Finishing Problems

[John Buzzurro]

I'm currently finishing a small project made with ebony and birds-eye maple. The problem is with the topcoat that I tried using - Arm-R-Seal Satin Topcoat. The directions state that with good drying conditions the dry time is 6-8 hours. Well, after 24 hours in 65-degree temps and low humidity, the Arm-R-Seal was still not dried completely.

Just as a background - I applied 1 coat of pure tung oil/MS (50/50), let that dry 3 days, followed by 1 coat of Zinsser Sealcoat, allowing 3 hours for that to dry. I've used this foundation successfully in the past with other topcoats.

This is my first time using Arm-R-Seal, so maybe I'm missing something. I checked the date stamped on the bottom of the can, and it reads 092505. I wasn't sure whether that was the production date or an expiration date. Their website did not seem to shed any light on this.

At this point, I'm hesitant to proceeed with more Arm-R-Seal, even after it does dry. Any help is appreciated.

[John Timberlake]

I have never used this combination of finishes. When I used pure tung oil on a piece of basswood, it took a month to get tack free. Last time I used pure tung oil. Don't know if that is your problem, just my two cents worth. I have used Arm-R-Seal under a lot of condition and never had any problems with it getting dry in 4-6 hours with thin wipe-on coats.

[Jerry Olexa]

When I do 1st coat w BLO, I always let it dry minimum 1 week. Just a thought, maybe 3 days not enough. Others will know better than I...

[Steve Schoene]

Tung oil cures slower than BLO so 3-days is a little on the short side.

Also, 65 degrees is likely to be about 8-10 degrees less than the temperature the manufacturer had in mind as being part of "good" drying conditions.

I would just be patient and wait a few more days to see what happens. It may just be that the confluence of factors has conspired to make this cure slowly.