Why does everyone keep oiling their vintage tweed blazers with linseed?

I was at a swap meet last Saturday and watched a guy grab a 1960s Harris Tweed jacket and rub boiled linseed oil right into the wool. Three other people nodded like it was normal. Linseed is for wood and leather, not wool. It attracts dust and can get sticky after a few months in a closet. Has anyone else seen this trend spreading, or am I just unlucky enough to keep running into it?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler_white421mo ago

Who in their right mind thinks linseed oil belongs on wool? I watched my uncle try that on an old Pendleton blanket once because he saw some video about "restoring" vintage wool. Two months later that blanket smelled like a salad dressing factory and had a crusty texture you wouldn't believe. He spent more time trying to wash the oil out than he ever did wearing the thing. Wool needs lanolin or a proper cleaner, not something that oxidizes and turns into a sticky mess. I don't get this whole internet trend of treating clothes like they're wooden furniture.

andrew6461mo ago

lol your uncle must have watched the same YouTube video I almost fell for.