Repairing a pure tung oil finish

[Steve Van Kirk]

Hi folks,

So where's the "ease of repair" that's associated with pure oil finishes? I'm having some trouble & could use a little help.

For reasons that would take too long to explain, I chose to use 100% pure tung oil to refinish a djembe drum. My reasons are explained in another post & I don't regret the choice, so the issue I'm trying to resolve isn't whether or not this was the right finish. The issue is that it's my first experience with a pure oil finish, and I'd read things like, "repairs couldn't be simpler", etc., etc., etc. Just sand the damaged area, reapply the oil - as many applications as appropriate - and you're good. But that's not what I'm experiencing right now.

Towards the end of the finishing process, I accidentally put a very small scratch in the finish. It was barely perceptible, but I thought, "Hey - oil finishes are a breeze to repair, so let me just get a little practice here & learn something." I lightly sanded the area & reapplied the tung oil. But now, and even after many applications of the oil, the area still has a much lower sheen than the rest of the drum. It's like the oil isn't "building" to a satin, but is remaining matte. (I realize an oil finish doesn't build per se - it's not like a poly or a varnish, I'm just trying to describe the look the best I can. The sanded area has a much lower sheen. You can look at the drum from the right angle & see, "Oh - that's where you SANDED, isn't it? )

My application has varied from 50/50 tung oil & citrus solvent to 100% tung. All applications were left to soak in an hour or more before wiping off. The last couple times I applied, I left it for 2-3 hours hoping it would soak in, take, build, or whatever would need to happen so the sheen would start to match the rest of the drum. The only difference in application for the repair vs. the original finish is that I didn't buff with 0000 steel wool between coats for the repair, but I'm guessing that's not the problem. And for what it's worth, I let each coat dry overnight, at least, and sometimes 3-4 days.

So at this point I could use some good advice. Otherwise I think I'm going to have to sand down the rest of the drum & start over.


Thanks in advance!

Steve

[Stan Calow]

What is the product that you used - brand name?

[Steve Van Kirk]

Hope's 100% pure tung oil.

[Stan Calow]

Steve I'm hoping someone with more expertise will chime in. I've used pure tung oil finishes before and never had one that had any sheen to it at all, so I am not sure how to fix that.

[Gary Yoder]

I'm no expert but my first thought would be to question the sanding itself. Was the sanded area sanded with the same patience and to the same grit? Being purely oil it just seems that the surface of the wood would be the difference.... But I could be off base.

[Wayne Lomman]

Steve, the difference in the appearance of the finish is due to the difference in treatment of the repair. This is not your fault - it is simply inevitable. Originally you sanded a number of times and applied a number of coats of oil. The repair area had this treatment PLUS further sanding over the oil and more coats of oil over the remaining traces of the original oil. The same problem occurs with any finishing process. What always has to be done is either:
1. Adjust the finishing process with colour or product or technique to make it look the same which does not always work.
2. The next choice is to extend the repair area out to clear lines of definition so that the repair does not stand out. Panel shops do this all the time to hide an imperfect paint colour match.
3. As a last resort, re-sand and refinish the whole job.
I'm guessing that option 1 has already had a flogging so if it were my job I would feel like there is some extra work coming up, hopefully option 2. I had the same choices on a job today and had to go for option 2 and it worked. Cheers

[Steve Van Kirk]

Hi guys,

Hey - thanks for the replies. I really appreciate it.

Wayne - that's really good information. I'm glad to know it probably wasn't an error on my part. I'm thinking of option #2, but if the sheen on my sanded repair is any indication of what the extended repair's sheen will be, it'll be significantly different from the rest of the drum and may not be worth it. I may have to go right to option #3. The bummer is that I'd have to sand all the way to bare wood, otherwise the sheen of the entire drum will be matte (like the repaired area) rather than satin (like the rest of the drum is now - which is what I want).

The irony here is that the scratch I was trying to repair was almost imperceptible and normally I would have left it alone. The ONLY reason I even bothered was that I'd read so much about how easy it was to repair a pure oil finish, I thought I'd have a go and experience it firsthand. Grrr...

So is the ease-of-repair that's touted with a pure oil finish just a myth? Seems like maybe it is, but I'd be interested to hear what others have experienced.

Thanks!

Steve

[Stan Calow]

Steve, I think maybe the difference is that, since an oil finish is in the wood, a scratch is damage to the wood, not the finish. If it were a scrape or scuff or water mark or something like that, then an oil finish can be fixed with another wipe. A scratch in varnish or lacquer could actually not even penetrate the film finish. My two cents.