I want to do the right thing environmentally, but am a little confused. Is it better to use oil extracted from currently living plants than getting it from the ground? I ask because, in general, the finishing products with oil extracted from the ground tend to be better. As long as there is nothing “too” toxic in the mixture, then I don’t see the issue. I say “too” toxic because even linseed oil can be bad if you pour it into a lake or down the storm drain.
Is it because of the way oil is extracted from the ground that has people turned off? What if someone started collecting the naturally occurring tar blobs from the beaches of Santa Barbara, and concocted a water resistant finish from them? Would using something like that be better than buying a can of Spar Vanish at the local boat shop?
I surfed an alaia that needed a coat of oil and then put it on the beach, oiled it, and then paddled it out again. There was a sincere difference. The freshly oiled board caught waves easier, but did not hold in when going across the wave as well. I really had to focus more on digging in the rail. The oil did wash off much faster than it I had oiled it two days earlier. I like the oiled feeling. From this little experiment, I could feel how a very slippery olo would be easier to ride because the biggest difficulty with surfing them is just sliding into the wave.
Yes, there are subtle differences in sensation and performance between smoother, rougher, oily, waxy, porous, glossy, etc. bottom/rail surfaces… especially noticeable on finless surf craft.
Not too much heat with either wood surface or wax: develop an understanding and skillful use of hot air gun (they operate at different temps and air flows, etc.), learn proper working temps through experiment with candlemaking and/or digital thermometers. Use caution, paraffin wax will catch fire at 375 degrees F. Flash points for other types of wax vary.
The melting point range of common paraffin wax is usually 48° to 66° C (120° to 150° F).
Beeswax has a higher melting point range, from 62 to 64 °C (144 to 147 °F).
…snip… The wax ends up turing almost black with oxidation and all of the dust/dirt that sticks to it over time, hiding the woods beauty and effectively ruining the finish.
I’ve read that beeswax gets a bad rap, because it’s put on too thick and that allows it to collect dirt. It is better as a minimum thickness. Wax sticks better to a surface than it does to itself. An example being the wax you put on the deck of a fiberglass surfboard. When the wax is warmed in the sun, you can wipe off most of the wax with a paper towel, but not all of it. The last minimal film sticks tenaciously to the board. So in the case of wax melted into a wood board, it would probably be a good idea to minimize the surface film…buff off the excess.
I would have to toally agree with you on that one Dale, it is definitely in the eye of the beholder.
I would also agree that that ?paipo? you showed pics of is full of character. When wood ages in the elements like that is has a nice organic look to it. My dad built his shop out wood using the board and baton method and left the wood to age naturally. I always figured when I can build my house I’d like to use the same method, or even find an old barn to take down and use, for the same reason.
The furniture that I have seen, is basically just black with age. I think that the application was just heated beeswax, no oils as additives. As Poobah mentioned, the blackness is likely just dirt accumulating in the excess wax on the surface.
I also looked up the wiki entry for paraffin… interesting that the word defines a large list of compounds… though there are plenty of natural ones.(as opposed to petroleum based) It’s reaction to heat would seem to give it exactly the wanted benefits you had mentioned as well… it’ll penetrate into the wood when warm and seal it up when it cools.
If you can find a banana tree in your area that can be cut
cut a stump then split it diown the center and rub the half round stump into the wood to saturate the wood with it’s sap
If you can some other water resistant sticky sap from a local tree then use that
then you can use the kukui or coconut oil as a final seal or reverse it for the deck as the sticky sap will provide good grip in place of was. You can do this with breadfruit sap and plumeria sap all of which are poisonous to get in your eyes.
I’m not a botanist but think the way it works is that when injured, the sap is extrude to seal the wound protecting it from the elements and the bugs until the plants can regrow a replacement external layer. Kind of like the plants own natural bandaid…
There are also some roots you can burn to carbonize and rub into the wood as the combination of powder charcoal and sticky sap will also help to seal and colorize the wood at the same time. The carbonize rub also protects it from bug infestation while it sits between surfed…
These are all ancient methods every native culture has them and they need to be repeated before and after surfs to keep the wood in shape.
I want to do the right thing environmentally, but am a little confused. Is it better to use oil extracted from currently living plants than getting it from the ground?..snip…
It’s debatable which is better. Plant sources would be the way to go if your goal was to be primitive, natural or Historic. Perhaps the best environmental choice is to use up what you’ve already got in your garage. No need to stress the environmnet by purchasing more. If you still have lots of varnish, then go with that.
Something I’ve considered, but not tried…is recycled board wax. Remelting dirty surf wax and allowing the sand to settle out. Then use that cleaned wax to seal a wood board. It would most likely be a mix of wax and oil.
Another recyclying possibility would be to make use of tainted solvents, like maybe a milky white thinner that was used to clean brushes or a spray gun. Mixed with some varnish it would make a semi transparent finish.
I know this is a old thread but I wanted to share what I finally came up with for a finish for my alaias and paipos. My first board I used Tom Wegener's method of raw linseed oil, gum turp, and brown cider vinegar. I like it becuase its all natural and non-toxic. There has been no problems soaking up water and doesnt look bad. The finish doesnt have a nice sheen to it, which I was kinda looking for. Also linseed oil can eventually mold. I looked into varnish, epoxy, and other "permanent" finishes, but ALL are not natural or non toxic. I have finally found after experiments, that raw tung oil , gum turp(i use citrus solvent"), and natural filtered bees wax is my magic mix. Tung oil doesnt mold and is the closest oil to that of the paulownia tree! Beeswax is natural and gives the finish a nice sheen and gives the board a little more durability. I was worried bout it slowing down the board a bit, but I personally cant tell the difference, but I'm in no position to say so. I'm just an enthusiast. This actually took me months to figure out, but it was worth it. I hope it helps anyone else who is looking for a more permanent natural finish...