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Mike McCann
10-12-2007, 5:03 PM
How long does it take for it to dry before you put a topcoat over it. The can I have does not give a dry time just says wait till dry. I know it will depend on temp and humidty. say 60 degress with minimal humidty. how long should it dry/cure.

thanks
glenn bradley
10-12-2007, 8:29 PM
Depends on the wood as well. On a recent project I flooded red oak, waited 5 minutes and wiped off as much as I could changing rags frequently. It weeped for about a week. I just wiped it down each morning before work and then again when I got home.

If you're putting another finish over it that will seal it, wait it out. You don't want to have to strip and start again. I used a 50/50 mix of BLO and mineral spirits on some beech and it was fine in about 3 days. Rule of thumb I've been told is that it is dry when you can't smell it anymore but I don't think that is accurate. The beech I did months ago for vise jaws still smells if you get close enough.
Gary Keedwell
10-12-2007, 8:39 PM
I would just put it away for a few weeks and then take it up. That stuff cures slower then a slow boat from China.:eek: :)
Gary
Steve Schoene
10-12-2007, 9:10 PM
The temperature is pretty important. Raise the temperature from 60° to 77° and the curing time will be cut dramatically. Humidity has some effect but not nearly so dramatic.
Mike McCann
10-12-2007, 9:44 PM
thanks so it looks like out of the garage into the basement with the BLO project.
Jim Becker
10-12-2007, 9:51 PM
One other thing...how long you wait is also dependent on what you're going to put on top of it. Since I most often use a barrier layer of de-waxed shellac on my projects, I'll sometimes only wait a day. (And Jeff Jewitt recently demonstrated a "same day" technique with shellac and BLO in Fine Woodworking) If you are going to top coat with other finishes, you'll want to wait longer. With good temperatures, BLO that is applied lightly and wiped down after about an hour will generally cure in about a week or so. You can tell it's "done" when the odor diminishes to "gone" or close to that. If you are doing a BLO and wax finish, a long wait is also not necessary.