With all the new regulations, it seems that linseed oil based paint is becoming difficult to get. I have found a supplier, but they don’t offer custom color mixes. Has anyone come up with an alternative that they like? We have moved to alkyd based paints for most of what we do, however we still prefer linseed oil for sealing roofing canvas.

Dave Wilson,
Baltimore Streetcar Museum

I can't imagine which regulations would affect linseed oil. It's already liquid so it doesn't need a lot of VOCs to make it workable. It doesn't contain any of the nasty metals (chromium, lead) unless you're using traditional pigments, but there are alternatives. It's food, for Pete's sake.

No, I think your enemy is obsolescence. The alkyds are technically better in most respects, among them, somewhat faster cure. Of course, slow cure is what you want on a roof, because cured=brittle. That's why I wouldn't want to use the otherwise amazing LPU's, that stuff, the cure cycle is mostly done in a week and entirely done in a month. That stuff on a canvas roof would have the character of fiberglass.