waterlox marine varnish on bocote

[adam tracksler]

this stuff hasnt dried in 2 weeks. its still tacky.

Has anyone else run into this? what should I do to save the piece?

Thanks in advance
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[Steve Schoene]

Bocote is an oily wood and the natural oils interfere with the curing of oil based finishes. Lacquer and waterborne finishes have adhesion problems.

At this stage I would strip the non-drying finish off the piece. You may only need mineral spirits to do it, though it may well be that you are sufficiently cured that the job will require stripper.

The usual practice to deal with these woods, after preparing for finishing, is to wipe them thoroughly with naptha or lacquer thinner (a fast drying solvent) to remove the surface oil. Then apply a coat of wiping varnish as soon as the solvent dries so that the varnish gets to cure before the oil re-emerges.