Bloxegon?

[Fred Voorhees]

I am wondering if anyone else has had the same experience that I am experiencing with this product. It's called Bloxegon (sp?) and by other names. In short, it's a gas that is heavier than oxegon (I beleive argon) and supposedly, you spray a small bit of it into a container of paint, varnish, urethane, etc and it settles to the surface of the finish and blocks oxegon from curing the finish to a surface "skin". In effect, preserving the entire remaining contents of your finish for future use. Well, I had purchased a container of Bloxegon a while back and I got nowhere near the life out of the can than it says on the label. In fact, it didn't work that well while it was still an active can. I figured that I got a bad can and I ordered another of the stuff from Lee Valley. Same identical can, but under the Lee Valley brand with their label wrapped around the container. Fresh can....... (two or three three to four second bursts of its contents old) into a quart can of wipe on tung oil and poly combination and I opened the can today and there was a slight skin on the surface. The stuff isn't drastically expensive, but it isn't cheap either. The idea is a good one, I just want it to live up to its claim. Has anyone else had this kind of experience?

[Jim Becker]

IMHO, buy your oil-based finishes in small cans and only as much as you'll use in a relatively short period of time. Something like Bloxigen can probably help reduce degradation, but once you open a can, there is still some oxidation that occurs. Storing the can upside-down can also help. But in the end, there is still a short shelf life for finishes.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I would say Bloxygen helps to cut down oxidation but sure isn't a cure-all. Like Jim says, buy finishes in the smallest amount you can get by with.

Not to hijack the thread, but I have wondered about using other stuff in place of Bloxygen. A little tank of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or something like the inert gas a MIG welder uses. Who knows, even acetylene, as long as it didn't react with the finish, might work.

A tip on using Bloxygen. Don't do like someone I know did. That is, put that long straw that comes with it too close to the finish surface and press the release too hard. Wonder who was dumb enough to pull a stunt like that? :o Doh!

[Fred Voorhees]

Yeah, thankfully, the cans that I am working out of are quart cans.

[Howard Acheson]

>> into a quart can of wipe on tung oil and poly combination

Is that something you mixed up yourself? If so, that could explain it. When you stir a finishing product you inject fairly large amounts of oxygen into the solution. Removing the oxygen that would sit on top of the mixture when it is later put into a can will not remove any of the oxygen already in the solution.

Also, the longer you have a container open, the more oxygen that will get into the solution even if you don't stir it in the can.

It's always best to only buy the amount of finish you need. Date any left-overs and discard them in six months.

[James Kuhn]

I use Blox and it does help. The thing is, the skin that you are finding is only the most visible part of the problem: a signifigant amount of the oil under the skin is going to be partially polymerized and thus a lot thicker than usual. You can simply stir the thicker parts back into the mixture but that can lead to air bubbles and cured oil contaminants, both of which can be a serious problems. I use a medium or medium fine paint strainer each time I siphon off what I need in order to bring the stuff back into uniformity and exclude any parts of the skin that break off.

[Bill White]

As strange as it may sound, I always stir the contents of the can then EXHALE into the partially closed container. Old trick shown to me by an ancient piano finisher. Won't cure all ills, but it sure delays the skinning.
Bill

[Jason Christenson]

As strange as it may sound, I always stir the contents of the can then EXHALE into the partially closed container. Old trick shown to me by an ancient piano finisher. Won't cure all ills, but it sure delays the skinning.
Bill

I find that if I inhale deeply and then put the lid on, it still skins up, but I don't care as much. :)

[Ron Petley]

A shot of propane in the can will do the same thing, it will keep the O2 out and is much cheaper. A little shot from a small torch,unlit of course.
Cheers Ron

[Steven Marlow]

Mix a tablespoon of baking soda and a 1/4 cup of vineger in a gallon pitcher.
Let if fizzle for a while.

The result is a pitcher full of CO2, which will sit in the container since its heavier than air.

Carefully (slowly) pour the gas from the pitcher (it will pour just like liquid since it is heavier than air) into your partially used can of finish, being careful not to pour any of the liquid from the pitcher, just the gas.

The CO2 will push out any oxygen in the can

You can then put the lid back on your can of finish.

[Matt P]

Another trick is to put marbles/stones in the can after its opened, to bring the level back up to the top.