Rain-X and wood

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Rain-X is an anti-wetting agent That world very, very well.

Has any one got any experience with the stuff in the shop~?

I haven't yet applied any to wood to see if a finish would "take." But, if I do I'll apply it to a chunk of metal and then rub that metal against some wood and see if the surface will take urethane.


The MSDS says it contains some alcohols: Methyl Ethy. and depending on the formulation there'll be a hydrocarbon propellant (listed as a trade secret) or clays and ethylyne glycol
http://www.pzlqs.com/techdata/msds/Display_MSDS.asp?ID=205922
http://www.pzlqs.com/techdata/msds/Display_MSDS.asp?ID=206386
http://www.pzlqs.com/techdata/msds/Display_MSDS.asp?ID=205753
Etc..

Nowhere does it say Silicone or or Siloxane both of which are very effective Anti-Wetting agents that I know will destroy any attempt to apply a subsequent finish.

as an aside 111 Trichlorethane will remove both silicone and Siloxane but, only from a non-porous surface.

Has any one got any experience with the stuff in the shop~?

[Jim Becker]

I don't even like it on my windows....

[David G Baker]

It works great on windows for a while then the windows smear and are very hard to clean the smear off. Stopped using it on glass years ago and would never entertain the thought of using it on wood. There has to be much better alternatives.

[Russ Hauser]

I have Rainex on my truck windows and have never experienced "smearing." I noticed its tendency to "smear" during application, but solved this problem by polishing with a fresh clean paper towel. I have no idea why anyone would want to use it in the shop.

Russ

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Oh I ain't thinking of using it on "wood" per se. Rather as an all round corrosion and rust inhibitor. Since it dumps water off glass that well it's likely do the same for metal.

However, whatever compound/s it uses that are so good at anti-wetting may also be superb at anti-finishing.

I guess there is only one way to find out ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~:

I'll let ya know what happened.

[Seth Poorman]

Oh I ain't thinking of using it on "wood" per se. Rather as an all round corrosion and rust inhibitor. Since it dumps water off glass that well it's likely do the same for metal.

However, whatever compound/s it uses that are so good at anti-wetting may also be superb at anti-finishing.

I guess there is only one way to find out ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~:

I'll let ya know what happened.

Please Do !!! :cool:

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Well I applied some rain-X directly to two samples.
1.) raw unsanded pine
2.) maple with a prior cured coat of urethane.

Then when it was dry I applied some urethane cut with Xylene.
In my thinking the Xylene should facilitate penetration through of the anti-wetting agent.

The maple with the pre coat seemed to be shedding the urethane. The pine seemed to be sucking it up.

In the AM I'll take a look.

Ain't rocket science grand!~?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

The finish took.
I sanded the first coat and applied a second.

I didn't prep or tack and I set the samples out in my open dusty shop but there's no dimpling or orange peel.

I'm wondering if there are no silicone compounds at all in the stuff.

[Tom Godley]

Rain-X = a little goes a long way.

When properly applied it does work -- I like the product when added to wiper fluid.

The place where it really excels is on granite counter tops -- It is especially helpful on black granite.

Once applied -- wiping with water does the trick..

I have never used it to finish something.

[Alan Schwabacher]

None of the things listed on the rainex MSDS will remain after it dries. I'm pretty certain that does have silicone in it, but that it is not toxic or inflammable enough to need to be reported in the MSDS.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Silicone? I can't find any indication of it.

I applied the stuff generously to the surfaces to e finished. It wasn't some pifling amount like what you might get from contact with a tool that was treated with the stuff I poured it straight onto the lumber~??

Then when dry I applied urethane expecting the finish to be rejected. The Finish took~!!!

I'm staggerblasted. Really I am.


Any one ever apply urethane over silicone contaminated wood?
What does it look like?


I have some pure silicone high vacuum grease maybe I'll try that on wood and see if Urethane will take over that.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Well I put Rain-X on some pine, let it dry, and finished it with Poly-U and it took just fine. First coat was a little weird but the second was OK.

I put Rain X on a piece of metal. Put the metal out of doors to catch the dew point for a few days straight.
The moisture got through and caused rust.

Held: Rain-X does not prevent moisture from penetrating but will repel liquid water so it will not prevent rust on tools but will help you in the event that you have need of attaching your TS to the hood of your truck and go for a drive in a rainstorm .

[Lee Schierer]

I've had mixed results with Rain X. On my Miata, I have it on the windshield and at any speed above 40, I never need the wipers. I tried it on my sedan and the windshield wipers didn't like it. They chattered something fierce. I used lacquer thinner to take it off and the chattering stopped completely.

I suspect it does two things. It super cleans the glass, but does leave a film of something behind because usually a day after it has been applied you need to "buff" the windows with a clean cloth or wash the car to remove the haze. After that it seems fine.

Don't get it on plastic, rubber or painted surfaces as it can damage them.

[Howard Acheson]

I don't really understand your posting. What is you question or issue? What do you want to use Rain X on or for? Why do you want to apply it to wood.

[Larry Browning]

I don't really understand your posting. What is you question or issue? What do you want to use Rain X on or for? Why do you want to apply it to wood.

Here is my understanding of this experiment.:
Cliff got to thinking that if rain-x repelled water so well on a windshield, it might do a great job at repelling water on cast iron table saw tops, and any other bare metal tool surfaces that are prone to rust, and therefore prevent rust.
But, he was worried that the rain-x, when applied to his tools, would rub off onto the wood as it contacted his now rust free tools and cause problems when applying a finish the wood.
So he just rubbed the rain-x all over some wood and found that the wood took the finish just fine. Great!
Now that he was satisfied that the rain-x would not cause trouble with the wood, he moved on to phase 2 of this experiment. He applied the rain-x to a bare piece of metal he had laying around the shop, to simulate a tool, and sat it outside overnight to gather some due. But, alas, the rain-x did not work as a rust inhibitor and his test piece of metal developed rust all over it.

Conclusion:
Rain-x won't work to protect his tools from rust. So, the first parts of the experiment, even though successful, was really moot.

Did I get it right Cliff?

[David Keller NC]

Cliff - you might want to repeat the experiment with laquer as the finish. The solvents in polyurethane are usually pretty effective at dissolving non-polar, aprotic contaminants (like silicone oils, for example) so that the finish will take. Laquer is notorious for being completely incompatible with silicone oils and waxes.