Linseed oil as frame saver?

komekomegaijin · Feb 20, 2009

I've read a couple of times on these forums about linseed oil being used as a frame saver.

Anyone tried this and attest to it?

I read also about "boiled linseed oil". Is this different to plain linseed oil? Is it purchased this way or do you need to prepare it in some way?

Thanks for any help!

cjeckert · Feb 20, 2009

what do you think linseed oil is going to do that would "save" a frame?

Zoke2 · Feb 20, 2009

try this stuff instead
http://www.sandsmachine.com/guide_w.htm

bobbotron · Feb 20, 2009

komekomegaijin said:
I've read a couple of times on these forums about linseed oil being used as a frame saver.

Anyone tried this and attest to it?

I read also about "boiled linseed oil". Is this different to plain linseed oil? Is it purchased this way or do you need to prepare it in some way?

Thanks for any help!

Yeah, you can purchase boiled linseed oil. It has some stuff in it to make it dry a bit faster than linseed oil.

A friend of mine did the linseed trick on the inside of his KHS track bike, and road a ridiculous amount on the bike, including as a messenger in the salty ottawa winter. The bike is holding up great.

It seems there is a lot of conjecture as to what's the best. To some degree, I would say it doesn't matter that much.

Rivendale has this to say on rust on frames:
(from here http://www.rivbike.com/article/bicycle_making/frame_materials )

Steel critics cite rust as a weak point of steel, and even the word rust conjurs up images of broken chains and hole-y buckets. But rust and corrosion ("rust" being steel-specific) are protective responses to environmental conditions, and once a layer has built up, they become a protective layer against further corrosion. Super thin tubes are more vulnerable to rust than are thicker ones, and that's a good argument for avoiding 0.35mm walls in steel bicycle frame tubes. But if rust were the tube-killer the carb-al-ti folks would have you believe, there wouldn't be hundreds of thousands of 30-year old and routinely neglected steel-framed bicycle still roaming the planet. Even so, it is best to prevent corrosion in super-thin-walled steel tubes by spraying them with any number of anti-rust sprays readily available. FrameSaver is one. Boeshield T9 is another. LPS makes some good anti-rust sprays. If you like the old ways, use linseed oil. The point is, rust is a problem only in your head.

boomn · Feb 20, 2009

I used Boeshield T9 (developed by Boeing) because it was available from my LBS and came in a spray can which meant I could coat the inside easier. I would use either that or Weigle's Frame Saver

Zanetti · Feb 20, 2009

Boiled linseed oil works. It's really old school though - it's been an FAA approved preservative for tubular cro-moly aircraft structures since the beginning of the 20th century.

Link-- note post #7 and #9

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=170933&pid=1594533&st=0&#entry1594533

bobbotron · Feb 20, 2009

Zanetti said:
Boiled linseed oil works. It's really old school though - it's been an FAA approved preservative for tubular cro-moly aircraft structures since the beginning of the 20th century.

Cool! I just found this qip about linseed oil, that's fun.

http://www.mechanicsupport.com/aircraft_tube.html

komekomegaijin · Mar 9, 2009

I asked at the only 3 high end bike shops in my area for any type of "frame saver" and they didn't have any - even the Surly specialist - all those steel frames and you'd think someone might want some rust protection! Their reaction was really more like "why would you want to protect a bike from rust?" :madman:

Anyhow, I finally found a bottle of Linseed Oil. My question is in regards to whether or not it's the right type.

It came from the paint section of my local home improvement centre and cost about US$10 for a 400ml bottle. The packaging is all in Japanese and I asked my wife to translate it but she said it didn't say anything about rust protection or drying ability. Just for use in paint.

Are there different types or is this stuff good to go? Thanks for any advise or help!:thumbsup:

bobbotron · Mar 9, 2009

komekomegaijin said:
I asked at the only 3 high end bike shops in my area for any type of "frame saver" and they didn't have any - even the Surly specialist - all those steel frames and you'd think someone might want some rust protection! Their reaction was really more like "why would you want to protect a bike from rust?" :madman:

Anyhow, I finally found a bottle of Linseed Oil. My question is in regards to whether or not it's the right type.

It came from the paint section of my local home improvement centre and cost about US$10 for a 400ml bottle. The packaging is all in Japanese and I asked my wife to translate it but she said it didn't say anything about rust protection or drying ability. Just for use in paint.

Are there different types or is this stuff good to go? Thanks for any advise or help!:thumbsup:

Did you get boiled linseed oil, or linseed oil? You'll want to get boiled linseed oil, it has chemical driers added to it to make it dry faster. The normal linseed oil would take forever to dry in your frame. Beyond that, I imagine they're all about the same.

komekomegaijin · Mar 9, 2009

Thanks bobbotron. I asked my wife if there was any reference to boiled and she said there wasn't.
I guess this is just a paint thinning oil then and I'll return it

bobbotron · Mar 9, 2009

komekomegaijin said:
Thanks bobbotron. I asked my wife if there was any reference to boiled and she said there wasn't.
I guess this is just a paint thinning oil then and I'll return it

Well, you can probably get boiled linseed oil from there too

It's super common. OR you could buy "Japan drier" add it to your linseed, and basically you'd have boiled linseed oil (I believe.) But you'd be better off buying boiled linseed oil, since it's already mixed.

Ps: don't let your pets eat it!
Pps: it may leak out of the weep holes of your bike for a week or two after you spray it in, make sure you don't store your bike over something you don't want to get oil on...

dusty · Mar 13, 2009

Boiled linseed oil works great to protect steel tubing...

it's cheap (from Home Depot) and doesn't add much weight. It's a little messy, though. Best to treat the frame with the parts off (at least remove the wheels, cranks, seatpost and stem). Just warm the frame a bit (you can put the frame and oil in the sun), then stop up the seatpost and head tube, pour it in at the BB and swish it around. You'll notice that most of it pours back out. What's left dries into a hard thin layer inside your frame. I've treated several frames this way over the years.

ae111black · Mar 13, 2009

Also try this stuff it rocks!! Cyclo #c3342 metal parts protector

Resists rock/gravel abrasion
Single coat protects against salts/chemicals
Flexible from -40degrees F (-40 degrees C) non-flowing 275 degrees F (135 degrees C)

(Right from their website)

Coated the inside of the frame of my old Fuse3 and it stayed put for along time!

bobbotron · Mar 13, 2009

dusty said:
it's cheap (from Home Depot) and doesn't add much weight. It's a little messy, though. Best to treat the frame with the parts off (at least remove the wheels, cranks, seatpost and stem). Just warm the frame a bit (you can put the frame and oil in the sun), then stop up the seatpost and head tube, pour it in at the BB and swish it around. You'll notice that most of it pours back out. What's left dries into a hard thin layer inside your frame. I've treated several frames this way over the years.

Heh, I sprayed some in a frame last night, and forgot to drain it right afterwards. Made quite the mess when I went to move it later in the night, as it dribbled linseed oil out of the chainstay drain holes.. :arf:

Linseed oil as frame saver?

komekomegaijin

cjeckert

Zoke2

bobbotron

boomn

Zanetti

bobbotron

komekomegaijin

bobbotron

komekomegaijin

bobbotron

dusty

ae111black

bobbotron

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