Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method  (Read 8314 times)

Offline gaucho10

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 335
  • Gender: Male
    • Bees, Bats and Beyond
Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« on: May 18, 2009, 07:02:54 pm »
I'm posting this here because I want to make others aware of an easy and inexpensive way to protect your beekeeping equipment.  The oils penetrate deeply into the wood pores thus protecting the woodenware for a long time.


The term "BOILED" does not mean that YOU have to boil the oil.  It is already done for you.

1St. Coat-------50% Boiled Linsead oil and 50% Turpentine.
         Add a splash of Penatrol.

2nd. Coat-------2/3 Boiled Linsead oil and 1/3 Turpentine.
         Add a splash of Penatrol.

3rd. Coat-------100% Boiled Linsead oil.
         Add a splash of Penatrol.
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

Offline Natalie

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1478
  • Gender: Female
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2009, 10:17:31 pm »
Thank you for posting that info. :)

Offline G3farms

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
  • Gender: Male
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2009, 10:47:47 pm »
How long in between coats and it only on the outside, right?

Sounds like that would keep them up pretty good.

G3
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline Grandma_DOG

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 331
  • Gender: Male
  • Build it, and they will comb.
    • LearningBeekeeping
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2009, 10:53:26 pm »
What about using 90% Linseed oil and 10% beeswax. Heated till melted then painted on?  Its that a better, but more time consuming way?
Here is my new book on Swarm Trapping at http://learningbeekeeping.com/beekeeping-articles/how-to-swarm-trap/ and follow me on youtube at OutOfaBlueSky

Offline gaucho10

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 335
  • Gender: Male
    • Bees, Bats and Beyond
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2009, 01:24:40 am »
"""What about using 90% Linseed oil and 10% beeswax. Heated till melted then painted on?  Its that a better, but more time consuming way?"""

No Grandma_DOG!  I am posting this thread here in responce to another thread started by Doby45 titled "Got my dipping pot!!".  That post deals with dipping the wooden ware into melted wax.

I am not attempting to disagree with any other forms of preserving wooden ware here.  I know that there are various ways to treat wood and some are cheaper and easier to do than others.  I personally do not believe that wax has the benefit to penetrate deep into the cell walls of wood.  As an example, fine (expensive) furniture sometimes gets treated with wax as the only preservative.  It might take a coat of stain to bring out the grain of the wood but the exterior of the finished piece of furniture is actually raw.  By raw I am referring to the fact that it has not been finished with a varnish or polyurethane as a final coat.
This furniture would benefit from the application of a furniture wax on a routine basis to preserve and keep the wood from drying.

If you notice there are three ingredients on my list  Actually the formula was given to me by another seasoned beekeeper.  They are "Boiled Linseed Oil", "Turpentine" and " "Penatrol".  The linseed oil is actually what preserves the wood.  The other two ingredients are only used as thinning and penetrating agents.  This allows the linseed oil to PENETRATE DEEP INTO THE GRAIN.  The only disadvantage to this method of treatment is that the brood/supper boxes will eventually darken with age.  I believe that adding any wax to this formula would just defeat the purpose of allowing the linseed oil to penetrate into the grain.  Besides, once you pour the warm wax into the linseed oil, the wax will begin to harden.  I am not aware of anyone "boiling" boiled linseed oil.  Can allways give it a try! :roll:

"""How long in between coats and it only on the outside, right?"""

G3Frams,  I give the first coat and wait 24 hrs. before going into the second coat.  Another 24 hrs. for the third and final coat.
I only do the outside of all my boxes and never the inside.

Also be aware that the boxes will have an oily feel to them but will not leave oils on your hand.  The oil is actually in the wood.

Not to worry about the bees being affected by the oil/smell.  They take to it w/o a problem.
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

Offline Paraplegic Racehorse

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 146
  • Gender: Male
  • Kilted beekeepers unite!
    • Me Blog
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2009, 06:22:37 pm »
What about using 90% Linseed oil and 10% beeswax. Heated till melted then painted on?  Its that a better, but more time consuming way?

You could certainly do that. The idea of heating already self-igniting linseed oil scares me, though. And the wax is unlikely to penetrate into the wood along with the oil, so you'd end up with oiled wood and a light wax varnish (coating).

If you want to Paint wax onto your hives, dissolve it into rubbing alcohol instead. No heating necessary. Paint on. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate. Paint on another coat. This might work really well to coat the inside of a swarm bait hive though I haven't tried it myself.

The linseed oil is probably a better long-term treatment for wood preservation.
I'm Paraplegic Racehorse.
Member in good standing: International Discordance of Kilted Apiarists, Local #994

The World Beehive Project - I endeavor to build at least one of every beehive in common use today and document the entire process.

Offline Eshu

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 108
  • Gender: Male
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2009, 12:19:46 pm »
For what it is worth:  "boiled" linseed oil isn't really boiled.  It has drying agents in it to make it dry faster ("Japan Drier" or orther compounds). 

Offline gaucho10

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 335
  • Gender: Male
    • Bees, Bats and Beyond
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2009, 04:04:59 pm »
Thanks Eshu for the clarification.  So now...are we supposed to call it "japanes" stain??? :-D
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

Offline fermentedhiker

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 514
  • Gender: Male
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2009, 09:46:13 pm »
For what it is worth:  "boiled" linseed oil isn't really boiled.  It has drying agents in it to make it dry faster ("Japan Drier" or orther compounds). 


This is only true of most currently marketed products.  The origin of the name(and a minority of what's out there still today)  came from heating the oil which caused it to polymerize(in other words thicken and shortened drying time.
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
--Douglas Adams

Offline Ross

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 512
    • http://www.myoldtools.com
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2009, 10:25:09 pm »
Linseed oil is a great finish indoors.  It doesn't provide much moisture protection and won't hold up well to weather.  It also doesn't provide UV protection.  There's a reason pigmented products are used on the outside of houses.  Modern boiled linseed oil uses heavy metal driers, don't use it inside the hive.  Linseed oil also promotes mildew growth.

http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/9_19mcnamara2A.html
www.myoldtools.com
Those who don't read good books have no advantage over those who can't---Mark Twain

Offline gaucho10

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 335
  • Gender: Male
    • Bees, Bats and Beyond
Re: Preserving wooden ware by using the "French" stain method
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2009, 03:15:42 am »
Hey Ross, thanks for that "direct".  Interesting comparisons.  I'll still stick to the "French" stain.  Much cheaper. :-D
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

 

anything