In article ,
Torge wrote:
a friend is making a low wooden stool to sit on. he is using oak and seems
very keen to put linseed oil on it, which he says will bring out the grain.

since this stool will go on to a japanese type padded mat, i dont want a
greasy finish on it. he says that i could put a water based semi matt clear
varnish on it, on top of the linseed oil. can this be right? putting
varnish onto linseed oil seems a bit strange to me. if its not right could
anyone advise me on what kind of varnish to put on top of the oak please.



I do this frequently when using water based poly or varnish. The water
based does very little to bring out the grain. DAMHIKT, but the
important thing is to make sure that the BLO is well cured before the
WB is applied. Wait at least a full 24 hours after the BLO app, I like
to wait 48 just to be sure.

Incidentally, my experience with BLO on (red) oak is that it darkens
the wood substantially. I like it myself, but if your friend may want
to experiment on scrap before applying to the stool.


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Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland