BLO on Raw Aluminum?

[Ulu]

Has anyone ever done an aluminum frame here with boiled linseed oil?

I was going to tear down my aluminum bike and clearcoat the frame but so far it is still just raw.

I’m looking at a half a gallon of boiled linseed oil, sitting on my shelf for years, and I’m thinking this might be a chance to use some of it.

 

[DesmoDog]

I've run bare aluminum on motorcycle parts and it works out fine for what I do. I wouldn't bother with anything if the part is somehwat polished or burnished. But then i"m not into show quality stuff either.

To me, the issue with clearcoats is they can yellow/flake and make things worse than the bare aluminum which may oxidize but so what, that's what aluminum does...

 

[kingfish254]

I've done a few raw aluminum builds, both polished and unpolished. I never bothered clear coating any of them. Never heard of anyone using BLO on them either. It's a great option for og patina steel bikes because it captures the story and prevents further rust. But the corrosion process for aluminum parts is so long I don't think there is any need for any coating.

 

[ingola]

I used BLO on several bikes aluminum and metal it will protect it but will need to be reapplied atleast once a year. Clear coat doesn't work well on any bare metal polishedished or not because there's nothing for the paint to stick to.This is the best

But not cheap

 

[MattiThundrrr]

It's gonna get a little scientific here... Part of what makes linseed work is chemistry. The oil is packed with polychemicals and extra oxygen molecules that bond with the paint as the oil dries (or more accurately, cures) which is what really makes it shine. The effect wouldn't happen with aluminum. You could still seal it with linseed, but it wouldn't get that glow.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drying_oil

 

[Ulu]

I am not going to polish the frame. It’s just going to stay as a scotchbrite finish.
But I was thinking that clearcoat should stick to the scotchbrite finish just fine.

This is what they did on the lower legs of my Kawasaki’s and it always lasted about 10 years.*** before it started looking spotty, & had to be sanded & reshot.

I’ve never put linseed oil on metal, ever. Just wooden tool handles. So I don’t know what happens after it’s been on metal for a while.

*** If you didn’t park in the sun all the time.

 

[ingola]

Nothing drys hard.

 

[Ulu]

Nothing drys hard.

This is kind of what I figured and since it was too cold to spray paint I figured I could just rub it out with oil.

Some of the parts on my aluminum bike are coated with WD-40 Anticorrosion Treatment. That’s what I did when I buffed that horn down to bare steel with scotchbrite. That stuff lasts for over a year in the sun, where their newer Spray and Stay Gel does not last as long. (It’s also about 1/5 the price.)