Boiled Linseed Oil.......substitute for plastic dressing!

The Enforcer · 11-05-09, 04:14

a while back, actually over a year ago...i ran into some older fellas who told me about a way to keep your exterior plastics shining (bumbers, wiper cowls, all the stuff you have to constantly apply dressing to). they told me to completely degrease and clean the plastic piece you were applying it to, apply the linseed oil with a rag, and let it cure for 18-24 hours before it is driven or touched. if it gets on the windows, it will wipe right off. not sure about paint, tho. it even smells like sweet tea lol.

once it dries.....the piece will have a nice satin shine to it, but it is dry to the touch. now, over a year later...the plastic wiper cowl still looks the way it did when i applied it.

anyone else have any experience/advice/opinions on this? you can purchase this stuff at your local hardware store. for $4.00....you can get enough to do well over 100 cars i think. i wonder what makes this stuff work, and how it will affect the pieces in the long run. all comments are welcome!

wfedwar · 11-05-09, 04:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Enforcer

i wonder what makes this stuff work, and how it will affect the pieces in the long run. all comments are welcome!

Wow, what a wonderful discovery. I may try this one out. I believe that some of these natural oils crosslink when exposed to air. This is a lot like some sealants, and it makes them insoluble and nonvolatile, so the oil can no longer be rinsed or evaporated away. The fact that it has lasted a whole year is awefully impressive. Thanks for sharing!

Carticular · 11-05-09, 05:05

Have any pics?

The Enforcer · 11-05-09, 05:20

ehh these arent too great, but its all i have.

when it was first applied, one week old in august of 2008...

here is is last month, 14 months after first applied. ive never added anything to it, other than wash it or dust it. it may have lost a LITTTTTLE itty bit of the shine, but it is no way as dull as it would be if i were to maintain it with a dressing week after week.

Setec Astronomy · 11-05-09, 05:22

Linseed oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

jose206 · 11-05-09, 10:43

Let me know if anyone else tries this, might be my new dressing for trim and plastics

duke727 · 11-06-09, 06:23

Back in the day it was common to use linseed oil as a waterproofer for wood. We used to use it on canoe paddles.

The Enforcer · 11-06-09, 07:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by jose206

Let me know if anyone else tries this, might be my new dressing for trim and plastics

i wouldnt even call this a dressing. its more like a one-time fix for dul and faded plastic. the parts look just like they have been dressed, but ocne this stuff cures, it is completely dry to the touch. i guess kinda like freshly sprayed trim paint. while it is curing the first 18-24 hours tho, you have to make sure dirt, dust, flies, nothing gets on it at all. i owuld imagine that you would have QUITE a mess if a lot of dirt or dust settled on a piece that wasnt dry yet. i wouldnt even do this unless you have a garage to keep the car in.

or even getter....remove the piece if you can and bring them inside with ya!

steveo3002 · 11-06-09, 01:30

linseed oil is pretty popular on the older vw golfs that have lots of black trim , works great and lasts a longggggg time

just be aware a linseed soaked rag can be a fire hazzard , best wash them out straight after use

jordanrossbell · 11-06-09, 04:24

looks like a great discovery...anyone heard of any disasters doing this? Safety in the long run hasnt been confirmed yet...would be dyin to know

jaynick808 · 11-06-09, 04:42

hmmmmm..ive used linseed oil on wood..might try it out on a beat up pos car.

dheath · 11-06-09, 09:34

yeah, we need a few more reviews/testimonials and a write up!

This could make dressing the dumb funky shaped windshield cowls a thing of the past!