A 5000 year old wood finish formula that can't be messed up!

A 5000 year old wood finish formula that can't be messed up!

How to apply a flawless BLO and Wax wood finish in three easy steps!
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*Links promised in this video:*
-Comprehensive sanding tutorial video: https://youtu.be/qDYPGgjQmF4
-More finishing videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-gT7JMZFYje9AEX4bPTmWUZV9qyZRYi9
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50 Comments

  1. Syn on April 27, 2023 at 9:41 am

    Missing a key ingredient in my view.



  2. KamilEdyta Werpachowski on April 27, 2023 at 9:42 am

    What is the best way to finish a Baltic birch laminate wood grip for a rifle?? Should I use oil or stain or varnish? Should I use wax or other products? Please help.



  3. Sheri Karanasos on April 27, 2023 at 9:45 am

    Can you use like Tung oil, rub on Poly and then wax on top? Any comments are greatly appreciated. I’m refinishing a table for a friend and so scared I’m going to screw something up



  4. BadDadio on April 27, 2023 at 9:52 am

    A blend I use is 1/3 turpentine to 2/3 linseed oil. This penetrates faster than straight linseed oil.

    I will try your blend. Simple yet effective.



  5. Stumpy Nubs on April 27, 2023 at 9:53 am

    ▼EXPAND THIS SECTION FOR MORE RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO▼

    ★THIS VIDEO WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY★
    M-Power’s really innovative tools: http://www.m-powertools.com/
    *Please help support us by using the link above for a quick look around!*
    (If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission)

    *Links promised in this video:*
    -Comprehensive sanding tutorial video: https://youtu.be/qDYPGgjQmF4
    -More finishing videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-gT7JMZFYje9AEX4bPTmWUZV9qyZRYi9
    -More videos on our website: https://stumpynubs.com/
    -Subscribe to our e-Magazine: https://stumpynubs.com/browse-and-subscribe/
    -Check out our project plans: https://stumpynubs.com/product-category/plans/
    -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumpynubs/
    -Twitter: https://twitter.com/StumpyNubs

    ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★
    -123 Blocks: https://lddy.no/vpij
    -Mechanical Pencils: https://amzn.to/2PA7bwK
    -Lumber pencil: https://amzn.to/2QtwZjv
    -Pocket Measuring Tape: http://amzn.to/2kNTlI9
    -Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: http://amzn.to/2AwTkQg
    -Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: http://amzn.to/2CuvxSK
    -Self-Centering Punch: https://amzn.to/2QvbcrC
    -Self-Centering Bits: https://amzn.to/2xs71UW
    -Angle Cube: https://lddy.no/10nam
    -Steel Ruler: https://lddy.no/10mv7
    -Utility knife: https://amzn.to/3nfhIiv
    -Center-Finding Ruler: https://lddy.no/10nak
    -Bit & Blade Cleaner: https://amzn.to/2TfvEOI
    -Digital depth gauge: https://amzn.to/3mwRf2x
    -Wood Glue: https://amzn.to/3mqek6M
    -Spade Bits: https://amzn.to/3j8XPtD

    ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★
    -Digital Caliper: https://amzn.to/384H1Or
    -Marking Gauge: https://lddy.no/10muz
    -Marking knife: https://lddy.no/10mv0
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    -Scroll Saw: https://amzn.to/3gq9qDc
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  6. Deana Kohler on April 27, 2023 at 9:55 am

    We installed a maple butcher block top to our island. How do you recommend finishing it?



  7. Paul Buffington on April 27, 2023 at 9:56 am

    Great video, I’m going to try it. Beautiful finish



  8. Cowboy Hank on April 27, 2023 at 9:57 am

    How does this compare to Danish Oil?



  9. twig Hahn Jackson on April 27, 2023 at 9:59 am

    My grandfather taught me to use water rather than wood glue. He said that if you soak your dowels or biscuits for 10 to 30 minutes before use, the water would work better than glue. Shalom you are loved



  10. Crazykiwi2 on April 27, 2023 at 9:59 am

    CA glue for the win! Cheap, easy to repair, durable, takes a shine, showcases the wood grain wonderfully.



  11. Brian Hodgson on April 27, 2023 at 10:00 am

    I’m glad i’ve subscribed, i’m just get’n back into woodworking after 35 yrs and i need the basics explained to me, so a big THANK YOU … 😃😃😃



  12. Brian Stevens on April 27, 2023 at 10:01 am

    Great for indoor finish’s that get a lot of attention, not so great for outdoor, I would advise learning how to do epoxy if doing a weather exposed finish that you want to shine. {A Tung oil cut linseed works fairly well and helps, if determined to use outdoors}.



  13. Malcur on April 27, 2023 at 10:01 am

    you can also dissolve beeswax, white spirit in linseed oil, let it cool and harden, and you have a great waterproofer/wax polish



  14. mrbillhicks on April 27, 2023 at 10:01 am

    Stumpy nubs…. half man, half plane



  15. XPLR Today - Wood working on April 27, 2023 at 10:01 am

    Have you used the newer oil waxes, such as, tung wax, walnut wax etc? What are your thoughts? Better to use the oil and then wax?



  16. Abhishek Gupta on April 27, 2023 at 10:02 am

    1:37 Exactly what has been disappointing me with the wood work that these $10,000 projects do!
    I am buying such large stumps that took decades if not hundreds of years to make, and we end up covering them with plastic



  17. Omnivore on April 27, 2023 at 10:04 am

    If you fail to wipe off the linseed oil enough, and end up with a gooey film, no problem! Simply wet some 0000 steel wool with mineral spirits, and rub the film out to a liquid, then you can wipe it off. This happened to me, and after the steel wool and mineral spirits treatment, it turned out awesome. Spend a lot of time rubbing the oil in, and spreading it from the less absorbent parts of the wood to the more absorbent. End grain will often soak up an astonishing amount of oil. Just keep piling it on.

    I like Danish Oil too. If you like to sand between coats however, be sure to wait at least a week before sanding (may vary depending on environmental conditions), or it will instantly clog up your sandpaper. Even then, use light pressure and clean your sandpaper often using a belt sander eraser (this work on your sanding block too). Using this method, you can get as much luster as you want by adding more applications. With six applications or more, sanding in between, you can end up with a gloss finish. It takes several weeks, but it’s impossible to screw it up, and a little dust is no problem, except for your last coat only



  18. keith W on April 27, 2023 at 10:06 am

    I have a cherry log on the mill, ready to cut 40mm x 200mm boards that I want to use to make a kitchen worktop. I was going to use boiled linseed oil as it is food safe. Think this would be durable enough?



  19. Toni Weber on April 27, 2023 at 10:09 am

    I really appreciated this video, thank you! I have a raw, Doug fir frame that will hold a piece of art I sold. I want to finish the frame in the method you described here. How long would I need to wait before the frame is ready for the art to be mounted and shipped?



  20. Jeff A on April 27, 2023 at 10:09 am

    I’d encourage those of you who are curious about trying different finishes to also try raw linseed oil. I especially like using it for things like cutting boards or handles of things that you handle with your bare hands a lot because you can get food grade oil that gives you an extra assurance that it does not have toxic components added to it.
    Most all boiled linseed oil unless it states otherwise uses chemical driers that are somewhat toxic (there are several brands that offer BLO that is supposed to be free of those and is food safe). According to a manufacturer I talked to years ago even some raw linseed oil has chemical separators in it and they told me not to use their raw linseed oil on bowls, cutting boards etc that would be used for food prep.
    I buy a high quality culinary "flax seed oil" from Barleans (linseed oil is from the flax plant). It’s expensive enough that you don’t want to use it on big projects but for small cutting boards etc it’s not bad.
    The downside is that it is PAINFULLY slow to dry and even more so if it is put on thick. But that downside is also an upside in the sense that it is so slow to cure that it has lots of time to soak deeply into the wood.
    I know a guy who was friends with an older British guy who was trained as a woodworker way back in the day when wooden hand planes were used commercially and he wouldn’t use anything but raw linseed oil on his planes for exactly that reason. If he was rehabing a wooden plane that had been abused he would turn it on its end so the wood grain was vertical and put it in a container with a half inch of raw linseed oil and let it sit there and slowly pull the oil up through its fibers and apparently it would suck quite a bit up.

    Anyway , you really need to have somewhere clean to let it sit for weeks or even a month. But once it cures it is a beautiful and great finish. Once you get the wood penetrated well the first time and cured all it needs is a thin coat now and then which will cure much more quickly (though still slower than other finishes)



  21. Dan Urquhart on April 27, 2023 at 10:10 am

    Lots of people use boiled linseed oil for workbenches. It is extremely durable and blocks oils, water and adds a nice layer of durablility that lasts about 4-5 years. Then you sand and reapply.



  22. Jeff A on April 27, 2023 at 10:12 am

    I don’t know what people mean when they say that boiled linseed oil doesn’t offer protection from moisture, etc. I have a utility trailer that was made in 1992 sitting outside 365/24/7 exposed to the sun, rain and snow and it still looks beautiful except the black circles around the screws that are presumably rusting out.
    That wood is in beautiful shape still.
    It is redwood, so you’d expect it to hold up well but we’re at 30 years and the wood still not only is not rotted or rough or cracking but also looks pretty.
    If i leave organic matter in it that is moist for a month or more it will get a black look to it and I have to sand that scuzzy layer off to get it back to the beautiful wood and then re-treat it but it’s not the wood that is blackening it’s the linseed oil that gets some type of fungus on it.
    One year I left leaves, twigs, seed pods etc in there so long it actually rotted the whole way and I just tossed it out on the garden instead of taking it to the dump and I thought I had ruined my wood but a half hour with the sander and all that blackened scuz was gone and the wood was as beautiful as ever.



  23. Bruce Starr on April 27, 2023 at 10:12 am

    In the Army, we’d light the can of wax then use the lid to snuff the fire out. A wire coat hanger made a handle. Then we poured the melted liquid wax on the floor. We used the brush head on the buffer to spread and apply the wax. Then put a towel under the buffer brush head to polish the floor.

    I’ve heard the current boiled linseed oil available today, is not the same formula as the old boiled linseed oil.



  24. Life Saving Defense on April 27, 2023 at 10:12 am

    After a light coat I warm paste wax and mix a little more linseed oil in it to get a softer wax then apply a very thin layer. I do both applications with a finger and wipe off with a soft cotton cloth.

    The fire hazard is mentioned in the comments.

    Yes it can self combust and so can a bale of hay as heat is generated during the breakdown process BUT…

    I was a firefighter for many years and never saw it happen or ran a fire because of either of these events.

    We also used linseed oil on our tools. After 18 yrs of never having a linseed oil fire we were given special storage containers for oily rags…

    yes it can happen… I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it….



  25. ron couch on April 27, 2023 at 10:12 am

    You mention Turpentine. My dad always had this in his shed where he did a lot a woodwork. That was over 70 years ago. Today turps is not so readily come by here in UK; even if you can find it the cost is prohibitive!



  26. Ricky Serna on April 27, 2023 at 10:15 am

    Nice. thank you



  27. unknown Ride on April 27, 2023 at 10:16 am

    Great insight for the crafts person



  28. Paul Crandall on April 27, 2023 at 10:16 am

    I love using Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Oil and Gun Stock Wax and smoothing it out with #0000 steel wool. It’s an incredibly smooth finish. I use it on my guitar necks. I wonder what the ingredients are that Birchwood Casey uses.



  29. Nick Mundo on April 27, 2023 at 10:18 am

    Someone help me out!!!! I did it stupid I’m new and went to bed with a thick coat of tung oil on it and it’s all gummie sticky and my question is HOW DO I FIX THIS? SANDING 220? Damn I’m pissed any advise ????



  30. Fox Haz Hax on April 27, 2023 at 10:19 am

    there is no task or function so simple or foolproof that human beings wont find a way to screw it up.



  31. brezopali on April 27, 2023 at 10:19 am

    Thanks for the tips! What would you suggest to use on table top surface?



  32. Magdy El-Badry on April 27, 2023 at 10:19 am

    Would you use this on an out door cedar sign?



  33. garyp1945 on April 27, 2023 at 10:22 am

    Would this be safe for use on a baby crib? And changing table also. Thanks



  34. Reade Johnson on April 27, 2023 at 10:25 am

    I was thinking of using BLO&wax for a tabletop (rationale, easy to touch up). I will be able to treat the tabletop before assembly, but it will be difficult to access afterwards. Do I need to worry about changes in moisture content in the wood from atmospheric humidity that could cause the table top to warp? Or, is BLO breathable enough that the moisture content will be consistent? Many thanks



  35. Nate C on April 27, 2023 at 10:26 am

    How many coats of the oil are you typically applying if you do opt for the paste wax?



  36. Pilling Them Softly on April 27, 2023 at 10:29 am

    My favorite finish is boiled linseed oil, 2 coats full absorbed, light hand sand with fine grit, tack cloth dust off, then a few coats of oil based poly for actual protection. Looks amazing if you like a natural look like I do, while still being durable.



  37. The Algorithm on April 27, 2023 at 10:29 am

    You don’t know me at all…
    Challenge accepted!



  38. Big Basil on April 27, 2023 at 10:29 am

    How exactly is ‘paste wax’ part of a 5000 year old wood finish formula?



  39. jon08g on April 27, 2023 at 10:29 am

    Curious about your thoughts with BLO on a cedar table top that will be primarily outside but covered when not in use. Love the look of BLO on cedar but also want to ensure the table lasts for seasons to come.



  40. Sugarsail1 on April 27, 2023 at 10:32 am

    no real wood worker has a woodshop that clean and organized…imposter!



  41. Pat Schuster on April 27, 2023 at 10:33 am

    Do you know of a video that shows to buff and polish Varnish ?



  42. Charles Walker on April 27, 2023 at 10:34 am

    I have purple heart shelves.. if it is finished with oil, it turns dark like teak and it loses its purple.. I used water based sealer, it stayed purple..I use coconut oil which is a good polish…



  43. Lanfears Dragon on April 27, 2023 at 10:34 am

    I just needed to know how to do a “touch-up,” you squeezed it in right at someone’s bitter end (5:39 – 6:00). Thank you, this video was a blast! Certainly added perspective towards of the slew of similar negative comments, overwhelmed with anger at their ‘finished’ results (a lot of ‘wood never drying, and rancid gassy fumes’ 🫣😬). While others ‘finished’ splendidly.
    See ya!

    Well, going to watch the ‘sanding tutorial’ first.



  44. Ralph Rey on April 27, 2023 at 10:35 am

    Can I stain the wood with Minwax wood stain before using the linseed oil/wax mixture?



  45. Stuart Conner on April 27, 2023 at 10:36 am

    All those planes behind you and you’re talking about sanding a surface for finish?!



  46. John Blue: Snake & Turtle Qigong on April 27, 2023 at 10:36 am

    Thanks very much!



  47. Anthony Jackson on April 27, 2023 at 10:36 am

    I have made quick water resistant finishes by rubbing the wood with paraffin wax (from a block or plain white candle) then going over it with a heat gun. The wax melts and immediately sinks into the wood.



  48. Brian Freeman on April 27, 2023 at 10:37 am

    Help please? My entire workshop is outside, exposed to the elements, though I put a tarp over everything for winter. My new bench has been sanded, and now needs protection. I’m not too bothered about appearance, but the weather, and knocks, are my main concern Which coating should I choose, please?



  49. Ernie on April 27, 2023 at 10:37 am

    I use those but I have a thing for laquer. Been around a long time too. So attractive to me. True the oil finish can let you feel the wood.



  50. Michael Turner on April 27, 2023 at 10:38 am

    Curious as to why you don’t recommend pure Tung Oil instead of BLO? I believe you can mix it for various lustres and as I understand it will cure harder than BLO, leaving a more durable and waterproof finish.