On 7 Jun 2005 11:10:14 -0700, wrote:

What I meant by real linseed oil pain is paint made with real
linseed oil.

Yes, but the _really_ real stuff is lead-dried. 8-)

The lead drier works better with high humidity, manganese driers with
low humidity. Lead-dried oil is also more flexible and is essential if
you're trying to make oilcloth. The best formulation (and that used for
centuries) is a mix of both. A mixture is the one that avoids the
shrinkage problems.

If you're using it for rifle stocking, you also care about the residual
acid levels, which many of the supposed "authentic" makers are somewhat
lax about.

For this reason it is permitted to use it on
grade 1 listed buildings with permission from English Heritage.

There are very few buildings where it's important to use lead paint for
authenticity. However there are rather more bits of engineering that
aren't "buildings", where it's much more appropriate. Trying to convince
English Heritage (or Cadw, in this case) of this need for a non-building
is a whole new can of worms.