Steve Van Kirk
04-12-2016, 12:57 AM
Hi folks,
Regarding a 100% pure tung oil finish, what’s the best way to remove the “frost” that results from excess oil left on the surface of the wood?
I’m refinishing a djembe drum. The wood is Iroko. The top of the drum (the bowl) is smooth, but the bottom (the foot) has carvings from the drum maker.
Despite my best efforts to diligently remove the excess tung oil after application, I’m still getting “frost” here & there – most notably in the recesses of the carvings where the excess is difficult to remove. But even there I used compressed air to lightly blow the excess out of the recesses as I dabbed it up with a cloth. I took 2-3 passes around the drum doing this. I really don’t know what more I could have done to remove the excess.
I’ve only done 2 coats so far but both have gotten a little frosty on me. Application was as follows: thinned 100% pure tung oil 50-50 with solvent (mineral spirits 1st coat; citrus solvent 2nd coat – no particular reason); flowed on (i.e. brushed on a pretty wet coat); reapplied to areas where it was soaking in; let sit 30-ish minutes; aggressively removed the excess (i.e. wiped it off like I meant it.); babysat for a couple days to wipe off weeping from pores. Waited a week between 1st & 2nd coats. First few days of drying were in a 55-60 degree garage with 2 fans on; next few days were inside the house at 68 degrees, but no fans.
In retrospect, did I apply it too thickly? Should I not have flowed it on but perhaps wet a rag & rubbed it in instead? In the carved areas anyways?
If you’re curious as to why I chose a pure tung oil finish, here was my reasoning:
1. I wanted a satin, in-the-wood look
2. Rubbing a glossy film finish down to satin wasn’t an option because of the surface texture (carvings, etc.).
3. To minimize yellowing/darkening I wanted to stay way from BLO. The drum has a nice heartwood/sapwood contrast & I wanted to keep that.
4. I considered using a small number of coats of wiping varnish (Waterlox OSF or Daly’s Teak) – not enough to build a film, but to approximate an in-the-wood finish. Neither popped the grain as well as 100% tung or BLO on the samples I did, though.
5. A regular part of maintaining the drum is tuning it, & during this process the finish gets abraded by the ropes that attach the head to the drum. It’s generally accepted that for these drums it’s better to have an easy-to-repair, low-sheen finish like oil, rather than a tough – but tough to repair – finish like poly, etc. Plus, you have to replace the drum head every so often, giving ample opportunity to apply a fresh coat of oil. (FWIW, traditionally these drums are African & are treated with shea butter, coconut oil, etc.)
6. I’m not in a hurry. This is a pet project & I don’t really care how long it takes.
7. I was eager to try my first pure-oil finish.
I’m always looking to learn, so if you see a flaw in my logic for choice of finish, please holler.
But the main question is really how to remove the frosty excess that has dried on the surface? Not surprisingly, it doesn’t just wipe off with mineral spirits. I’ve tried both plastic-brushing & brass-brushing a frosty sample & that works OK, but has it’s own drawbacks. Sanding would do the job, I’m sure, but that’s virtually impossible in the carved recesses. (I may not be in a hurry, but I do have a life outside refinishing this drum. Or that’s what I tell myself, anyways…:rolleyes:)
So, I’m hoping for a silver bullet but suspecting there isn’t one… :)
Thanks!
Steve
Regarding a 100% pure tung oil finish, what’s the best way to remove the “frost” that results from excess oil left on the surface of the wood?
I’m refinishing a djembe drum. The wood is Iroko. The top of the drum (the bowl) is smooth, but the bottom (the foot) has carvings from the drum maker.
Despite my best efforts to diligently remove the excess tung oil after application, I’m still getting “frost” here & there – most notably in the recesses of the carvings where the excess is difficult to remove. But even there I used compressed air to lightly blow the excess out of the recesses as I dabbed it up with a cloth. I took 2-3 passes around the drum doing this. I really don’t know what more I could have done to remove the excess.
I’ve only done 2 coats so far but both have gotten a little frosty on me. Application was as follows: thinned 100% pure tung oil 50-50 with solvent (mineral spirits 1st coat; citrus solvent 2nd coat – no particular reason); flowed on (i.e. brushed on a pretty wet coat); reapplied to areas where it was soaking in; let sit 30-ish minutes; aggressively removed the excess (i.e. wiped it off like I meant it.); babysat for a couple days to wipe off weeping from pores. Waited a week between 1st & 2nd coats. First few days of drying were in a 55-60 degree garage with 2 fans on; next few days were inside the house at 68 degrees, but no fans.
In retrospect, did I apply it too thickly? Should I not have flowed it on but perhaps wet a rag & rubbed it in instead? In the carved areas anyways?
If you’re curious as to why I chose a pure tung oil finish, here was my reasoning:
1. I wanted a satin, in-the-wood look
2. Rubbing a glossy film finish down to satin wasn’t an option because of the surface texture (carvings, etc.).
3. To minimize yellowing/darkening I wanted to stay way from BLO. The drum has a nice heartwood/sapwood contrast & I wanted to keep that.
4. I considered using a small number of coats of wiping varnish (Waterlox OSF or Daly’s Teak) – not enough to build a film, but to approximate an in-the-wood finish. Neither popped the grain as well as 100% tung or BLO on the samples I did, though.
5. A regular part of maintaining the drum is tuning it, & during this process the finish gets abraded by the ropes that attach the head to the drum. It’s generally accepted that for these drums it’s better to have an easy-to-repair, low-sheen finish like oil, rather than a tough – but tough to repair – finish like poly, etc. Plus, you have to replace the drum head every so often, giving ample opportunity to apply a fresh coat of oil. (FWIW, traditionally these drums are African & are treated with shea butter, coconut oil, etc.)
6. I’m not in a hurry. This is a pet project & I don’t really care how long it takes.
7. I was eager to try my first pure-oil finish.
I’m always looking to learn, so if you see a flaw in my logic for choice of finish, please holler.
But the main question is really how to remove the frosty excess that has dried on the surface? Not surprisingly, it doesn’t just wipe off with mineral spirits. I’ve tried both plastic-brushing & brass-brushing a frosty sample & that works OK, but has it’s own drawbacks. Sanding would do the job, I’m sure, but that’s virtually impossible in the carved recesses. (I may not be in a hurry, but I do have a life outside refinishing this drum. Or that’s what I tell myself, anyways…:rolleyes:)
So, I’m hoping for a silver bullet but suspecting there isn’t one… :)
Thanks!
Steve