How to accelerate cure for leftover oil varnish?

[Kent A Bathurst]

Embarked on a thankless task I have been avoiding for a long time - re-org and cleanup of shelves where miscellaneous stuff got stuck. Partial boxes of deck screws, various lengths of rope/cord and miscellaneous metals, all kinds of stuff.....plus varnishes.

I have a [fairly small] number of partial pints and qts of a variety of oil-based finishes. Don't need them, won't use them, all minimum of 4 years old - some more like 7 - 8 years old.

Is there a fast-cure method to "cook off" the curing and get me to solid? Or, at least, get to non-liquid. I can spread it out on newspaper, etc and let nature take it course, but that will be a space-consuming, time-consuming effort.

Thanks

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Kent, keep in mind I live in a semi-arid environment. I typically wait until summer, open the can and sit it out on our patio. It doesn't take long then.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Ken - thanks - yeah, I can do sorta the same thing. Let it sit for 1- 2 days, and I will get 1/2"+ skin on the top, use a stick to glop that out into another can, another couple days.................till the bottom of the can.

I was hoping there was some bat-perspiration-eye-of-newt-Gandalf-incantation I could add that would speed things up chemically.

I am fairly sure that a cookie sheet and 150* oven would do it, but I need to have the car packed and running for an immediate getaway before I start that.............

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I hear you Kent....I once made the mistake of using my wife's microwave to dry a cherry goblet I was turning........Even though it was always in a paper sack in the microwave, the odor of cherry drying in a microwave strained our relationship!

[Perry Holbrook]

We recently had the house painted. I asked the painters how they hardened any left over paint so it could be taken to the landfill. They said use kitty litter. So I tried mixing about 15 gal of old paint we had stored in the basement, some over 10 years old, with kitty litter. After mixing (in several small batches) spread the mix out on plastic garbage bags. In a couple of days it was solid. Put the solid in the bags and put on the curb for pickup.

The same approach should work for oil based products.

Perry

[Stan Calow]

I used kitty litter for this purpose when we had a cat. Now, I'll use sawdust - which I seem to always have.

[Prashun Patel]

If you don't wish to wait, can you use some Japan drier?

[Jon Nuckles]

I think that you should use the kitty litter to garbage route only for latex paint. Many/most communities have hazardous waste collection sites where you can drop off oil based finishes in the can.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I think that you should use the kitty litter to garbage route only for latex paint. Many/most communities have hazardous waste collection sites where you can drop off oil based finishes in the can.

The kitty litter is good for latex - wouldn't want to try it with oil-based - which is exothermic as it cures. I envision one big hunk of burning kitty litter.

No luck finding oil-based haz mat disposal here in Atlanta - tried that first, but will keep looking. Anyone find that service, I'd be obliged if you pass it along.

[Kent A Bathurst]

If you don't wish to wait, can you use some Japan drier?

I dunno - zero experience with japan drier - sorry to be dumb, but what's it do? What's its normal purpose/use?

[Prashun Patel]

It has salts in it that seem to accelerate the reaction. I have not used it myself, I have only read about it.

[Kent A Bathurst]

It has salts in it that seem to accelerate the reaction. I have not used it myself, I have only read about it.

Looks like the eye of newt I am looking for. 8 bucks at the Borg - worth a shot.

[Prashun Patel]

Go for it, Heisenberg. You may find that your varnish turns into brilliant blue crystals. Just tread lightly near Albuquerque with it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Kent....after further thought, our local garbage center has two large containers where you can place any type of paint, oil or latex and finishes. We just drive to the center and place the cans in the container. You might check with your local municipality.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Tried that Ken - nuttin turned up in Metro Atlanta for oil - they all say they accept latex but no oil-based. Even saw a general discussion thing for greenies that lamented the absence of oil-based disposal here.

[scott vroom]

Tried that Ken - nuttin turned up in Metro Atlanta for oil - they all say they accept latex but no oil-based. Even saw a general discussion thing for greenies that lamented the absence of oil-based disposal here.

Try Atlanta Paint Disposal dot com. They have oil based paint recycling centers embedded into 2 Benjamin Moore stores in the Atlanta area:

1) Benjamin Moore 3210 Roswell Rd NE 30305 (404) 467-8777
2) Benjamin Moore 1108 Chatachoochee Ave NW 30318 (404) 355-4744

Recycling cost is $2 per quart can of oil base finish

[Kent A Bathurst]

Try Atlanta Paint Disposal dot com. They have oil based paint recycling centers embedded into 2 Benjamin Moore stores in the Atlanta area:

1) Benjamin Moore 3210 Roswell Rd NE 30305 (404) 467-8777
2) Benjamin Moore 1108 Chatachoochee Ave NW 30318 (404) 355-4744

Recycling cost is $2 per quart can of oil base finish


Vroom Dude [tm]-

Thanks - I had been to that site, but it takes some dedicated digging to find that thy do accept oil-based, for a fee - a reasonable fee, IMO.

I have some spar varnish + Japan Drier cooking off right now - will be interested to see how long it takes. 12" disposable pizza tray, with about 2/3 pint mixed with way too much drier.

But - these guys appear to be the right deal.

Thanks, as always.

Regards

Kent

[Jon Nuckles]

Glad you found a disposal site. Surprising that they'll take latex and not oil at the municipal site. Ours won't take latex. Ours is open limited hours, but is manned when open. They take oil based finishes, old gasoline, computer parts and goodness knows what else. It is probably an expensive service to provide, but it sure is better than having people dump hazardous chemicals improperly.

[Scott Holmes]

I reach into my dust collector and fill the can with sawdust. Works with paints too... The trash man will take old paint cans if they have been filled with sawdust... :)

[Howard Acheson]

I'm with Scott except I use "kitty litter".

[Jon Nuckles]

I reach into my dust collector and fill the can with sawdust. Works with paints too... The trash man will take old paint cans if they have been filled with sawdust... :)

Scott, What the garbage man will pick up and what you can responsibly dispose of in the garbage are two different things. I don't know Tomball's requirements, but Houston would not allow that for the oil-based finishes that the OP asked about. This is from the city's website:

Disposal Latex Paint -- Latex paint is water-based and is non-toxic. Latex paint can be disposed of in your normal trash once it has been solidified. Latex paint can be easily solidified by mixing it with kitty litter or sawdust. This can be done in the can if there is just a little bit left in the can, or, if you have several cans or cans with alot of paint in them, you can mix the latex paint with kitty litter or sawdust in a double-lined trash bag. Then you can just tie up the bag and put it and your empty cans in the trash.

Latex may be disposed of at the Westpark Recycling Center and ESCs.

Oil-Based Paint -- Oil-based paint or paint that has the word "alkyd", flammable, or comustable on the label should be used up until none is left. This can be done by painting old boards or newspapers in a well-ventilated place. Then the painted wood and newspapers can go into the trash along with the empty can. Oil based paint is only be accepted at ESC's.

[Kent A Bathurst]

FWIW -

Disposable grocery-store pizza pan - 3 for $2.50. Lined with waxed paler

Poured out about 1/4" of varnish, way over-mixed with japan drier

24 hours - still liquid. but thickened

36 hours - heavy skin - pulled back to expose goop below

48 hours - cured.

Total of maybe 1 cup of varnish gone. It works, but too slowly - going the disposal-for-fee route with the other stuff.

Side benefit - I like the pizza pans - set varnish on it to open, stir, etc. Easy way to protect surfaces.

[Stan Calow]

Kent I tried the same experiment, but in containers. about 2 ounces of poly in each of two plastic cups. One tablespoon of Japan drier added to one of them. After 2 days, no difference between the two. In any case, drier's not cheap so would not be cost effective.