My brother-in-law purchased an antique mantle that has twin spiral posts. The posts are about 6″ in diameter and are solid wood. They seem to have some kind of finish on it. One post has a crack that extends almost the entire length. The crack is obviously the result drying, and nothing can be done. The mantle is sitting out on the carport and exposed to humidity swings the Mississippi is famous for.
My brother-in-law bought a quart of linseed oil and ask me if it would protect the wood from the changes in humidity.
With some kind of finish on the wood, I told him I doubt that applying linseed oil would help much. I told him I would ask the experts.
What say you?
Replies
Coolbreeze. You're right, it wont. And especially over another finish, it will do nothing. Linseed will do nothing to protect against atmospheric humidty changes even if it were properly applied to raw wood. Very thick film finishes of various types (varnishes, paint, shellac, epoxy) can slow the exchange of moisture between the air and woods, but none can completely stop it.
Rich
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