More on Linseed Oil

stopover · Feb 28, 2012

A company in Sydney Australia manufactured Merlin aircraft engines during and after the second world war. They took 20,000 hours against 2,000 hours in the UK to make, so they made fifty and gave up! Apparently a about fifty percent of the castings were discarded due to porosity, until an expert arrived from the UK. He said you boil them under pressure in linseed oil and that is what they did. Porosity was then no longer a problem.

Anyone got a big pressure container that can boil Land Rover engine blocks in linseed oil?

Other research has revealed that Sir Henry Royce 1920's had good knowledge of the gunmaker's art. The practice of oil-blackening was well established in order for nuts and bolts being highly resistant to corrosion. Gunmakers at the time used whale oil in this process.
Early Rolls Royce nuts and bolts were initially plunged into whale oil when heated to just below cherry. The linseed oil was used in castings to prevent porosity. Pumping it into the hot casting ensured that it was occluded into every nook, cranny and cavity. Baked for six hours at 320 degree F. The resultant block was highly resistant to heat, water and mineral oils.
Linseed oil did what vacuum impregnation by ceramics does in more modern times (not Land Rover apparently).

Dopey · Feb 28, 2012

Anyone got a big pressure container that can boil Land Rover engine blocks in linseed oil?

Easy, old upright washing machine on boil wash will do it

stopover · Feb 28, 2012

Dopey said:
Easy, old upright washing machine on boil wash will do it

And the pressure????

Dopey · Feb 28, 2012

Bloody hell you want me to do it for you??

norseman · Feb 29, 2012

Interesting article, thanks for posting it. I've no need to copy the process but it was an educational read.

wammers · Feb 29, 2012

Simular process to anodising were the parts are emersed in hot water to seal the surface.

Datatek · Feb 29, 2012

A mate use to boil new castings for model aircraft engines in linseed oil, I never did know why and he would never tell me. No google in those days to find out either.

jt_armstrong · Feb 29, 2012

Datatek said:
A mate use to boil new castings for model aircraft engines in linseed oil, I never did know why and he would never tell me. No google in those days to find out either.

The Google thing is a good point. How does anyone discover that boiling metal in linseed oil changes the properties of the metal? I mean did someone have a gut instinct that oil would make a difference and then set out trying different oils before concluding that linseed was the best. I just cant see the steps behind the science.

fett · Feb 29, 2012

probably that the temp it can maintain and the viscosity of it at that temp is right for taking the stresses out/changing the molecular properties of the metal.

on a slightly differnt note, if you leave it on rags they can spontainusly combust- ask me how I know

tony2 · Feb 29, 2012

A bit like the first brave bastard to eat a Tomato or Strawberry, as most things in nature that are red means Danger. Big up to that person !!

jt_armstrong · Feb 29, 2012

fett said:
probably that the temp it can maintain and the viscosity of it at that temp is right for taking the stresses out/changing the molecular properties of the metal.

on a slightly differnt note, if you leave it on rags they can spontainusly combust- ask me how I know

I was just wondering what would happen if you left linseed oil on a rag. Must remember to ask Fett....

The Mad Hat Man · Feb 29, 2012

it goes as hard as a brick

thought it was mine! · Feb 29, 2012

so linseed oil is the cure for engine blocks and cheaper than viagra!!!

jt_armstrong · Feb 29, 2012

The Mad Hat Man said:
it goes as hard as a brick

So what else can you rub it on:rofl:

fett · Mar 1, 2012

jt_armstrong said:
I was just wondering what would happen if you left linseed oil on a rag. Must remember to ask Fett....

I just have to say you cannot get the staff anymore, I told em I fookin told em :doh:

apparently some metal polishes can do it too

dogsbody · Mar 2, 2012

Would this story be similar to the two apprentices messing about in the stores office who discovered that you can set fire to wire wool with a PP3 battery?

Then discovered that chucking it in the waste paper bin wasn't the greatest way of hiding the evidence?

Then proved that an aerosol spray cleaner/degreaser wasn't much use as a fire extinguisher but was in fact as inflammable as it said on the tin?

It wasn't their greatest career move.

fett · Mar 2, 2012

lol no , it was an accident based on lazyness and stupidity but your story does sound fun

basicly if you leave it on the right kind of cloth it oxidises as it dries and produces heat. said heat is enough to ignite the cloth if its left in a confined space or compressed.

two stupid people I had working for me at the time were both using it , I told them several times as well as going round and picking up the the rags as I saw them and binning them. after a few days of this joy one of them left a rag under the 5 gallon can of linseed oil and I didnt see that one and they were too retarted to take it away. I came in the next day to a building full of smoke.

I had the sparkies taking busbars out and checking them , ladders, fooking all the flam lockers out . finally the fireman lifted up the 5 gallon can and the rag that had been smoldering under there all night went up in a cloud of smoke and flame. as the hit of air had got to it finallly had enough air to burn properly.

the locker it was sat on still had a burn mark in the top, good job it wasnt a friday night they had left it lke that or there wouldnt have been a building in the morning :doh:

fookin idiots!

wammers · Mar 2, 2012

Alodine solution used for treating aluminium has the same properties. Spontaniously combusts given the correct conditions.

fett · Mar 2, 2012

I wonder if thats whats in the metal polish I heard about?

wammers · Mar 2, 2012

fett said:
I wonder if thats whats in the metal polish I heard about?

No it's not polish it is for treating alloy if the surface plating has been damaged. Most alloy sheet used in aircraft production was duralumin that corrodes, it has a very thin coating of pure aluminium on it to prevent this. If the surface has been damaged, Alodine solution is used to coat and reseal the surface. It leaves a light mustard yellow finish. Application materials have been know to spontaniously ignite under certain conditions.

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