On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 06:46:26 -0700, matthew_r_blanchette wrote:

How about acetone instead of BLO?

Say what? Acetone would remove residual finish, then it would evaporate.
"BLO" means Boiled Linseed Oil. BLO is a curing oil finish. Flexner
doesn't like it much. I like it for tool handles, lately. It doesn't
prevent moisture from moving in and out of the wood. It does give a nice
finish for handles. If I were to refinish my Townsman's handle today, I
would use BLO instead of poly.

Were you suggesting simply removing all old finish and leaving bare wood?
Feels nice, but gets grubby.

For collector-grade tools, shellac is better; it can be removed easily
with alcohol. I use shellac on many of the tools I make, and BLO for the
rest. I don't use lacquer because I don't have a respirator.

--
"Keep your ass behind you"