Caring for wood in dry areas?

I know that caring for Witco's has been discussed, but I can't find any info on caring for the wood in dry arid area's. It seems Witcos have a tendency to crack and split anyway, is there any kind of treatment I can use to protect the wood? Is lemon oil ok? Should I use wax? It's not splitting yet, I just want to keep it good shape. And then there's caring for palmwood, it shed's sooo much, I am worried it's going to splinter away to nothing :( Anyone have any tips?

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2003-05-27 11:24 ]

I collect vintage wooden tikis, monkeypod bowls and koa bowls, and this is what I've learned from talking to other collectors:

1. Keep the wood out of direct sunlight.

2. After cleaning the wood, rub it periodically with mineral oil (available at any drugstore).

3. If you don't have a humidifier, I keep small bowls of water around to help with humidity.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your collection.

tigertlily wrote:
I collect vintage wooden tikis, monkeypod bowls and koa bowls...

Well, Aloooooha TigerTLily!

I am familiar with some of your collection, since you have outbid me on items on Ebay. I'm glad the item went to a (new) Tiki Central member! I'd love to see your collection of items that you have obtained outside of Ebay too.

Welcome!

SugarCaddyDaddy

Thank you for your kind welcome. Since the tiki mug pickins have been slim to none around here and on eBay, I switched to matchcovers, but I don't get the same enjoyment out of a flat piece of cardboard. My last score was the Tiki Farm Mondo Tikis. I received mine today numbered 297 out of 300. I just barely made it in. What are you doing to pass the time?

Thanks tigertlily for your response! I will try the mineral oil, it's nice to see you posting here, I also have been outbid by you on one or two auctions on Ebay. Grrrrrr! :wink:

Here's a few wood care tips I follow:

For decorative carvings, if the wood has a protective finish like varnish (appears shiny or somehow 'coated'), I use a "feed n wax" furniture polish, such as Howard's or Orange Glo.

If the wood is unfinished or stained only finish (very dull, natural feel to wood), I like to use lemon oil.

If it doesn't have a varnish, but still seems to have a nice sheen, it is probably waxed, and should be cared for with a good paste wax, Johnson's paste wax is good, but a high quality carnauba car wax will work fine (any car wax that doesn't dry chalky or contains polish or other shine enhancers).

For monkeypod or koa wood bowls, if you plan to serve food from them, then use mineral oil, or an oil designed for your kitchen cutting board. "Boos Block Authentic Mystery Oil" is good for this, but more pricey than mineral oil.

Palm wood carvings should be fairly stable indoors without a finish. If they are outdoors, some like to protect their idols with a satin varnish. I kind of like to leave alone, as the weathering seems a natural part of an outdoor Tiki's life. If it is indoors and gets handled a lot, a satin varnish would help protect is from any discoloring or fraying of its fibers.

Tigertlily's suggestion for increasing the humidity is a good idea too. Dishes of water help, but I like the idea of either houseplants or an indoor fountain for this.

I hope this info is helpful, they keep my Tikis happy!

:tiki:

[ Edited by: Traderpup on 2003-05-28 07:12 ]

Now that's what I'm talkin about! That is some helpful, friendly advice from TraderPup! Thanks to the energy crisis and a couple of electric bills over 300 dollars, I put in a swamp cooler. That should keep the air pretty moist. But the info on the wax and oil really is going to help me out. I want to keep my Tiki's happy too! :D Thanks

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2003-05-28 21:47 ]