Linseed oil

Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colorless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction. Owing to its polymer-forming properties, linseed oil is often blended with combinations of other oils, resins, or solvents as an impregnator, drying oil finish, or varnish in wood finishing; as a pigment binder in oil paints; as a plasticizer and hardener in putty; and in the manufacture of linoleum. Linseed oil use has declined since the 1950s with increased availability of synthetic alkyd resins, which function similarly, are petroleum-based, and resist yellowing.