Sticky Finish – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Schuyler. He writes:
I put two coats of Seal-a-Cell clear on a piece of cocobolo, then a coat of Arm-r-Seal urethane top coat, gloss. Three days later, it’s still slightly tacky. Will this ever cure enough that I can continue applying coats of Arm-r-Seal? What gives?
And here was my reply:
“Hey Schuyler. What you describe is a classic problem for wood finishers. Your finish is just not curing. Fortunately, there is a good explanation for it and it can easily be avoided in the future. Cocobolo is one of many naturally “oily” woods. It shares this property with rosewood, teak, ebony, and padauk, just to name a few. The natural oils in the wood prevent the finish from adhering properly and curing. The solution? Sealing off the oil. I have referred to shellac in the past as a nearly universal binder. And it is perfect for this job. A seal-coat of dewaxed shellac (1-2 lb cut) will not only adhere to the oily wood, but it will seal off the oils and provide a good binding surface for your topcoat of choice, be it oil-based varnish, water-based poly, or lacquer. Just be sure to first remove the excess oil by wiping the surface down with either acetone, lacquer thinner, or denatured alcohol before applying the shellac.”
“I forgot to mention what you might want to do to clean up the current situation. Give the piece a good scrubbing with mineral spirits to get rid of most of the uncured finish. Let that dry for a few hours and if the finish is still on the surface, you might consider scraping and sanding to bare wood. If the surface is nice and smooth and you have all the finish off, just give it a light 180 grit sanding in preparation for the sealer coat and you are good to go. Good luck.”
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