Dave,

I treated a new cheapo Mapex entry level kit (Basswood) with Tung oil and it really improved sonically. It was warm to begin with but the treatment gave it a little more projection. Do you find that as well?

kellyj-

I actually just asked about this very subject of a couple members here.

A couple years ago I refinished my vintage Gon Bop Conga and Tumba and after sanding applied about 4 coats of Tung oil to the outside shells. It soaked it up and dried really nice. Then I put the lacquer finish on. They look and sound great. I also used it on a basswood shell kit inside and out before lacquering and it nourished the wood and brought out a nice grain pattern. They sound good.

So now I am going to treat the inside of a 50 year old shell that is dry and seems brittle. I think it is going to give the wood some well needed nourishment.

I think it is good for the wood, a preservative, and not going to hurt the sound.

Vibes,

Maybe I should back up on the Buddy Rich snare and give it a couple of coats of oil. You're probably right...

Should I do this to my buddy's pdp it sounds okay not grate and it's kinda not all that good of a kit compared to the old stuff I hear on recordings.

Because tung oil dries hard, it doesn't "nourish" dry wood. To do that, the oil needs to remain oil.

As mentioned earlier, lemon oil is the way to go to nourish old wood. Now if you want to change the tone and add projection - at the expense of warmth - sure, throw some tung oil on there.

The drums i oiled are destined to be used outdoors as a street kit, so i felt some kind of moisture barrier would make sense; however, doing a "proper" job requires the aforementioned multiple coats, which, with some drying time in between each, results in a bit too much cost/time for a cheaper kit (and tung oil odours, while not unpleasant, take a long time to dissapate)

Not very basement-apartment friendly

Because i only did two coats, its hard to say if there is sonically a huge difference

With the hardener, i'm looking to add strength and seal the inner ply of a basswood shell to bolster its soft bearing edges and sponge-y interior... because most current drum plies are only about 1mm thick, there's not a whole lot of mass or density being added, but the inner sound chamber WILL be reinforced to a massive degree

The PC Petrifier product i used came about from reading about exotic woods being stabilized before being turned into pens or bowls; because its water-based, it soaked right into the wood (more than the tung, which is thicker flowing stuff) and has virtually no smell and dries in about 30 minutes (24 hours for full cure)... Very apartment friendly, and fast!

Having two identical kits awoke the scientist in me to try this to see if there's any "improvement" and record the results, which will follow; tung oil is more in line with a "vintage" vibe, but these are newer and if the results come out positive than i'd have no hesitation using it on an older luan Yamaha DP set i have as well