Hi,
my friend made a little alaia board he got some boiled linseed oil and gum terps, and did a 50:50 ratio. We did about 4 coats, then left it for a week for it to soak in. He took it for a first surf the other day after school and said that all the oil had washed off completely. Does anyone know what else to coat these boards with? I was thinking a polyester hot coat, but might make it a bit too heavy??
Thanks.
Tung oil is another simple alternative.
I haven’t tried it, but I think that I have seen spar varnish mentioned on another thread.
This from http://www.xylemsurfboards.com/Tung-Oil-finish.html
**As of July 09’ We use only 100% Dark Raw Tung oil thinned with a Citrus Natural Solvent (1:1 ratio) to waterproof our boards.**Tung oil goes into the wood, not just on it.
On site maintenance/care instructions he recommends either straight Tung oil or linseed oil
I’ve used Tung oil with good success. Thinned with turpentine the first couple coats. Wipe on generously, let it sit in the sun for 20 minutes, then wipe off excess. Let each coat dry for 24 hours. I did 10 coats on two alaia’s and they both lasted for long time without having to re-coat, which you will eventually have to do. The oil will raise the grain so don’t worry to much about fine sanding. I sanded to 400 but that was probably not needed. Tung oil is hard to find but if you have a Woodcraft store near by they sell it, 100% pure, by the gallon.
Fine furniture finishers often use 1 part Tung oil, 1 part Lin seed oil, and 1 part varnish. I’ve used this method on a cedar chest and it turned out really nice. Takes a while to dry though.
Scrub the oil off using naptha and a terrycloth towel. Let it dry for 24 hours. Put one thin coat dewaxed shellac on to seal in all of the oil. Scuff with fine sandpaper and apply spar varnish. (Linseed oil is useless)
Isn’t oil what has been used on these boards ever since they were first made by Hawaiians?
Not sure if it was linseed oil. Another thing is that linseed oil used to be "boiled "and they added a bit of lead as dryer. You can no longer buy this in the USA. I think you can still buy it in places like Holland. I think the Hawaiians used another type of oil.
Same thing with spar varnish. You can’t get the good long oil spar varnish with lead dryer in the USA. The high end boat guys still get their varnish in Europe. Lead is what makes all of these old time finished work well.
For sure the Hawaiians did NOT have flax seed oil (linseed) but plant oils are pretty similar in the big picture and I doubt they had lead either.
KUKUI NUT OIL. I think it is still available.
lanolin
Hi MB,
I too have had issues with boiled linseed and gum turpentine. Similarly, the oil seemed to wash off after the first Surf giving me much grief.
the formula that has worked for me is 1/3 boiled linseed, 1/3 gum turps, 1/3 apple cider vinegar (works as a drying agent). 3 coats at least 8 hrs apart. With drying oils (eg linseed or tung) you do need to make sure you allow sufficient time between coats for it to dry which is what helps to form that protective layer… Lower viscosity Oil absorbs into the porous timber hindering absorption of more viscous fluids such as h2o or sea water (in the case of a surfboard / alaia) then the outside layer hardens forming a protective layer.
Im about to embark on a bit of experimentation as I’m keen to find something more durable than the above formula as it still does require maintenance. You still need to re-able after 4-5 surfs. I’m looking to setup a test panel of timber to assess the following:
linseed on its own
50/50 linseed/gum turps
1/1/1 linseed/gum turps/cider venegar (as above)
above formula with bees wax grated in (allow to sit for 24hrs for bees wax to break down)
epoxy (yes this will work fine… If that’s what you want - I don’t want it but using as control)
an oil available in Aust called “Organoil” furniture wax.
the Organoil option intrigues me as it sounds to be a good option for marine applications so I’m keen to test against the other options.
will let you know the outcome.
-Cam
I believe there ws an original watercraft process(canoes included) of rubbing the trunks of banana stumps the embed the sticky juice and then use the charcoal residue from an imu fire nd rub that into the wood once the deeper grooves were sealed and sanded using this and the mud from a river stream feeding the ocean you’d let it dy and final seal it with kukui nut oil
but there was a “process” that involved this layer of sticky juice/powder seal coats and a oil finish
the kukui was used onthe bottom while the it was left off on the deck allowing it to have some grip.
someone maybe pohaku stone posted a curing recipe here many years ago but I can’t find it any more
allot of those gems that get lost in all the noise here
as a kid we used varathane on our steam bent plywood paipos we made in woodshop before we got our hands on resin.
learning to surf your hand made wooden paipo was just one of the phases you were expected to pass through on your way to stand up surfing
for wood like boat works its better to have a penetrating sealant than just a surface sealant/glue like resin
Clogging the pores of the wood is also important. “Burnish” your secondary coats of oil by applying it with wet/dry sandpaper. This clogs the tiny pores with a slurry of wood dust and oil. I go 320, 440, and then 600 grit, and allow the oild to properly dry (polymerize) between grit changes. Final oil coats are buffed with a rag.
Crapsticks…my first paragraph got lost in cyberspace. It was about the importance of catalyst in wood oil finishes. The oil needs oxygen to polymerize and harden. The recipes talk about time between coats, but oxygen between coats is what’s really happening. You don’t just need the solvents to evaporate between coats. You need oxygen to complete the oil molecule. Visualize your board actually gaining weight on a molecular level as the oil grabs up more oxygen. Humidiy will slow the process. Some impatient people put their freshly oiled boards in the sun to speed things up, but only manage to speed up the UV damage to the oil and wood. Take your time. Drink a twelve pack of beer between coats of oil…maybe more depending on conditions.
I have this stuff on a couple boards as well as the butcherblock countertops in our kitchen. Food safe when dry and super easy. Let your rug rat teeth on the rails.
No muss no fuss. Wipe on a coat, let it dry, rub out the nibs with steel wool or grey scotch brite and put on another coat. Three coats is usually enough.
Drys smooth, hard and slick and touch ups are a breeze.
Grumpy, what’s in there? Tung oil?
Any opinion about vinegar in oil blends? I’m guessing the function is solvent, but is it a good choice?
If there’s just one guy who knows the old way of sealing a wood board, it’s him.
And, no matter what the object is that you are oiling, wet sanding makes a difference. I’ve done it on woodwork, counter tops, cutting boards, even a solid body guitar ( '61 Melody Maker)
Yeah, Tung oil based. Much faster and way less trouble than raw tung.
Never heard of Vinegar with Oil or Varnish, just as a cleanup solvent for epoxy etc.
Uncle G, just googled that stuff up http://generalfinishes.com/retail-products/oil-base-top-coats/salad-bowl-finish#.UyTa0a3UvnM
and it says
Looks like a really good way to go though, just needs a bit of patience
I've never waited more than 2 days and never had a problem.
I suspect that 2-4week full cure time is for when it's actually used on foodware that may be immersed in hot soapy water.
Likely that’s it. And of course if it will stand up to hot soapy water it might last a heck of a long time in plain old salt water…though they do have different chemistries it bodes well for durability maybe.