Painter Pyradmids

[Jerry Thompson]

Soon I will be using Waterlox OSF on cherry. This will be followed by Waterlox satin. The widest parts will be 12'' with several smaller ones ranging from approx. 4'' to 1''.
If I were to do both sides at the same time and use the pyramids on the side with fresh finish would I have a problem with the small marks left by the pyramids?
I will wipe on a few coats of the OSF then apply the satin with a good brush. The satin I may only use one application if all looks good.
According to the Waterlox instructions one needs to wait 24 hours between applications. My garage has a dehumidifier in it and the RH stays between 44-49% and with a window A/C it would seem adequate air exchange is present to provide oxygen for curing.
If small marks are left on the parts could they be rectified? Would it just be advisable to bite the bullet and do only one side at a time. There are nine parts to finish and I want to do them before assembly as many areas iof the doll cradle would be hard to do a good job, for me at least.

Thank you

[Al Launier]

My experience, though limited, with these is that they will leave a slight mark/indentation in the finish. If you try to sand down to the bare woodafterward to refinish them I think there is a good chance that the newly applied finish will overlap the old resulting in a slightly noticeable darker color around the edges of the repair area. I would wait for the first side to dry.

Another alternative if applicable to your project, and to save time, would be to sink a nail into the end of the piece(s) & then support the nails high enough to be able to rotate the piece while applying the finish.

[Bill McNiel]

Yes they will leave dimples, at least they have on my projects. Depending on the weight of the piece, ie. table top vs. small pieces, it may take longer than 24 hrs for OSF to harden enough to avoid the dimples.

Waterlox needs oxygen as much, if not more, than 70 degree temp.

I would seriously suggest you consider the blue towel/Denney's Busboy technique for applying the topcoat(s). In my experience it is almost foolproof (that means even I can get it right).

[Jerry Thompson]

Thank you both for giving me new ideas. Being OCD in wanting perfection it dawned on me that I could just do the insides with OSF then do the outside as planned.
As a thought, and something I plan on not doing, if the 02 was increased in, say a closed container, would the Waterlox cure faster?
Normal 02 is 21%. if one were to increase the 02 level to, say, 42% would it cure twice as fast?
Needless to say this would be inadvisable due to the obvious reasons. It is just "What if" thought.

[Jason Roehl]

You'd certainly greatly increase the risk of fire!

A lot of finishes are very temperature-sensitive, particularly in dry time, but also in cure time to a lesser extent. You're probably much better off increasing the ambient temperature by 10ºF than by trying to increase the oxygen content of the air.