled wood can be yellowish and can darken with age.
Linseed oil is a traditional finish for gun stocks, and a very fine finish may require months to obtain. Several coats of linseed oil is the traditional protective coating for the raw willow wood of cricket bats. Fire departments treat the wood handles of hand tools that have metal implements (e.g. axes, plaster hooks) with linseed oil to prevent buildup of static electricity.[citation needed] Linseed oil is also often used by billiards/pool cue-makers cue shafts, as a lubricant/protectant for wooden recorders, and used in place of epoxy to seal modern wooden surfboards.
......................................so it seems to me that a thin application, a couple of times a year would be the way to go....I'm gonna start doing that....thanks for asking, Nutmegger.
Steffan
