How to make your own Linseed Oil for Oil Painting
~Lilje

It's easy to do, and you can start your own business for artists in your community.
Adapted from the research of Sir Charles Locke Eastlake
Methods and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters,
the best book on art technique I've ever read and it has not one picture!

Why make your own artists linseed oil?
Artists grade linseed oil is quite expensive, as the production process is long. It's also hard to find in some countries.

You can make a litre of your own Linseed Oil for under $5

It's quite easy, but does take some time. (A few days to a few months, depending on the quality and clarity you want)

Step 1 - Buy the best starter you can find
Buy Linseed Oil from the hardware store. Raw Linseed oil is cleanest. (Most hardware stores sell it for $2 a pint or less)

Hardware-store grade linseed oil is 'cheap and nasty'. It contains a lot of mucilage (muck) from plants, insects, chemicals, etc. It is a dark colour and has an unpleasant, rancid odour. Indeed it is a vegetable oil that has gone 'off'. You can use it as is, but the mucilage will rot, make bubbles, darken the oil, etc..

 

 

Step 2 - Make linseed cream
Make linseed oil cream by mixing the oil with water. Use distilled water if possible. That's right, oil and water DO mix, for a little while. The water cleans the muck (mucilage) from the oil and traps it. The oil eventually floats to the top, leaving the dirty water at the bottom.
50% water + 50% oil is a good mix ratio
(you can even add a small amount of bleach, don't worry, the hydrogen peroxide forms a white cream with the mucilage and sinks to the bottom )

Shake it well for a minute or two. (or more)

 


Step 3. Wait
Wait for the oil and water to separate. This can take a few hours, or days, or, if you warm the mixture slightly (to something just above room temperature) the oil and water quickly separate.
This is the 'sweet zone' of temperature. (Project: Find out the best temperature, too hot or cold and the separation slows down)

Step 4 Freeze, sucker!
Once the oil and water have separated put the mix into the deep freeze (in a plastic container with the lid off)

If you don't want to use your freezer, carefully pour the oil into another container, leaving the water and mucilage behind.
Step 5 Rinse and Repeat
Repeat all the steps as many times as you have patience for. You can make usable oil within a day, but every extra day creates a cleaner oil

Step 6 Sun - Dry and thicken (optional)
Put the oil in the widest container you have (a big metal pan will do nicely) and leave it to oxidize. You can place a big cloth over it to stop the bugs from getting in, but allow the moisture to escape. The longer you leave it, the thicker it gets.

Linseed oil becomes clear by oxidization (not oxidation!) and reduces in volume, but not mass... It needs a lot of fresh air and wide open spaces. (don't we all)
Linseed oil is a siccative. That is, it absorbs moisture but also allows the moisture to pass through it.
Any moisture in the linseed mix will soon cloud the entire mix, but not to worry, simply pour it into the biggest metal tray you can find and leave it in the sun or near an open window. The moisture evaporates and the oil turns clear once more.