: Hello all,
: I was wondering if anyone could tell me how long I need to let the linseed
: oil on the frame dry before I can skin. Do I need to mix the oil with
: anything? The books give different opinions. What are yours?

That would be BOILED linseed oil, if you please. If it doesn't say BOILED on the label it is the wrong stuff.

Regular linseed oil will eventually polymerize in the presence of oxygen from the air, but that could take months -- and sometimes years. Boiled linseed oil will harden in a far more reasonable time.

Thin it with turpentine, mineral spirits, paint thinner or some similar solvent and it will be absorbed into the wood faster, and go in deeper. The more you thin out the linseed oil the deeper it soaks in. The solvents are fairly volatile and will evaporate in good time, leaving the linseed oil buried deep in the grain and pores of the wood, where it eventually hardens, sealing out moisture. If you use a very thin mix of linseed oil and thinner then put on more coats (say, 4 or 5).

Wipe the stuff on, let it soak on the surface for anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour, and wipe off the residue. Let it sit a while (anywhere from a couple of hours to a day or two) and repeat the process. There used to be a "schedule" for oiling greenland paddles which had you putting on one coat a day for a week, then one coat a week for a month, then one coat a month -- or something like that. You might check the archives for it, but it would not be a likely schedule for a frame unless you made the skin so it could be easily removed. Ohterwise, how would you oil the frame once a month?

The idea is to get that boiled linseed oil deep into the wood so it does some good. The technique is fairly simple and you can apply as much as you think the wood will abosorb. Then let it rest and put on the skin.

If your skin is going to be coated with a water based finish you may want to cover the frame with saran wrap before you put on the fabric. Otherwise, without some form of oilproof barrier between the frame and the skin you are likely to get a little oil from the frame absorbed into the skin, and that oily area may repel your water-based coating. After the coating dries it should bel be oil resistant and you can just reach inside the boat and tug on the saran wrap to remove it.

Good luck with your project.

PGJ