Thread: New old Linseed Oil paint finishes

This is a plug of a sort, from me, but with some interesting historical connotations.

I've restored horse drawn vehicles (or built new ones) for over 30 years.
When I used to start them, years ago, I was always told by the older blokes in the industry that you should linseed oil the bare timber first, before priming it.
Then prime it with oil-based pink primer. Even consider putting a bit of linseed oil in the primer to help it.
Then use undercoat, as many coats as needed to fill up the dimples, to let you sand up a glassy smooth surface, then use enamel on the top-as many coast as needed to get a beautiful gloss.
So, that is what I used to do, but sometimes I'd use a sprayable undercoat/filler after having brushed a couple fo coats of brushable U/C on.

The problems I used to have were-linseed oil would sit, gluggily, and take forever to dry.
(no problems, I was told-dilute it with mineral turps by about 1/3)
The pink primer would take forever to dry also. Well I was told I should have left the linseed oil to cure longer, and let the pink primer longer-ignore the '24 hours to recoat' label on the tin: "That doesn't work with pink oil-based primer", I was told.
"It is good if it takes a while to dry-it means the timber is absorbing the oil and primer. In the long-run it will be best, and will give youy great flexibility. The faster the paints dry, the more brittle they are, and the less well the hold on or stick to the substrate," I was told.

You could not rush this system, but it was impressed upon me that 'thirsty' seasoned timber needed to be allowed to soak up a bit of oil. Sometimes, I'd be in a rush to get a quick coat of something on, and I even 'cheated' a bit, and bunged some paint tinters straight into the linseed oil, and I'd brush than on some old wheels, kind-of like tinting an undercoat.
I liked to linseed-oil up the spokes, hub and felloes of a wheel before putting the tyres on, as the oiling helped to prevent the water used to cool the tyre off. from being absorbed by the timber.

I used to put the linseed oil in a tub, and rotate the bare wheel in through this bath of slightly turpsed oil, so that the spoke ends, tang holes, and all joints got a complete dunking. I considered this as a kind-of extra good primer, getting a seal into all joints.
I was less-likely to get paint cracking and chipping away from a joint later, if I did it this way, I found.

On occasions when I was in a bit of a rush,(on work done for ourselves, only) I'd omit the oiling. In hindsight, and with the benefit of some new information which I'll explain shortly, the non-oiled timber never held its final coats of paint as well as the stuff I'd prepared 'properly' by this old method.

The only variation on the theme was that back in the mid 80s, I did get hold of 2 gallons of original old red-lead primer. That was magic stuff! The work I used that on, after an initial oiling, had held up to weather, and a hammering in the wheels for over 25 years, and the finish still looks great.

None of this 'system' is mentioned on the cans of paint you buy.
I have read a few comments here and there saying paint companies employ technicians to ensure their products are long-lasting etc etc etc.
Personally, I disagree.

I think they employ technicians to see how little life they can get away with, before making you decide you need to buy more paint from them.
There used to be some wonderful specialty paints available.(I'm a signwriter, by trade).
The good small companies get bought out by the bigger multinationals over time, and I am dead-certain that they dilute the pigment somewhat, or a heap.
You used ot be able to get enamel that would cover terrifically with one coat, and two coats would last really well. I find now, with the same brand, same name (but different over-riding company owning the name) that three coats now is a bare minimum for coverage... and if using the spraying enamel they used to make, 4 litres would go a LONG way, in the old days. Now you have to thin it so much, and the pigment is already diluted that I reckon I get not even half the coverage from the same stuff.

This all still refers to enamels. I've found water-based 'acrylic' paints tend to dry like a film of cling-wrap, instead, and their primers have been almost a better propisition, I've found, but I've always needed a high glassy-smooth gloss, to be able to stripe and scroll upon. (You can't do that as well over plastic paints.)

I've repainted a couple of old timber houses, too. If they were painted with enamels, then the sanding and preparation, though a pain, was simple enough. If the prep coats still held well-enough, you'd leave them. With water-based system, it had to be removed-and it was awful stuff to have to get off-it would really glug-up the paint discs.
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Anyhow, the point I'm getting to is there is a new old linseed oil paint product I found through research, and it has recently become available in Australia.

The linseed oil paint process has been rediscovered by Hans Allback in Sweden, (think of the long-lasting paint on the Mons Lisa, or Sistine Chapel...) and they have upmteen old historic windmills to have to maintain all over northern Europe, and are findin that the original lindeed oil based paint finished are lasting much longer, and requiring much less labour in maintenance and recoating, than any amount of modern plastic or acrylic/latex paints they'd been convinced to use in the past 30-40 years.
Allback's website, which tells you about it is
Allbäck Linoljeprodukter AB
and it is achieving a similar level of economic and durable popularity in UK as well, at an historic estate owned by Viscount Coke
Holkham Linseed Paints | Home

Anyhow these special linseed oil paints, made to lasting old formulas have just been imported to Australia, by Olde World Paints (Pty Ltd). They offer zero dangerous fumes or chemicals, 100% paintable material, zero evaporative thinners or solvents, and a much greater square metres per litre coverage than normally expected from 'standard' hardware store aussie paints. As well as ease of maintenance and recoating, and being natural, and are a step away from the petro-chemical world we seem to be engulfed in.

They have a website, but it is still in its formative stages-so expect operation in a week or two, but I have managed to buy a few samples of their to try out on various projects here.

What I really like about the system, is it all fits in with what I used to be taught by old folk 30-odd years ago who knew the paint and finishing industry then, and who grew up in the early days when you did have to mix and grind up the paint yourself, from tub colours and oils. Sure, they loved not having to do that, but they also rued the lack of lasting ability of the more modern paints of the day, compared with doing it their originally-learned ways.

These Allback linseed oils and linseed oil paints have a 24 hour drying time. No turps needed to thin it for absorbtion-in fact it must NOT be used!
No mould or mildew problems-the proteins in natural oils which allow mould to grow have been extracted and washed out before the linseed oil is packaged-according to what I have read.
There is no horrible pong either, as it dries.

They also make a long-lasting putty that stays flexible, a stove-blacking,an emulsion interior paint, and various furniture and floor natural and colour waxes, which can be basically walked upon right after application, and a recoat is easy.
There is a primer, believe-it or not, it is a water-based shellac product, used over knots in timber. I stuck my finger in it, and it has no smell at all. It is not metho-based like your french-poilshes or shellac in the hardward stores. (I refrained from tasting itm though!)

So, feel free to make enquiries or read up from the attached websites, from here:
Olde World Paints Home Page

P.S. Honestly, I make no money from this-I just recently found out about it, as we do a bit of graphic design along with signwriting and carriage restoration, and we do a bit of web design-it all ties in- and I'm just enthusiastic about something that fits in, in today's world, with what some old-timers tried to teach me so long ago, and which is showing they were right! Otherwise, I'm as sceptical as they come, when a 'new' product which claims to be this good, turns up, because I sure don't enjoy relearning processes, nor sanding old gunk off when it turns out to be not what was expected!

P.P.S Admin, I hope this kind of 'rant' is not considered inappropriate!
Please let me know if it is.

Thanks,
Ian