WIPE on poly problems

[wizical]

Ive been trying to use Wipe On Poly to finish a Cocobolo Vase, but the finish wont dry. Ive used a sanding sealer before the WOP, and it still wont dry; Any Suggestions

 

[NewLondon88]

Perhaps lots of alcohol before the sanding sealer?

It might not help the finish, but you won't care.

Seriously, getting rid of any surface oils is one thing, but as soon as you remove
them, they come back up from inside. So you need to give it a good wash in
denatured alcohol or acetone to get rid of the oils. Then the sanding sealer as
soon as the alcohol flashes off. I wonder if naptha would help? hmmm..

 

[Rusalka]

I have been using Wipe on Poly on my pens and from my experience, use only one coat!!! Any additional coats always seem to remain tacky to the touch. Don't know why.

 

[jttheclockman]

Ive been trying to use Wipe On Poly to finish a Cocobolo Vase, but the finish wont dry. Ive used a sanding sealer before the WOP, and it still wont dry; Any Suggestions

That is a very oily wood. First step is to wipe the blank with acetone to rid it of oils and then skip the sanding sealer and get yourself some dewaxed shellac I like the Zinnzer product and then when this dries and I like to leave it for the night. I apply the coats of poly. There should be no reason that you can not put multiple coats on. Remeber poly layers lay on top of one another and need to be dry. Read the back of the can or bottle and it will have all the info you need. Temp and humidity play a role in the drying times so keep that in mind. Good luck. One thing I forgot to mention is I use a nonwoven pad to break the gloss for the next coat to adhere. If when using this pad to roughen the blank and I see it sticking I know the layer is not dry yet. Works for me so that is my 2 cents.

 

[wizical]

hmm.....good ideas, thanks everyone. I will keep on trying

 

[mickr]

Having made bowls & vases for 40 yrs, I have found that less finish is the best finish..cocobolo is naturally oily..buff & wax would be my finish of choice..coco is used for knife handles in a raw state as it "takes care" of itself..all your vase needs (in my humble opinion) is a nice quiet repairable shine...poly could easily chip down the road, and the repair would be ugly..(this all assumes you will not put water in the vase)

 

[leehljp]

This was covered last week in this post by Fred. He gave a link in it that gave the reason why this occurs:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?p=851230#post851230