I guess with a small amount there is no danger but I always worried
about the oil catching fire in the microwave. How do you know how much
to heat it without it reaching its flashpoint? I remember reading about
how linseed oil will spontaneously combust if on rags thrown in a trash
can. I always heated the oil in a double boiler type set up but I
wouldn't hesitate to use the microwave if I knew how to judge how long
to leave it in.

William R. Watt wrote:
last night I sanded a small boat in my basement. this morning I rememberd
I had left the linseed oil in my unheated workshop. it was too cold to
work with. I was going to heat it in a pan of water on the stove when I
caught sight of the microwave oven sitting on the kitchen counter. since
the linseed oil was in a plastic bottle I removed the top to keep the
bottle from exploding and put it in the microwave for half a minute at
meduim power. It turned the oil nice and runny. I put it back in the
microwave for another half minute on meduim heat and it came out runny and
warm like the white stuff in baby bottles. Mixed half-and-half with
universal solvent (paint thinner) in the usual manner the oil brushed on
like a dream.

(caution: It the oil were in a metal container it would have to be put in a
glass or plastic container before going in the microwave.)

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