The head looks very nice. Was it made by the forum member who supplied it or does it have it's origins elsewhere?

Oil is next on the agenda, yes.
First thing on monday.

I'd just linseed oil then use it.

Its a very nice example of a wokaday item, and not too fancy. Very nice, will look good carried by a basic soldier. All you need now is a jack and sallet and off you go!

Griff

An excellent interpretation! Well done!

Well who would have thunk it. Linseed Oil in itself is a topic for the ages.

Reading up on it in different languages I've now managed to thoroughly confuse myself :D

So we have linseed oil itself, which is basically like any other oil for cooking but made from linseeds.
So far so good.
Then we have boiled linseed oil which may or may not have chemical additives and drying agents in it and may or may not be the same stuff that is sold here as "Firnis" (a type of linseed oil based varnish) depending on how the stuff is labelled.

Due to these additives these different additives and mixtures there may or may not be different finishes achieved with the stuff and the drying period and thickness of each coat may or may not be different and will provide varying amounts of protection against the elements.

Am I right in thinking that I want the raw, pure oil because even though it will take quite a lot of time to cure completely it will leave me with the best result (and be the most historic)?

I've got an old can of that Firnis-Varnish stuff right here - which again may or may not be what is sold as boiled linseedoil elsewhere - but I'm wary of applying it because I really don't want a finish that looks varnished.

Oh and I missed that post about the head, it was made by Andy Kirkham.

Nice bill mate, Andy Kirkham does fabulous work(and a thoroughly nice guy too). Hope you intend to secure the head with a rivet or pin of some sort.

Now, linseed oil. To make a long story short, go to an artist supplier they have real, unadulterated linseed oil and real turpintine(in small bottles and not cheap) dilute the linseed oil with the turpintine about 50/50 and apply a couple of light coats. The wood should soak it up quickly. Remix the linseed/turpintine to about 75/15 and apply a more light coats, let each one soak in fully. Finally use linseed oil only, as many coats as you can be bothered doing. Let the bill stand for a few days, then reapply if any areas appear dry. After all of this, an occasional wipe over will mainatin the wood. Please dispose of the rags carefully as there are instances where they have spontaneously caught fire.

Rivet is already in place. I cut it a bit short, so one end is almost flush with the socket rather than having a nice head but I think it'll do to keep it very solidly attached.

Thanks for the manual on how to use the oil, I'll see if I can find someone selling the real deal around here.