Re: Oiling winds

[Jim McGill <jim@elseware.com>]

Dana's answer to the general question of the why of oiling, was very 
informative. Thank you, Dana,  for such detail. Given one should oil (which 
I never really questioned), my concern becomes  polymerizing vs. 
nonpolymerizing oils.  Polymerizing oils wet the wood, absorb into the 
grain, and, presumibly, modify the surface characteristics beyond the 
obvious effects of waterproofing and gluing down stray grain fuzz. 
 Nonpolymerizing oils also absorb into the surface, providing waterproofing, 
but add no glueing beyond that caused by surface tension and continue to 
move as they cannot be immobilized.  I  have no basis for choosing between 
them, though my bias is for polymerizing oils as they form a better looking 
surface. Have conservators that have old winds in their keeping seen long 
term results of the two types of oils that can give me a rational basis for 
choosing, or has mineral oil been around too short a period for it's 
consequences to be known?
Jim McGill