Linseed oil

[pjb1972]

Hi everyone a friend has said to paint my hive with boiled linseed oil? Is that ok or would primer and exterior paint be a better idea ? Thanks in advance

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

depends what wood the hive is made of - if it's cedar than linseed oil is fine (if anything is needed at all) and looks far better than slathering it in paint which will only peel and crack

 

[Plenty of honey]

I know lots of people who just use linseed oil. Its easy to applying and works. You can coat it on hives in the winter, while the bees are still inside. I have a friend who has used it on his hives for 30 years and yes, he's still using the same hives. Everybody's ideas about painting or treating hives seems to be different, linseed is a really good idea to start with. You can try different stuff as you grow,
linseed oil does also give one of the most natural wood finishes, as long as you maintain the coats , usually twice a year and they stay looking great. I dont know what you meant by "boiled linseed oil".it might be that its boiled before its put in the container, but you'd have to check that. I just buy it and paint it on. Its also far cheaper than paint!! by the way, we use pine, so may be other woods dont work as well, i only use pine here. "Jenkinsbrynmair" ir right.

 

[Plenty of honey]

depends what wood the hive is made of - if it's cedar than linseed oil is fine (if anything is needed at all) and looks far better than slathering it in paint which will only peel and crack

"Slathering" is a great word!!

 

[Hivemaker.]

I dont know what you meant by "boiled linseed oil".it might be that its boiled before its put in the container

...

Boiled linseed oil

Today, "boiled linseed oil" refers to a combination of raw linseed oil, stand oil (see above), and metallic dryers (catalysts to accelerate drying).[19] In Medieval times, linseed oil was boiled with lead oxide[20] (litharge) to give a product called boiled linseed oil. The lead oxide forms lead "soaps" (lead oxide is alkaline) which promotes hardening (polymerisation) of linseed oil by reaction with atmospheric oxygen. Heating shortens its drying time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil

 

[Plenty of honey]

...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil

Thanks Hivemaker, i was under the impression it was just natural product extracted. No idea it was treated a little! and its actually eaten!! Mmmmmm!!!!
Cheers!

 

[pjb1972]

Thanks guys it's cedar so I'll use linseed oil

 

[dpearce4]

Thanks guys it's cedar so I'll use linseed oil

Buy from a horse feeds store such as SPR in west sussex.

http://www.sprcentre.com/Online-Sho...d-Coat-Care-Products/NAF-Linseed-Oil-5-litres

Food grade and so much cheaper than B&Q and Wilko

 

[charlievictorbravo]

A concoction I've used to "paint" the inside of new hives is propolis varnish. It's made by dissolving propolis scrapings in metholated spirits. I have a screw-top jam jar in the workshop where my scrapings go and it gets shaken up whenever I pass by, adding Metholated Spirits occasionally. Not only does it add a layer of waterproofing but also adds a "bee smell" to the new construction that should mask the odour of any adhesives etc. used.

Apparently, Stradivarius used propolis varnish to finish his violins - if it's good enough for him........

CVB

 

[REDWOOD]

Boiled linseed oil stays tacky forever, use raw instead

 

[pjb1972]

Thank you

 

[Squidge]

Boiled linseed for Varroa monitoring board

Hi all
Sorry to reopen an old thread. I’m wondering if boiled linseeed oil would make a good coating for a varroa inspection board.
Thanks

 

[Murox]

Boiled linseed oil stays tacky forever, use raw instead

Its the other way around actually. But boiled linseed oil can take a long time to dry if the wood was damp, or its in a damp atmosphere after application. Raw linseed oil without the metallic drying agents also stays tacky for a long time.

The real secret is to apply a thin coat (of either boiled or raw) to dry wood, allow it to dry (up to a week, depends on wood and temperature) then reapply another coat and so on. A lengthy process but it penetrates to wood properly. Varnish and paint just sit on top of the wood and are prone to peeling and cracking.

If the wood was really dry to begin with then it will just drink up the oil and be ready for another coat more quickly. Also you can thin the oil with turpentine (the real stuff) or even white spirit which will speed up the absorption of the first coat or two. For Hives its really an off season job, but as indicated earlier people do just paint it on during the winter and walk away.

 

[Squidge]

So it sounds like it would be ok for s varroa board coating for inspections.

 

[Murox]

Why not its just a preservative. The boiled stuff does contain solvents and stuff like arsenic, beryllium, chromium, cadmium and nickel, which are known to cause cancer; and lead which is known to cause birth defects. But like solvents , once dry they are relatively safe.

 

[Murox]

There is probably a commercial wood preservative that exceeds linseed oil's performance for almost every application. The only reasons to consider using raw linseed oil (and boiled) are the price (Linseed oil is less than half the cost of most preservatives & paints) and of course for Raw, the lack of any nasties from an organic viewpoint. Personally I choose the most durable and reliable.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

I've used Rustin's outdoor quick dry Danish oil - excellent stuff.

 

[Gwr]

I've used Rustin's outdoor quick dry Danish oil - excellent stuff.

Me too and my soft wood hives with this on are several years old and look well and function great. I have more soft wood hives done in linseed which were my fathers and he started the linseed hive tradition here at home I think back in the 60’s. We carry out the exterior recoating 3 times a year ( whilst the bees are in them ) and do the insides once a year on the last weekend in September. Some of those are 40+ years and apart from the corners getting messed up where we separated the boxes they are still sound, usable and very weather tight.

We also still run some of my grandads old boxes and some old lifts, some of these go back to war time which he use to paint in real creosol. I’m not too keen on them as they are the horrible oily black colour but they are still going and I use them when I run out of the other boxes. He applied so much on over the year that it’s soaked through to the inner of the boxes in several places. I still continue to paint them using new less bad for you creosol but I only do this once a year at the same September weekend and I only do it for prosperity really.

Last year I cut a box of grandads down to make a nuc box, as I backed over it with my old VW beetle and broke a corner and to see the soaked in creosol was interesting. I should have taken a picture to show you all.

Anyway as usual I digress.

Linseed or danish oil I find is good enough on soft wood or cedar hives.

Others will say other things.

 

[REDWOOD]

SAFETY DATA SHEET
DANISH OIL - ORIGINAL
Page: 7
H331: Toxic if inhaled.
H336: May cause drowsiness or dizziness.
H370: Causes damage to organs <or state all organs affected, if known> <state route of
exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
H411: Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
R10: Flammable.
R11: Highly flammable.
R23/24/25: Toxic by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed.
R39/23/24/25: Toxic: danger of very serious irreversible effects through inhalation, in
contact with skin and if swallowed.
R51/53: Toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic
environment.
R65: Harmful: may cause lung damage if swallowed.
R66: Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking.
R67: Vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness.
Legal disclaimer: The above information is believed to be correct but does not purport to be all inclusive
and shall be used only as a guide. This company shall not be held liable for any
damage resulting from handling or from contact with the above product.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

So it sounds like it would be ok for s varroa board coating for inspections.

From a purely practical point of view, the board has to be cleaned after every use and I have doubts about how easy or difficult it would be to remove sticky linseed oil.

In my view, vaseline or ordinary vegetable cooking oil does the job of keeping the debris on the board until you get round to counting mites and it can be wiped clean very easily.

CVB