On Sep 1, 2014, at 9:17 PM, Maxwithers  wrote:

> 
> I wondered 1) if there was any difference between pure unboiled linseed oil
and flaxseed oil, and 2) if anyone has actually boiled either to hasten the
drying time.

From Wikipedia:

Modified linseed oils

Stand oil

Stand oil is generated by heating linseed oil near 300 °C for a few days in the
complete absence of air. Under these conditions, the polyunsaturated fatty
esters convert to conjugated dienes, which then undergo Diels-Alder reactions,
leading to crosslinking. The product, which is highly viscous, gives highly
uniform coatings that "dry" to more elastic coatings than linseed oil itself.
Soybean oil can be treated similarly, but converts more slowly. On the other
hand, tung oilconverts very quickly, being complete in minutes at 260 °C.
Coatings prepared from stand oils are less prone to yellowing than are coatings
derived from the parent oils.[29]

Boiled linseed oil

Today, "boiled linseed oil" refers to a combination of raw linseed oil, stand
oil (see above), and metallic dryers (catalysts to accelerate drying).[29] In
Medieval times, linseed oil was boiled with lead oxide[30] (litharge) to give a
product called boiled linseed oil. The lead oxide forms lead "soaps" (lead oxide
is alkaline) which promotes hardening (polymerisation) of linseed oil by
reaction with atmospheric oxygen. Heating shortens its drying
time.------------------------------------------------------------------------