WWA Info Exchange

My friends in the North West, maybe you can help.
I am using the poly/tung oil/mineral spirits mix to finish some small
boxes and after 24 and 48 hours they have dried(?) to a matt finish.
No shine at all.
Our weather has been rain for a week with humidity. (very unusual here in central Texas)
Is my mix wrong? The tung oil is from Lee Valley the other from the hardware store.
Is it the weather?
Comments and suggestions are very welcome

Duan

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Duan Packard
Kerrville, Texas

dum vivimus, vivamus

CLIPPER: A couple of questions: What type of poly did you use in your mix? How many coats have you applied?

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Everything was new once.
newtooth 311
Rochester, MN

Hey Duan,

I would add one more question: Did you wipe off the excess?

High humidity can cause some problems, but usually adding a bit more mineral spirits to the mix will do the trick if you make sure to wipe off the excess and build with thin coats.

Cheers,
Tom

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"There is no path to peace, peace is the path."
Mohandas K. Ghandi

Is your concern over whether or no the finish has 'dried', or that it has a matte finish? If it feels tacky or oily I guess you could say its not dried but I have no suggestions in that regard. However if you're not satisfied with the matte finish, I personally haven't experienced anything but a matte finish using an oil finish.

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Nullum Gratuitum Prandium

Cheers - Dennis

As to matte finish, it's the second reason why I do not use tung oil. The first is I can't stand the smell. The final polymer size, says Dresdener, is large enough to scatter light, short of what they put in satin varnish, but perceptible. You want transparency, use a different oil. I like Minwax wipe-on poly, which is a short oil version of what you're using. Oil appears to be modified soy, by odor, and ambers less than BLO.

Sorry it took so long to reply.
I used Minwax poly, and is a year old.
I did not wipe the excess, an oversight and stupid move.
I will try more mineral spirits.
Thanks for the thoughts and reminders to do the whole job.

Yes I have used the wipe on poly and like it but was trying
for a different look and feel.

Thanks
Duan

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Duan Packard
Kerrville, Texas

dum vivimus, vivamus

Hey Duan,
If the finish was a year old after opening, then it's possible that you have lost some of the poly resins in either a skin or around the rim of the can. A little loss is no big deal, but after a while, you start to change the composition of the finish.
Cheers,
Tom

_________________
"There is no path to peace, peace is the path."
Mohandas K. Ghandi

Use the hi-test, not the already dilute Wipe-On if you're going to make a mixed long-oil finish. The hi-test is ~55% solvent, while the wipe-on is ~70%. Presume the remainder is urethane resin.

Use one of the traditional ways of excluding air if you want to preserve the usability. Squeeze bottles, marbles to fill the air space are two methods which work well. It's oxygen that starts the polymerization. Deny it.

Thanks for the thoughts and help.
Maybe I should start over with new poly.

Thanks
Duan

_________________
Duan Packard
Kerrville, Texas

dum vivimus, vivamus