What is Linseed Oil Used For?
What is linseed oil?
The linseed oil comes from the flax tree’s seeds. When seeds get ripe and dry, then the oil comes out by pressing. That’s why it’s also called flaxseed oil. However, Linseed oil is colorless to yellowish white and dries quickly after implementing on any surface. So, it’s a great alternative to wood finish or varnish. Though this oil isn’t widely available, that’s why people are moving to synthetic finishes.
On the other hand, linseed oil is human consumable. Therefore, in Europe, people use this oil for diet control on everyday food like quark or potato. Moreover, it has a considerable food value, such as it’s full of Omega 3 Fatty acids.
What is linseed oil used for?
You already know some of the linseed oil uses but let’s look below for more uses for linseed oil.

- The linseed oil uses on wood as finish or varnish, but at the same time, due to popularity, there is a shortage of oil supply growing fast. So if you’re looking for food grade finishes for the kitchen or dining table, you should consider linseed oil first. It’s toxic free as well as preserves your wooden furniture.
- Depending on the availability, European people use linseed oil as regular vegetable oil on quark or potatoes. It’s rich with vitamin omega three fatty acids.
- As it’s colorless or yellowish oil, paint manufacturers use it for multi applications, such as increasing paint additivity, color mixing, etc.
- If you’re struggling to clean left paint from the brush, the linseed oil might be a great alternative to wrap up. However, it does an excellent job of cleaning leather as well.
- Please don’t get confused that it only works on the wooden surface; it also works on the metal surface as anti-rust.
What is linseed oil made from?
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We already know linseed oil is made from flax trees. The scientific name of this tree is Linum usitatissimum. 29% of linseed oil comes from Kazakhstan. However, by squeezing ripe flax seed, the oil comes out. People have been cultivating these trees for more than twenty thousand years. As you already know that it has a wide range of uses. Despite the wood finish or varnish, people use it for bed sheets, paper, rope clothes, etc.
What is boiled linseed oil?
The boiled linseed oil means there are some drying chemicals added for quick and heavy duty performance. Basically, wood finish manufacturers add some petroleum based chemicals to make their finish more robust and durable. By the way, BLO is the short form of boiled linseed oil. Please, don’t get confused; boiled means there is no heating or evaporating things involved. So, another name of this synthetic finish making process is boiled linseed oil or finish.
When chemical components like mineral spirits, naptha, and dipropylene are added to the raw linseed oil, they no longer stay food grade linseed oil. As mentioned earlier, linseed oil also has additives characteristics, so metal additives producers use manganese and cobalt to make additives more powerful and workable.
Disclaimer: The boiled linseed oil may cause cancer or congenital disabilities, so be aware while dealing with this oil.
What is linseed oil good for?
There are a lot of advantages to using linseed oil as a wood finish. So, let’s check them:
- Linseed oil finish secures wood from scratch and brightens the wood’s original texture.
- It’s colorless or yellowish so that you can add extra color according to your choices.
- As mentioned several times above, it has no toxicity as long as no chemical is added. So you can treat it as a food grade wood finish.
- If you’re an environment enthusiast, you may consider this finish for your wood coating as it’s 100% eco-friendly.
What is the difference between raw and boiled linseed oil?
There is a huge difference between raw linseed oil vs Boiled Linseed Oil. We already know what is boiled linseed oil but what is raw linseed oil mean? So let’s break down each of them.
Raw Linseed Oil:
Raw linseed oil is 100% pure oil that comes from the flax tree’s seed. It’s suitable for the wood finish as well as nutritional supplements. Despite the excellent wooden finish, the purest linseed oil takes a lot of time to dry thoroughly. For this reason, many woodworkers use synthetic finishes. However, if you want to give your furniture a nice and astonishing look, you should use raw linseed oil.
Boiled Linseed Oil:
Long story short, the boiled linseed oil means some chemical agents are added to make it more additives for quick drying and multi colorization. Check the above details about boiled linseed oil.
What is linseed oil used for in oil painting?
The refined linseed oil is used for oil painting for quick drying and a lively look. It makes the painting more natural, brightens, and fluid. As you know, it works best on wood as a finish; at the same time, it also works best on oil painting as a finish.
FAQ
No, it brightens the original wooden color. But it looks dark when there is no light.
The pure linseed oil is non toxic and even food grade. On the other hand, boiled linseed oil is toxic and highly harmful to health.
It depends where you’re going to use it. For example, if you want to use it on wood or metal, you need to prepare the surface before implementing it. On the other hand, as a nutrition supplement, you should take a physiologist.