Hi folks,
Anyone have experience with both Waterlox Original Sealer Finish and Daly's Seafin Teak Oil? I've used the former before & really liked it, but never the latter. I'd love to hear a good comparison or contrast.
The background is this: I'm restoring a djembe drum which in this case is made from Iroko wood, I believe. These drums are traditionally african & are usually treated with coconut oil or shea butter. The guy who literally wrote the book on djembe construction has used various products for protecting the wooden shell of the drum. He prefers to use penetrating oils applied to exterior wood, and as an example gives a "penetrating timber oil" by Intergrain (Intergrain Timber Oil). But he also mentions Teak Oil - but in the context that it's an additive placed in other penetrating oils. As far as I know there's no such thing as "teak oil" in this context - it's not an oil in and of itself (i.e. you don't squeeze teak oil out of teak like you'd squeeze olive oil out of olives). It's a marketing name used for other types of products. So taking nothing away from the author - he's extremely knowledgable about drum construction and I'm learning a lot from his book, I'd like to hear from some wood-finishing experts, too.
Near as I can tell Waterlox & Daly's are both wiping varnishes, and from the spec sheets & MSDS's both use phenolic resins. Both also mention Tung oil, and Waterlox very clearly emphasizes this in their literature. Daly's also mentions Linseed oil on their MSDS, but Waterlox does not. Daly's says it's appropriate for outdoor applications, whereas Waterlox Original is dubbed an indoor product. So my thought is that the Daly's may give slightly better protection - though that's not my primary motivation here. I know Waterlox would protect the drum just fine.
I'm only considering Daly's because it may have a flatter sheen (the sample in the store looked great). From experience I know Waterlox goes on glossy & cures to a semi-gloss - which was just the ticket for a dining table last year, but that's not what I want here. I'd like a satin, "in the wood" look to the finish, and Daly's claims a "low sheen". (BTW, I don't want to use a "satin" version of varnish because of its flattening agents & the tendency to streak unless flowed on perfectly - in which case it starts to look plastic-y, in my opinion. And also, this particular drum can't be rubbed from a higher gloss down to satin because of its carvings - it's not a flat surface.)
One last thing about Daly's: I'm wondering if, because it contains linseed oil, it may have the potential to yellow more over time vs. something that contains only tung oil in its blend. But this may be negligible depending on how much linseed vs. tung Daly's contains.
Anyway, looking for the voice of experience to chime in - preferably someone who has actually used both products.
BTW, this drum will be used used indoors - it's not out in the elements.
Thanks for the help - I really appreciate it!
Steve