On Feb 5, 9:42 am, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:

Maybe it's different in other parts, but around here the BLO is sold
in cans with instructions on the sided of the can to cut it with turps
before applying.

The BLO I have is about 15 years old or so. I don't use it unless I
am making a witches brew of my own or experimenting. My can doesn't
have any instructions on it.

I am surprised it says to use turpentine. The best thinner (although
others work) for BLO is Naptha, or VM&P, which is a different blend of
Naptha.

Specifically, the difference between using out of the can thinned as
per your instructions wouldn't yield much difference than the Watco
formula.

They Watco will have a lot more driers in it though to make it harder
and dry faster. BLO in itself has very little. The reason you thin
BLO out of the can is to make it easier to apply. But when you do
that, you cut the amount of drier/hardener down by as much as you
thin, resulting in a longer curing, probably inferior end product.

It would be inferior only in the respect that it doesn't cure out as
hard. At least with the Watco you get a tiny bit of protection. With
plain BLO you get almost none.

Of course, the solution would be to add a metallic drier.

But then you would have homemade Watco, right? It would just cost 1/2
as much.

My point was (agreeing in essence with you) that you could make the
stuff as needed with products you have on hand with no reason to buy
it.

Robert