Wipe on poly question

[Ricc Havens]

I have seen previous threads repeople discuss making their own wipe on poly by mixing equal parts polyurethane and mineral spirits. Yesterday I mixed up equal amounts of Minwax semi gloss poly and low odor mineral spirits. Applied it to a hollow form late yesterday afternoon. Today almost 24 hours later it is still a little tacky to the touch. Any suggestions?

[Brice Rogers]

What kind of wood? I've found avocado and red cedar to be slower drying.

Also, how thin of a coat did you use?

While you shouldn't have to resort to it, there is a liquid called Japan Dryer that speeds up the curing process.

[Ricc Havens]

It was a rosewood hollow form that already had a coat of sealer. And I did a very thin coat of the 50/50 mix. I would rather not have to add it but If I have to resort to japan drier how much do I add ratio wise?

[Steve Eure]

How is the humidity in your area? I make my own using equal parts of tung oil, ms, and poly, but will not apply when the humidity is high. It takes much longer to dry. Same issues when raining. Living in SW Ga., we get a very small window of opportunity lately to do any finishing. Summers are terrible here. Humid all day and night.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Some rosewoods (must be 20 varieties) are oily and resists finishing. Just had to sand the finish off and clean the wood with acetone and refinish. May not be a problem with your mixture. Since this is you first coat, you may be able to just strip it off with a few wipedowns using MS and then acetone to get the oils off the wood. Unsure what you would do with the inside if you put finish in there.

[tom lucas]

Before doing anything drastic I'd give it a few days. I've read that sometimes the wrong sealer, especially if the sealer hasn't cured fully, can cause the top coat to never dry.

[Larry Frank]

I do not trust the low odor mineral spirits. I have no idea exactly is in them.

I just buy the Minwax wipe on poly and never had a problem.

[Wally Wenzel]

I use nothing but a couple very light coats of rattle can shelac before trying wop on any sort of exotic oily wood.I have had to many times to redo finish that never drys.
Wally

[Robert Hayward]

I do not trust the low odor mineral spirits. I have no idea exactly is in them.

I just buy the Minwax wipe on poly and never had a problem.

+1. I did have a problem with one can from HD. Stuff would not dry. Took it back and exchanged it, has not happened since.

[John Keeton]

+1. I did have a problem with one can from HD. Stuff would not dry. Took it back and exchanged it, has not happened since.I have used Minwax WOP for decades going back to my furniture days. It was the FWW article that cinched it for me. To Robert’s one time issue, over time the driers evaporate and it will take much longer to cure. There are ways to deal with that if your use isn’t enough to use a can in a moderate amount of time. Also, it is good practice to give the first coat 10-15 minutes, depending on ambient conditions, and then wipe off the excess.

[Ricc Havens]

Thanks for all the input. I should have been more clear when I mentioned above that it had a coat of sealer already. the sealer coat is shellac. So hopefully that should have mitigated the wood surface being too oily for the poly mix.

Others have suggested Minwax WOP. I have that and use it but they only make satin and gloss. I wanted something in between so I mixed the semi-gloss with the low odor min spirits. Maybe it is the "low odor" stuff causing the issue.

Humidity shouldn't be an issue as I am in a basement workshop (shared witha laundry room and furnace-a/c) but also have a dehumidifier in the basement.

A couple have suggested that the low odor mineral spirits may be suspect as the issue. I will try regular mineral spirits and see if there is a difference.

Brice mentioned adding japan drier to what I already have mixed up. any thoughts on how much to add?

Let me know if anyone else has any more thoughts or advice.

[Pat Scott]

I make my own using equal parts of tung oil, ms, and poly,
Steve you've just made Danish Oil. Danish Oil is a mixture of oil (Tung or Linseed), thinner (MS), and resin (poly, varnish).

Ricc how old was the poly? All I've used is odorless MS and not had any problems.

When you apply your thinned poly wipe it on and let it sit a few minutes and then wipe it all off - and I mean all off. What you're doing is wiping it off the surface but there is still finish in the pores. When you wipe it off you're almost buffing or polishing it because you're wiping it so much. With sealed wood letting it sit for a few minutes might not buy you as much because the pores are sealed. Check it again in 30-60 minutes and wipe again if any finish has worked it's way to the surface. On porous woods (like Walnut), I might have to check and wipe it 3-4 times over the course of several hours.

If it's still tacky you can try wiping the piece with MS and check it again tomorrow. If that doesn't help you might have to wait a few days to a week. DON'T put on another coat until this coat is cured!

[John K Jordan]

It was a rosewood hollow form that already had a coat of sealer. And I did a very thin coat of the 50/50 mix. I would rather not have to add it but If I have to resort to japan drier how much do I add ratio wise?

I've had problems when experimenting with finishing several types of rosewood. The worst experience was oil on Cocobolo - dried just fine but turned the wood as black as ebony in a year. I've had the best success with shellac, either a shellac-based friction polish for small things or using a light coat of shellac under another finish (let dry, sand lightly with fine paper or something abranet or scotch abrasive pads). That seals the wood nicely. You can put almost any finish over shellac.

JKJ

[Brice Rogers]

Ricc Havens, I have a can of Japan Dryer so I looked at the instructions. It said to use no more than 2 ounces per gallon of oil based finish. But it also said that it shouldn't be used with synthetic finishes like polyurethane, water based finishes or lacquer. So it looks like I gave you a bad lead.

In case you're interested, here is a link to the label: https://www.sunnysidecorp.com/pdfs/Label_72416.pdf

[John K Jordan]

I've had problems when experimenting with finishing several types of rosewood. The worst experience was oil on Cocobolo - dried just fine but turned the wood as black as ebony in a year. I've had the best success with shellac, either a shellac-based friction polish for small things or using a light coat of shellac under another finish (let dry, sand lightly with fine paper or something abranet or scotch abrasive pads). That seals the wood nicely. You can put almost any finish over shellac.

JKJ

I forgot to mention, the finish I often use for rosewoods is no finish! For example, with cocobolo, tulipwood, african blackwood, etc. I sometimes simply apply nothing but simply polish the wood. I do this with ebony too, although it's not a rosewood. Here is a box with no finish, just polished with a buffing wheel.

440241

Some threaded b&w ebony boxes, no finish:

440242

JKJ

[Richard Coers]

I'm a huge advocate of trying finishes on scrap wood. Nothing worse than spending hours or days, and then screwing it up with some new concoction you've never used before. Move it outside in the direct sunlight and see what happens. How much wipe on poly did you leave on the surface? I'd wash it off with naphtha or acetone if it doesn't dry. Try the mixture on some other wood, and also with the shellac under it. How old was the shellac, was it dewaxed, and how long did you let it dry before adding another finish on top?

[Ricc Havens]

Steve, the MS and poly are both new. bought them last weekend and Menards.

JKJ, I did use a seal coat of shellac.

Pat, I left a very thin film just like I do using Minwax regular wipe on gloss or satin polys. But I will try your suggestion of wiping it all off.

Brice, thanks for the additional info on the japan dryer.

Richard, thanks for the info. I didn't have any rosewood scraps to try the finish on other than the shavings under the lathe. But yes, I should have tested the mix on something else like you suggested. The shellac is dewaxed and it too was a fairly fresh can. A far as how much of the mix I left on the wood when wiping it on - it was a super thin coat just like I do when using the regular Minwax loss or satin premixed wipe on polys.

THANKS!