Linseed oil as rust preventative?

I did a search and couldn't find anything specific, but if there's already a thread about this please just post the link.
My wife's getting all organic and she had a book full of recipes for homemade cleaners and such. To prevent rust it said to mix turpentine and linseed oil (something like 3 or 4-to-1) and brush it onto the part.

Is this a good idea?
Would it stink?
Could I weld in those areas after a few weeks, or would it make me roast like a marshmallow?

(I'm starting in on a car with a lot of internal rust!)

 

Having been in the paint business I sold and used both raw and boiled linseed oils,,,but uses for metal I am not up on.

Raw linseed oil dries extreamly slow,,,weeks to months to dry,,,,

Boiling changes the chemical propertys and thus speeds up the drying time. HRP

 

Linseed oil may cause some issues with paint down the road....personally I'd rather use Gibbs to preserve bare or rusty metal till I'm ready for primer/paint.

 

I think this is a recipe for a gummy coating that will keep out air but require vast amounts of solvent to get rid of. If you are interested in environmental impact or toxicity of preservatives, you need to include the process of removal in your thinking. What and how much will it take to get the surface ready for paint?

 

PS...the oil and turpentine are readily available in very small cans, so testing effectiveness and removal process can be done easily on a small piece of metal.

 

A lot of aircraft steel tubing if coated with linseed oil. Internally that is.

 

Kind of an aviation thing...In the old tube and fabric airplanes, (like Piper Cubs) some of the rebuilders would coat the inside of the steel tubing in the fuselage with hot linseed oil.
Kind of a noob, what's Gibbs?

 

It's a penetrating oil/metal preservative that you can supposedly paint over...I wouldn't, but that's just me. It's currently on my model A body till I'm done with rust repair etc. It's been in bare metal for 10 months now, sprayed with Gibbs, and no sign of rust yet.

I think a few guys on this board use it to keep their finished bare metal cars from rusting.

www.getgibbs.com

 

I use Linseed oil/turps on wood such as my bug killed spruce ceiling. It WILL stop corrosion but as said, if it cant soak in it takes forever to dry. Cleanup is a mess.

 

Here is it on wood


Just doing a picture test, finally got my pic abilities back!

 

The Brits use it to season cricket bats!!!!

 

Thanks Mark! Been working on the shed instead of car stuff for the last couple years. See you at World of Wheels?

 

I scrapped an Aeronica Chief several years ago that was at least 50 years old. It had flipped over in the wind and I wanted the engine. Airframe was bent up beyond practical repair. I donated the tubing to a local A&P school for practice welding. I cut it up before giving it to them and was amazed at how well all the 4130 was preserved that had been treated with linseed oil. A lot of the untreated but painted surfaces had some serious rust issues.

 

Directly from the label of the 1 gallon boiled linseed oil can I have in the garage:

Use on natural wood finishes. Improves the flow of oil based paints. Use on furniture to develop the full warmth and richness of unfinished wood and increase its resistance to water marks, scratches, and warping. Use on unfinished gunstocks to bring out their natural beauty. Conditions farm and garden implements and helps protect metal surfaces from rust.

I was told about spraying the underside of my "beater" truck to lube everything up and protect it. A friend who grew up on a farm in Canada told me about it. He said to use a sprayer and just hit everything. I'v done it a couple of times and the underside of the truck never looked so good.

Just don't do it over an area of the ground that you want to keep looking nice

 

I would use it after the fact like Mark said. But to use it during construction and hope paint will stick is not a chance I would take...............mmmm, love the smell of turpentine in the morning!

 

I use boiled linseed oil on new and fresh guitar fingerboards like dense rosewoods.
It's a penetrating oil that doesn't harden and is not permanent.
It's not a lasting wood finish like Tungoil.
Doesn't oxidize with air as quickly and I would not use it on bare metal, because of the messy removal with plenty of strong solvents.

I use Gibbs for bare metal to prevent rust and delay oxidization.
Apply, let soak for days and wipe off.
Good for months. Just don't expose to rain or rinse with water.

 

My 37 Willys has a coat of linsead oil on it, I thinned it a little and put it on thin and it was dry in a couple days. I drove the car all last summer this way, worked great. It also will not effect a future paint job, as it is actually an additive for paint. Wipes off with acetone. I use it to preserve the factory rust on my car, as do a couple friends of mine. Definately need to use Boiled linsead oil though. Rusty

 

<cite> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil
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What the heck is "Factory Rust"?!

 

Ever seen a Mustang?

 

Standard on 1970s Italian cars....

 

Flax

 

.......depends on what part it is. Enamel paint is linseed oil with pigment and stabalizers added. It will gunk up the surface as enamel does, without the pigment.

 

Be careful with it. Don't leave wadded up Linseed oil soaked rags around or they can spontaneously combust. The oxidation process as it dries creates heat.

 

I thought it was just me... My old man taught me this family recipe: Usually on a warm day , I mix 50/50% Thompson 'Weather Seal' or generic similar stuff with Boiled Linseed Oil. I Treat anything and everything with the sticky mess . Utility/Ag trailers, Wheelbarrows, Garden tools, steel and wood alike anything out in the weather painted with it will have a waxy film cutting down UV and oxidation. I wouldn't want to try to get the surface paintable after that... Good idea spraying as undercoat - Linseed smeels kinda strong though


Powerband

 

I've used Flood penetrol for over 25 years on metal. It's most likely a combination of the same ingrediants we're talking about here, without the guess work. I'd never use it or linseed oil on something I was going to paint down the road with automotive products. But for bare steel or rusty yard art etc it's a great product. FYI....

 

You are right there. being and retired Fire official I had to investigate a lot of fire. There were a few that were caused by rags spontaneously combusting. The story was always the same I was working on my house and left some used rags in that area.

Linseed Oil , Lacquer, lacquer thinner, Oil stains, wood preservertives. and some others. Minwax products are real bad for this. They all spontaneouly combust. You should submerge the rag in water until you can get rid of them.

I had it happen myself. I had a lacquer thinner rag setting on the frame of one of my project. It was in the direct sunlight. I seen it start to smoke and by the time I got to it, it was in flames. Luckly it was there and not near any combustibles.

Personally now I put them in water and store them outside until I get rid of them.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Just to be clear, I was talking about using it on the INSIDE of the body (doors, quarters, etc.), not any visible outside surfaces.
I like the idea of mixing it with rustoleum to coat, sooth, and protect.
But after all the comments about drying time and cleanup and smell I won't be using a whole lot of it, that's for sure.