Best place to buy a lot of linseed oil...

sleuth

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I'm constructing several raised beds this weekend and I am using untreated lumber. Someone suggested to me that boiled linseed oil would be the best non-toxic preservative for the wood, but I found that a 1 gallon can is $25 at Lowes. I don't feel like it would go very far. Any other places to find a great deal on it?
 

~gd

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sleuth said:
I'm constructing several raised beds this weekend and I am using untreated lumber. Someone suggested to me that boiled linseed oil would be the best non-toxic preservative for the wood, but I found that a 1 gallon can is $25 at Lowes. I don't feel like it would go very far. Any other places to find a great deal on it?
Most 'boiled' linseed oil is not actually boiled at all [dangerous operation] instead it has metal salts added that help the oil cross link when exposed to air for a time. This is called 'drying' boiled dries eventually unboiled never really dries. Off the top of my head I don't remember much about the 'drying agents' but the finish is considered unsuitable for food contact surfaces. Do you really want to use this stuff for raised beds?~gd
 

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~gd said:
sleuth said:
I'm constructing several raised beds this weekend and I am using untreated lumber. Someone suggested to me that boiled linseed oil would be the best non-toxic preservative for the wood, but I found that a 1 gallon can is $25 at Lowes. I don't feel like it would go very far. Any other places to find a great deal on it?
Most 'boiled' linseed oil is not actually boiled at all [dangerous operation] instead it has metal salts added that help the oil cross link when exposed to air for a time. This is called 'drying' boiled dries eventually unboiled never really dries. Off the top of my head I don't remember much about the 'drying agents' but the finish is considered unsuitable for food contact surfaces. Do you really want to use this stuff for raised beds?~gd
~gd - that was the suggestion I read somewhere else on this forum I think. Do you have any better ideas to lengthen the life of the wood from weathering and water damage?
 

Corn Woman

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If you had a source for beeswax could that be used to treat the wood? Just a guess.
 

Denim Deb

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Any chance you could find some cedar or black locust instead? Both of those will last for quite some time. They don't get the insect damage like other woods do.
 

sleuth

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Denim Deb said:
Any chance you could find some cedar or black locust instead? Both of those will last for quite some time. They don't get the insect damage like other woods do.
I built my beds entirely from Lowe's gift cards that my family had given me, which means I pretty much had to use yellow pine. I constructed all the frames yesterday and they're leaning against my barn waiting for the ground to dry a little bit before I place them. So, at this point, no, can't switch to cedar or black locust. I don't think Lowe's carries it.
 

sleuth

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Corn Woman said:
If you had a source for beeswax could that be used to treat the wood? Just a guess.
Not sure, I'll have to google it.
 

~gd

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sleuth said:
~gd said:
sleuth said:
I'm constructing several raised beds this weekend and I am using untreated lumber. Someone suggested to me that boiled linseed oil would be the best non-toxic preservative for the wood, but I found that a 1 gallon can is $25 at Lowes. I don't feel like it would go very far. Any other places to find a great deal on it?
Most 'boiled' linseed oil is not actually boiled at all [dangerous operation] instead it has metal salts added that help the oil cross link when exposed to air for a time. This is called 'drying' boiled dries eventually unboiled never really dries. Off the top of my head I don't remember much about the 'drying agents' but the finish is considered unsuitable for food contact surfaces. Do you really want to use this stuff for raised beds?~gd
~gd - that was the suggestion I read somewhere else on this forum I think. Do you have any better ideas to lengthen the life of the wood from weathering and water damage?
A regular sealer like Water lox [used on wood decks] will give some protection Sun damage breakes it down faster than water, a deck needs to be retreated about every two-three years. Tung oil is self drying but is very pricey. There are safe paints that could give you longer life.
 

Emerald

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I wouldn't use anything but I'm weird that way. ;) Maybe some mineral oil? I use that on my cutting boards all the time.. buy it in the pharmacy section(by the laxatives) it never goes rancid and is safe to consume so all my wooden cooking stuff gets a coat a couple times a year. and it is only about $2 for a pint. But it is thick so you would probably have to rub it on with a rag instead of brushing it on with a brush.
 

sleuth

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I settled with a generic water sealer similar to Thompsons that my wife and I painted on the outside, top, and bottom edges of the frame. We left the inside surface next to the soil untreated. We expect that we'll have to seal the beds every year, and when the boards start to break down to the point of coming apart, we simply build a new frame around the old frame and/or wait until the dirt is nice and sticky during the rainy season and replace them one side at a time when the dirt won't collapse.
 

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