drtom Posted August 14, 2023 Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 Hey Woodmasters, I'm restoring a set of wood bongos and hope you can help me. The stave shells had several splits I've managed to repair, but the finish still needs work. The finish has worn through due to rubbing against a stand (my best guess). At its worst, the wood has worn as well. I'm hoping to just touch up the two spots and avoid having to completely strip and refinish. Can this be done? If so, how? Thanks for any suggestions you can offer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 14, 2023 Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 First, welcome to the forum, @drtom! As for spot finish on your drums, it would be helpful to know what the original finish is. Judging only from the clarity of the film, I would guess it is not oil-based. And how it appears cracked around the worn spot indicates a hard film. Reasonable assumption would be a lacquer of some sort, as these finishes are common for musical instruments. If you can determine that it is lacquer, you might get away with cleaning up the damaged area and spraying new finish where needed. Lacquer is borne in a solvent that allows it to 'melt in' to a previous coat of the same lacquer. I'm not a finish repair expert, so I suggest waiting for a few more opinions before you take action. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 14, 2023 Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 It looks to me like the wood at the wear spots will need sanding, which is going to make a spot repair of the finish difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted August 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 On 8/14/2023 at 3:45 AM, wtnhighlander said: First, welcome to the forum, @drtom! As for spot finish on your drums, it would be helpful to know what the original finish is. Thank you! I've contacted the manufacturer regarding exactly that and am waiting for their response. In the meantime, I'll get a hold of some linseed oil, acetone, etc. and try to figure it out on my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted August 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 On 8/14/2023 at 5:45 AM, Mark J said: It looks to me like the wood at the wear spots will need sanding, which is going to make a spot repair of the finish difficult. Yes, that occurred to me. The wood is worn enough that even if a perfect repair is done on the finish, a close look will reveal the flaw there. Oh well. Any suggestions on minimizing the flaw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted August 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 I think the finish is polyurethane. Neither acetone nor boiled linseed oil (not boiled linseed oil doesn't seem to be available in California and neither is denatured alcohol) had any effect on it. Does this sound right? If so, what next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Beasley Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 Might try paint stripper on the bottom and see what it looks like. With all the beading detail on the sides you might never get it completely sanded so chemical stripper and judicious hand sanding on the damaged area might be the way to go. If you know of any furniture refinishers nearby you might see about getting them dunked in the strip tank. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 I still lean toward it being NOT an oil-based poly, it just isn't amber enough. Possibly a water borne poly, though. Unless you want to strip it completely, like Gary suggested, this might be a good time to clean up a small area and run a test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted August 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 On 8/15/2023 at 4:52 PM, wtnhighlander said: I still lean toward it being NOT an oil-based poly, it just isn't amber enough. Possibly a water borne poly, though. Unless you want to strip it completely, like Gary suggested, this might be a good time to clean up a small area and run a test. You're right that it's quite clear. I've applied acetone and it just beaded up. I also tried boiled linseed oil and had the same results. Is that what you mean about a test? Think I didn't word my previous post very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 16, 2023 Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 No, I mean to take the best guess at a matching finish, and apply a small amount to see how it compares. The damage needs to be cleaned up anyway, so I would sand a small spot clean, and try the finish. If it doesn't match, at least you won't have to re-sand the entire area. I have used General Finishes 'High Performance' water borne poly, but only in satin sheen. It is quite durable, I assume their gloss version would be as well. I have also attempted to use Minwax Ploycrylic, but was not impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted August 16, 2023 Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 Hi, professional musician here. Those are not tone wood frames and need nothing special on them. Drum frames stay raw in Africa. The only part of those drums that need special treatment is the heads. The frames are simple open tubes. Stripping to refinish will not take any more time than repair experimentation. A quick sand for key in, and something to protect from hand oils. They crack due to unequal moisture movement when humidity varies a ton. These come from permanently humid areas. They are rarely finished on the interior. That leads to moisture moving unequally. Don’t overthink it. You are truly just protecting from hand oils. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post drtom Posted August 24, 2023 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 24, 2023 OK Guys, I do appreciate all the really helpful feedback. I spot sanded and went with the oil based poly. The results are far from perfect but definitely an improvement. Probably should have sanded deeper on the macho, but I was already at least 1/8" deep into the wood at its deepest so I stopped. Chalk it up to experience. Thank you so much. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 24, 2023 Report Share Posted August 24, 2023 Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted September 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2023 Well, the owner of the bongos has had a change of heart. Now the job is to strip these down to bare wood, stain and refinish. Because of the beaded surface I'm not sure how to get all the finish is removed. Suggestion would be most appreciated. Also, because of the beads and the round surface I really don't know how to get the finish to not run and drip in one direction or another. Hopefully more experienced woodworkers can share some insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 1, 2023 Report Share Posted September 1, 2023 Spot check strippers and wrap in cloth. The cloth helps keep it wet longer, and a tooth brush can clear the deep bits. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 2, 2023 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 If I were doing that job, my choice would be Minwax 'Tung Oil Finish'. It is a wiping varnish / oil blend that is very easy to apply in thin coats to avoid runs, yet builds to a nice gloss, usually in 3 to 4 coats. Even at 4 coats, the film is thin enough to not look like a plastic coating, but is pretty durable, once cured. Drying time is the biggest drawback of any oil-based finish, IMO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted September 2, 2023 Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 If you have access to a spray gun setup, lacquer is very fast drying and can be applied thin. Other finishes can be sprayed, too. Got an old rotisserie? Or a lathe that will turn under 60 rpm? Revolving the piece slowly can keep drips from forming. As suggested, wipe on varnish, particularly a thick gel formula, e.g. Bartley. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted September 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2023 All great suggestion so far. I'll begin to educate myself on strippers and variety of finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted September 3, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 Pretty much all the online tutorials on stripping poly I've found seem to be ads. Even the content looks to be copied and pasted over and over. Can anyone point me to a good source of info? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 3, 2023 Report Share Posted September 3, 2023 The fastest way I know to remove a hard film finish is to use a card scraper. Chemical strippers are slow, and often damage the surface anyway, so you will likely need to a fair amount of sanding in either case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted September 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/3/2023 at 1:29 PM, wtnhighlander said: The fastest way I know to remove a hard film finish is to use a card scraper. Chemical strippers are slow, and often damage the surface anyway, so you will likely need to a fair amount of sanding in either case. I did look into scrapers, but the recessed beads seem like a challenge to get at. Tried Citristrip on the center block (small piece that joins the two shells) and had poor results. After three overnight applications covered with plastic the finish still not completely stripped. This is not going well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 14, 2023 Report Share Posted September 14, 2023 Well, I agree that scraping non-flat surface can be a challenge. If your workspace is equipped for it, you might consider shaping a custom scraper or two from razor blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted October 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2023 After several applications of a stripper, scraping and sanding I'm just about done with the stripping. I'ts been just as troublesome as I anticipated. Here's one shell with a single coat of stain. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtom Posted October 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 9/2/2023 at 3:52 AM, wtnhighlander said: If I were doing that job, my choice would be Minwax 'Tung Oil Finish'. It is a wiping varnish / oil blend that is very easy to apply in thin coats to avoid runs, yet builds to a nice gloss, usually in 3 to 4 coats. Even at 4 coats, the film is thin enough to not look like a plastic coating, but is pretty durable, once cured. Drying time is the biggest drawback of any oil-based finish, IMO. I'll definitely look into this. Would you apply each layer in sections or to the whole shell (inside and out)? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 14, 2023 Report Share Posted October 14, 2023 I generally do the entire pieceat once, to maintain even coverage. The bands around the shell provide excellent separation points, should you want to vary the sheen or color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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