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[Poobah]

[Uncle Grumpy]

The 'Tubes" in wood are only on the end grain; however all woods have different porosity and hardness which relate to their specific gravity which of course affects how or even if it will float. Balsa is literally like a sponge; it floats really well, will soak up water and finish just like one. Teak, Ipe etc are so hard the finish basically just sits on the surface; they really need no finish and may not even float.

Almost all commercial exterior finishes have some form of mildewcide in them.
As far as worrying about mildew, if a board is stored in a damp garage or maybe gets put in a wet board bag you could get mildew.
The secret to avoiding mildew is good ventilation.

[Poobah]

[RoyStewart]

Interesting stuff

Regarding coconut oil, we use it on boards, but not as a sealer, we use it as a speed oil as it dissolves in salt water and reduces drag.


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[Poobah]

[RoyStewart]

That's a wicked looking board there Poohbah

Regarding the oil, after 20 minutes or so in the water it's all gone, it definitely migrates into the water, but slowly. With the boardwax for example, the wax slowly hardens as the oil moves into the water, perhaps it is going into suspension rather than dissolving, it definitely makes the board feel faster though.

.
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[Poobah]

Yes, and I actually named that board "Something Wicked." As for the oil...I've had a chunk of the coconut oil floating in a jar of ocean water for far longer than 20 minutes. It still looks the same and has sharp edges.

Did you put the coconut oil on top of an epoxy-coated board? Maybe the action of moving sandy water can remove the oil from an epoxy board... but not dissolve it.

[mrmike]

be warned, once you oil wood no resin or epoxi will stick
MIKE
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[eef]

[quote="Poobah"]Yes, and I actually named that board "Something Wicked."

That board looks fantastic!!!! Do I see some keels on there? How big is it?

greetings,

Eef
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[Poobah]

That's one of my long cubits, 23" x 18.5" and the little keels are 3/4" at the deepest. The fins were added at the beginning of the project, rather than at the end. I was trying to demonstrate "stringer fins" that are allowed to protrude thorough the bottom of the board in a vertical lamination. Although more like a channel bottom than a twin fin in this model. I've been meaning to do some larger versions, but would like a biscuit tool to do it. Here's a picture of that board before I oiled it. You can see the fins a little better.

[eef]

That's a very beautifull board Poobah! Great work!

'm sealing a wood paipo with linseed oil at the moment. How many layers do i have to put on? Till the wood stops sucking it in?

thanks!
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[Poobah]

Pure linseed oil? I don't know, because I haven't tried that. Some say that putting a little varnish in the oil for just the first coat will seal it better. Then use straight oil for the additional coats.

If you have solvents like turpentine and mineral spirits in the linseed oil, and you don't allow enough time between coats, then the solvents can thin thin out the previous coat(s) of oil. But once the oil polymerizes (oxygen makes the oil molecules cross link with eachother) then the solvents won't impact the old layers of oil. Watco for example recommends 72 hours between coats for their oil-blend finish. No matter how it feels to the touch, it still needs time to polymerize. Patience. With pure linseed oil you might need weeks between coats.

Since you seem to be using soft woods, then try the burnishing method mentioned earlier in this thread....working in the additional coats with wet and dry sandpaper to clog up the wood with a slurry of wood dust and oil.

PS....If you have oil-based paint on the exterior of your house, and it has a chalky feel to it, that's because the oil base has been degraded by the UV light and mostly just the pigment is left on the surface. I'm sure you keep your freshly oiled paipo out of the rain, but do you keep it out of the sunlight? Don't try to speed up the drying by putting the board in the sun. It needs oxygen to polymerize. Here's an interesting (and short) read about the drying differences of tung and linseed oil:

http://www.sydneywoodturners.com.au/site/articles/finishing/oils.html

[eef]

thanks!

i didn't know there was so much to using oil for seeling the wood

I let the board dry out of the sun and rain (more rain then sun here at the moment) and there are most of the time a couple of days between coats. I put on 7 coats now, and i still doesn't feel 'oily', so i was wondering.
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[Goodwood]

Pure linseed oil is my choice.
Technique of application is important also.
Making a solid pad out of folded rag and applying in a circular
motion with decent pressure to really push the oil into the wood.
You can do this every day for several days. Then once a week or after every few surfs. You can still surf then without waiting to dry fully.
Works a treat.

Has any one ever used just Danish Oil to seal Balsa?
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[bgreen]

Goodwood,

Where are on the east coast?


Bob