Expert: Greg Scholl - 11/29/2011

Question
I have 2 almost lifesized wooden animals (puma and lion) that were made in Brazil. I moved several times since Brazil and am now living in Kurdistan, Iraq where it it extremely dry. Humidity is less than 10%. The animals appear more and more dry every day and I am looking for some type of restorative oil or treatment for them. They have both lost their sheen and appear very dull despite repeated daily polishings. I do know that the air is responsible for this problem but would like to rectify as much as I can. Any product or procedure recommendations would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Danielle, this is my first question from Iraq! Unfortunately, this type of climate is very hard on wooden objects, art, furnishings, leather, etc., etc.....adding humidity to their environment, if possible, is really the only way to help stave off more damage. A few coats of an oil finish like WaterLox, might also help protect them a little, but if you have major cracking, twisting, warpage or other severe damage to them, it's almost impossible to reverse. The best plan is to not let them get that damaged, by monitoring their environment and supplementing the lack of humidity with some humidifiers, and locate a simple Hygrometer in the space to monitor the relative humidity.I'm sure this dry, arid climate is also hard on the human body, so I hope you're taking the necessary precautions there as well...Waterlox is a modified Tung Oil/varnish product, and you can read about it here:
http://www.waterlox.com/
Their "original" formula would probably be the best bet, and it's easy to apply....just flood the surface, coating the whole animal, and reapplying immediately to any absorptive areas for 15-20 minutes, then wipe the whole thing down thoroughly with clean cloths and let dry overnight....it is a penetrating oil finish that will soak in and harden from within the wood.I would think you could apply 3 coats with a day or so in between coats.They can field questions on their website as well, if you'd like to ask them directly about my recommendation...or ask any other questions...they are nice people and bend over backwards to help their customers...hope that helps- would love to see a picture, and please feel free to post back if need be- regards- Greg