Minwax wipe on won't dry

[Wade Lippman]

I made a small thing to hold 4 wine glasses on a wine bottle. Silly, but my wife wanted it.

I put BLO on it and let it dry 7 hours. Put a coat of MWO and let it dry over night. Put a 2nd coat on the next morning, and a third that evening. The BLO and first 2 coats dried nicely. The third is still a little tacky after 2 days! It has been raining constantly and my hygrometer says it is 60% inside. I can't imagine how the humidity would affect varnish drying, but who knows; certainly not me.

I have done this a few hundred times before and never had a problem. What is going on here?

[Dan Bundy]

How old is the Minwax? I had some older stuff I tried to use up and it stayed sticky for a very long time.

[John C Cox]

Give it plenty of UV and let it sit till it's all the way dry. UV is the magic with urethane finishes....

So find a good sunny window sill and park it there for a week....

[Al Launier]

You didn't mention wiping off the excess after leaving either the BLO or the WOP after it was applied to the wood. You don't want any excess left on the wood to dry as it won't dry properly. I leave these finishes on for only 10-15 minutes, then wipe off all that might be remaining that has not penetrated the wood. I usually apply 3-4 coats of WOP, sometimes even more if I want to build up the thickness, with a very light sanding between coats just to establish a "bite" for the next coat. Light coats build up slower, but the results are far better with no drying problems and it does avoid the potential for runs. Yet, sometimes it's hard to wait for several coats., but if you need a thicker coat of Polyurethane more quickly, then I would suggest using regular Polyurethane.

[lee cox]

I had some bad rainy weather which caused me problems drying. I did not use BLO to start with just straight Minwax poly oil based. The surface stayed tacky. I wiped it with mineral spirits and cleaned all the sticky off. I let it dry. Then applied another coat. I had used the Minwax the week before and it worked fine but the weather was hot and dry so I don't think the Minwax was bad.

[Wade Lippman]

I am going to guess the varnish is a year old, but the first two coats dried properly.

I wiped the BLO off about 15 minutes after applying. I didn't wipe the varnish off, but only put a thin film on.

I have the project in the backyard now; we'll see what UV does.

[Wade Lippman]

Good news is that leaving it outside in the sun for a few hours made it dry.

Bad news is that I tried it again and decided it was thicker than it should be; so dumped it out to do whatever it is going to do before throwing it out. There were actually some solids in the bottom.
I guess it was older than I thought.
But why did my first two applications dry normally?

[lee cox]

Was your Minwax a satin finish? The solids are for the satin finish. You need to mix it better. I always use a little thinner in what I mix up to use. I do not use it out of the can? I think it is too thick to wipe on without thinning it a little. I put a little in a jar and thin it.

[Marvin Hasenak]

I used to use a lot of Minwax Wipeon, I found out real quick that it spoils if the can is left open. I would pour a little into a cup and seal the can. I would apply what was in the cup and throw away any that wasn't used. Like Lee Cox, sometimes I would mix in some thinner, but only on the first coat.

[Wade Lippman]

I used to use a lot of Minwax Wipeon, I found out real quick that it spoils if the can is left open. I would pour a little into a cup and seal the can. I would apply what was in the cup and throw away any that wasn't used. Like Lee Cox, sometimes I would mix in some thinner, but only on the first coat.

That's actually a great idea. Probably lose less by wasting some in a cup than what you waste using it out of the can.

[lee cox]

I use regular Minwax not wipe on and thin it. And then wipe that on.

[Wade Lippman]

I use regular Minwax not wipe on and thin it. And then wipe that on.

I actually bought some fresh varnish and mineral spirits with that intention. What do you store it in?

[lee cox]

I store my Minwax in the original can. I just don't open it very long. Just long enough to pour some out into a jar that I plan to use.

I guess I should add I don't pour any left over back in the can.

You need to mix it real good without making too many bubbles. Otherwise it needs to set for a while.