I like a linseed oil finish on my cue. It is not commonly used, I think because it requires regular maintenance. I do prefer the feel of it over a hard finish though.
the rule of thumb with linseed oil is once a day for a week ( fresh wood) then once a week for a month, then once a year ever after.
rub all you can in, you can't put too much, because next you will wipe every bit off with clean cloths and set it to dry a bit.. it does get very hard, but not immediately.
for replenishing old furniture its common to mix it 1:1:1 with vinegar. the vinegar wont mix as it's water based but if you shake it as you go it provides some cleaning action so you arent; burying dirt into the finish, once you go over once like that you can eliminate the vinegar..
If I have a piece of antique furniture, even though it's got a finish of shellac or lacquer on it , but has normal wear and scratching, and the finish isn't so bad to warrant a refinish,, I'll use the linseed oil overtop..
because the coated surface that has shellac or laquer, the linseed oil cant; penetrate so it will wipe off with the clean cloths.. what does hapen is anywhere it is scrathed, the linseed oil soaks in hiding the white marks from scratches.. if a speck of finish is missing now it has some finish there.. so it immediately looks better.. later on it won't harm refinishing.. the secret is to always finish with rubbing own with clean cloths..
some try using it then notice that the surface feels sticky, no problem, you just put too much on, just use more turpentine and then do it again and that corrects the problem..
another thing that happens is if there is any crack or crevice, the crack can absorb then expel the linseed oil,, so next day it can resulting in a sticky area or a pool that you can see, near where the crack absorbed it.. again no problem , same solution.
some get the misconception , because they hear "oil" they think it doesn't harden, well its not engine oil or mineral oil, those don't harden.. If you think it doesn't harden look at the cap of a bottle youve used for a while,, it will glue the cap of your container down real good if you let it sit for a while.
after I build a finish with it, then I apply it with 320 wet or dry sandpaper mixed with the linseed oil and turpentine,, then because the sandpaper is wet with oil it is very slick and cuts very fine, that will move microscopic particles around into any voids,, after doing that a few tiimes, and doing a good rubdown after each session, the finish starts to get very smooth to the touch and the finish is really brilliant.
i restored all my heritage fir floors, sanded them filled cracks, replaced sections as needed with other old fir flooring.. it was a bit thin but I pounded any shiner down and filed them with carefully colored putty.. I went to a crazy amount of work on it.. after sanding wiht rented dru sander , edger , pad sander I used a card scraper, yes I scraped the whole floor by hand and that improved the sanded finish.. I use a metal card scraper,, best tool ever !
next i use danish oil and turpentine , do about 3 coats, the final coat by sanding it in and wiping off.. after that i ( optionally) use polyurathane,,
the linseed oil helps the bond and it hardens the area just below the surface, it helps make it less susceptible to damage.. the process brings out all the ribbon and beauty of the wood..
since my floors are fir, it does dent and the poly wont preven that so if I for example drop a can of soup it will make a dent.. that's just because the wood is softer than oak,,
old house owners sometimes term the stuff "blopentine" boiled linseed oil and turpentine.. If you go over wood with it then it soaks into the pores and builds a bond, then if you paint overtop it sticks better.. also helps preserve against rot. bugs dont like turpentine..
I noticed that in old medical books it was used as an antiseptic.. I found 100 year old notes saying if you have a toothache to take a ball of cotton soak it in turpentine pack it into your cavity then put a dab of opium overtop. I guess the turpentine killed bacteria and the opium was a pain reliever.. I wouldnt try that now, of course not, just found it interesting that it did have a former medical use. maybe they had a medical grade, who knows..
I use it on all my old house parts. lots I had to recreate or sand down to remove paint.. every time I make a new piece or restore something I do about 3 coats, then put it in place, after time I'll go back and do some subsequent coats.. If I were to use laquer or poly or something, Id be getting it back out , making a stink, and worrying about the dust etc. with the linseed oil I just wipe on , wipe off , easy to do. easy to keep replicating the finish.. I try to recycle old wood parts from other old houses and prefer using old growth fir..
If I want more protection I can later coat with polyurathane so that's an option later.. or just maintain the finish..
on my cue, it's ash, the surface of the wood has sort of sucked in in places, its because of the internal wood shrinkage , if you look at any old plank that was surfaced and left to do it's thing,, you will see the effect of some of the grain being more physically pronounced and the softer parts seem to recess..
I thought of spinning it on my lathe and going at it with fine sandpaper,, to just to try to make it more level and smooth and trying an oil finish.. some of the butt end seems to be sort of a bakelite material, is it black epoxy? it feels very much like a pool ball, no grain or pores.. maybe they were trying to mimic ebony.. It'll probably polish up with no finish there.
Trying to recut or "shave" the thing, That would be harder, a machinst lathe isn't great for such a long taper, I'd have to offset the tailstock and its not long enough to turn a full cue. maybe possible, but maybe not very practical , easier on a cue lathe designed for that.. but it will spin stuff and then I could do some hand sanding (with it spinning) .. I might be able to hold a shaft and retip cues. I want to try some old junk , see how I do. Im thinking I can make or buy a colett to fit the 3 jaw chuck with the right taper and a crack in it so it can be tightened and hopefully not mark stuff up.
