Glue Boost fogging question answered???

[Monty]

It's been hot and humid here in the Houston area for the past few weeks, triple digit temps, high humidity and heat index in the 110-115 range. With the ACs running in my shop I have been able to keep the temp around 85 and the humidity about 55-60%. I have been experiencing rando, fogging with Glue Boost which I could not pinpoint what the cause was so, at Ed's suggestion, I contacted Glue Boost. Here is the email I sent -
I have some sporadic fogging of my Glue Boost finish, usually after applying the accelerator.
First, let me give you some details about my shop setup. I live in Pearland, TX, just south of Houston. The outside temperature here has been in the upper 90's with the humidity in the 90-95% range and a heat index in the 110 degree range. My shop is air conditioned. The temperature in my shop is usually 80-85 degrees with the humidity between 55-60. One AC unit is about 2 feet directly behind my lathe with the air blowing up towards my face.
I though I had eliminated the fogging by waiting 10-15 seconds after applying Glue Boost before applying a very quick spray, about ½ second spray, of accelerator.
Today, I had a mesquite blank that I had turned and finished with Glue Boost last week. It was slightly under sized on one end by about 0.01 inch. I lightly sanded the blank with 400 abranet and reapplied Glue Boost Fill and Finish to build up the finish. When I applied the Glue Boost accelerator, it immediately fogged on a portion of the blank that had the fresh GB.
At this time, the temperature in my shop was 85 and the humidity was 58%. This is about as low as the humidity gets here in the Houston area.
If moisture is the cause of the fogging, where did the moisture come from since the wood was previously sealed with Glue Boost.

I received this reply from them this afternoon -
Hmmm good one, Mesquite is a very hard wood on the scale of woods and open pore as well, much like Ash, but harder... When I use fnf w/ Ash I wait a while to spray gluboost or dont apply it at all if the the temp is high and rh is borderline as well.. I have had hardwoods soak up moisture in the air prior to finish work , it looks like if you are experiencing and cause fogging.. even w/ Lacquer... thin finish w/ no spray would be my best guess...
So if you are experiencing fogging when using Glue Boost, the problem is any slight amount of moisture, even the humidity in the air, it would be best to not use the accelerator.

 

[ed4copies]

Thank you, Mannie for contacting GluBoost directly!! It seems our instructions are going to have to be a "living, evolving" document.

Sub-optimal!!!

 

[leehljp]

I don't have GluBoost yet, but can agree with the statements: ". . . the problem is any slight amount of moisture, even the humidity in the air, it would be best to not use the accelerator."

I have noticed this consistently since the beginning of my pen turning (since 2004), not just with me but with others in regular Q&A here. It is like cigarette smoke, most may not get cancer but a good many will. Because a simple majority may NOT get fogging, it seems like most people intimate that the less than 50% that DO get fogging - that it may be something that they may be doing wrong. Answers such as "I don't get fogging when using accelerator" suggest that they do it right. Not Necessarily. It's more or less luck.

I can get fogging on rare occasions without accelerator and it can come down to outside humidity in combination with the temperature; it can be with moderate green wood or wood that is dried, just turned and sanded. The blank heats up when turning and sanding, not much, but 10° to 20° above the ambient temperature. Guess what will draw moisture into it as it cools down with ambient temp CA, and in particular with accelerator use? - Minuscule temp differences between the blank and ambient temp, - and changes in humidity, and the difference between 10% moisture in the wood vs 3 to 5% can create moisture problems and fogging. Yet, so many times it does not happen. We have not yet begun to understand fully the power of micro-atmospheric differences, thinking: "it is too minuscule" - WRONG.

I have seen that time and again here. Accelerator adds another layer increasing the chances/opportunities for clouding. The REAL culprit is often our own past experience that says,"it didn't happen before, it's not me". There are many variables for moisture interfering and what may not in one area will do exactly that (interfering) in another location. What works a dozen time or more will suddenly not work later when "Moisture" is around. Accelerator is moisture waiting to cloud. Like smoking, if you live a long life without the dangers, more power to you, but more than likely it will bite one day.

I DO use acelerator on occasion but am totally prepared to take the responsibility of the consequence if it DOES get cloudy. The least clouding is on acrylics/casts and on stabilized wood, but moisture in the finishing stage can do it there.

 

[ramaroodle]

It seems that any issues I've had with gluboost has been traced to moisture.

Discussed here also.

 

[magpens]

Quoting from Monty above:

So if you are experiencing fogging when using Glue Boost, the problem is any slight amount of moisture, even the humidity in the air, it would be best to not use the accelerator.

Is there a spec for GluBoost for the acceptable Relative Humidity ? ... below which it is "safe" ...

And am I correct in assuming that if you do get fogging then the only remedy is to strip off the GluBoost and start again ?

 

[Monty]

Quoting from Monty above:



Is there a spec for GluBoost for the acceptable Relative Humidity ? ... below which it is "safe" ...

And am I correct in assuming that if you do get fogging then the only remedy is to strip off the GluBoost and start again ?

Reply from GluBoost -
typical woodworking rh 45 to 55 but again this really shouldnt be happening and is an honestly an anomaly.

As for the remedy, in my personal experience, it depends on when the fogging occurs. When it occurs with the blue FnF, I typically have to sand down to the wood. If it appears after the orange thin, it may be removed with only slight sanding and repplying the thin.