Polyurethane wont cure

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ChrisD0427

ChrisD0427

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Joined
Jan 7, 2011
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Glastonbury, CT
I applied a poly finish to a small project 2 days ago and it is still tacky. The wood I used was bocote and i brought it up from the basement yesterday so it wouldn't be so cold. is this normal or has something gone wrong?
 
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Bocote is an oily wood, and poly doesn't like to be applied to oily woods.

Give it another day or two to cure, but it it remains tacky, you will need to sand the finish off and start over.

You should first wipe the wood with acetone, and then apply a fast-drying sealer. WOP may work as the sealer if you apply it with the lathe running at a higher speed such that you generate some heat during the application that will speed drying. A better option might be to use a shellac-based sanding sealer that will dry in a few minutes. Once you get a good sealer coat, you should be able to apply poly without any further problem.
 
thanks for all the help guys, i just sanded the poly off and will be using another finish

bocote shouldn't have any problems with Watco spray lacquer should it?
 
How old is your poly? I have had poly that won't dry. Went out and bought a new can and the drying issue went away.
 
I found the same problem starting off and have since switched to laquer and everything has been better.
 
Oily woods should be wiped down with Acetone and not denatured alcohol in my opinion. Also even with lacquers you need to wipe the oily woods. Alot of finishers prefer to use a dewaxed shellac to seal oily woods and then any finish can be applied with confidence. Now with woods such as bacote you can get a real nice finish and sheen just by using a Danish oil and then french polishing it. The natural oils will produce a great shine. This is true for all rosewood family woods. I do this all the time. Just my 2¢
 
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