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Kenny Jacobson
07-27-2011, 3:39 PM
I thought I'd pick everyone's brain for this...

I got a piece of Juniper last week and turned it right away (I don't know how seasoned it was when I got it). It did not seem too wet or resinous. There were some end grain cracks starting to show on the outside as I was hollowing the inside (in restrospect, I should have either continually wet the outside, or maybe covered it with saran wrap to keep it from drying out too quickly). So I sanded the outside to 220, let the sawdust fill in the little cracks, then put CA glue in the cracks. Then fearing that the CA glue would discolor around the cracks, I decided to put CA glue around the whole outside of the form. I finished hollowing it and then brought it inside to let it dry a little more. I weighed it every day for about 4 days and there was very little weight change, so I figured it was pretty stable. Two days ago, I decided to finish it. I started at 220 grit, followed by 320, then 400. I sanded the inside too to 400. Then I decided to use my most recent favorite finish, Formby's Tung Oil finish. I figured I had already sanded past whatever CA layer there was, so the Formby's should absorb pretty easily. And it did. The wood practically soaked it up like a sponge. Now, though (two days later), there are still tacky parts. I'm used to Formby's being dry in about three hours (though I always allow at least 12 hours between coats). I'm in Southern California where it has not been particularly humid lately.

Any ideas why it's still tacky and what I should do?

Could the tackiness be:
1) my Formby's it getting old and I need to throw it out?
2) Juniper is more oily than I thought?
3) the CA glue is causing a barrier in parts?

What should I do:
1) be patience and give it another week?
2) strip off the tacky parts with mineral spirits, laquer thinner, or DNA?
3) sand it all back down and start with something else.

Here's a pic (5.5" D x 4.5" H):

203224

Greg Bolton22
07-27-2011, 3:44 PM
I think it is the wood. I have had similar issues with eastern red cedar and danish oil. The resin in the wood doesn't allow the finish to dry where it most concentrated.

Greg

Steve Vaughan
07-27-2011, 3:47 PM
I'm gonna guess your numbers 1 or 2. But something else to consider is, if it soaked up lots and lots of the oil, then it's pretty much soaking wet with finish and may just take a really long time for that much oil to dry. Looks like our eastern red cedar. Is Juniper another name for cedar?

Oh, just saw Greg's post. Yup, cedar is pretty resinous and can cause those issues.

Kenny Jacobson
07-27-2011, 3:47 PM
What did you end up doing, Greg?

Scott Hackler
07-27-2011, 3:48 PM
In my opinion your problem is because the piece soaked up so much of the oil that it hasnt dried out. I would wipe it down with thinner and shelf it for a few weeks. Then you can decide if its "done" or if more finishing it desired. High humidity will delay the oil from drying out too.

When I turn cedar/juniper, I often use tung or BLO and I have noticed that it takes longer than say...oak or walnut to dry.

Kenny Jacobson
07-27-2011, 3:56 PM
Steve, yes I think your eastern red cedar is Juniperus virginiana . Ours out west is either Juniperus scopulorum or Juniperus californica. But it's quite possible that my wood is actually your eastern red cedar since in So Cal, non-native trees out-number our native trees about a million to one, I think.

Kenny Jacobson
07-27-2011, 4:11 PM
Cool! Thank you, everyone!

So the consensus seems to be to be patient and let it sit a little while longer. Scott, if I don't notice much of a change in a week, I'll take your advice and wipe it down with a little thinner and let it dry some more.

I think I just wanted a nice satin sheen too it. Not too glossy, but I still wanted a little something in the wood to help bring out the figure.

Greg Bolton22
07-27-2011, 4:31 PM
Kenny, mine did dry after a week or so. I thought about using some thinner or alcohol to dissolve the resign but most of the time those kind of ideas backfire on me. I have found that my best problem solving skill is to wait out a problem instead of attacking it full force. Took a lot of years of screwing things up to finally learn that one!

Greg

Steve Vaughan
07-27-2011, 4:40 PM
By the way, that's a nice looking piece!

Kenny Jacobson
07-27-2011, 5:20 PM
Kenny, mine did dry after a week or so. I thought about using some thinner or alcohol to dissolve the resign but most of the time those kind of ideas backfire on me. I have found that my best problem solving skill is to wait out a problem instead of attacking it full force. Took a lot of years of screwing things up to finally learn that one!

Greg

That sounds like sage advice. My draw to woodturning as hobbie/art is definitely its immediacy. Where else in the woodworking world can you go from hunk of wood to finished piece in a few hours? But I'm definitely finding the more I can wait and think something through, usually the happier I am with the finished product.

Kenny Jacobson
07-27-2011, 5:21 PM
By the way, that's a nice looking piece!

Thank you so much, Steve. Very kind of you.