Tried BLO+Varnish on my tabletop, and the first coat itself won't dry after 4 days...

[radhak]

As seen in instructions across the 'net, I mixed 1/3rd (2 spoons each) of varnish, BLO and mineral spirits and wiped it on with cloth as the top coat on my tabletop. (The stain below it was put last month and was fully dry. ) Just one thin coat - and I was anticipating multiple coats, one a day. But it has been 4 days and it is still not dry! What did I do wrong, and how can I fix it?

Btw, I did not have 'wiping varnish' so I used the Epiphanes Varnish that I had lying around. Must have been a mistake, seeing that it's an exterior varnish, but still, 4 days should be enough to dry it?

I did go and get the wiping poly from HD today. Hope that dries faster!

The weather is pretty warm lately, reaching 90s today.

[cork58]

I think I would wipe it down with straight mineral spirits to break up the BLO and Tung oil that is in the varnish you used. It has to be the varnish because I've made my own wipe on for a long time. I do use poly now instead of varnish and Naphtha instead of mineral spirits. Dries quick and leaves a good hard finish. Let me know how it comes out.

Dan

[radhak]

Thanks - lemme try that out right away.

I'm beginning to suspect that it might be that varnish was too old, a couple of years old. Maybe there's some shelf-life to varnish too?

[poolhound]

I agree with Dan and your guess about the age of the varnish. Whether it is the age or just that particular varnish I am 99% sure it is the culprit.

I also make up a basic wiping finish usually with whatever poly I have. I have also thinned out very old Poly and it does work but I usually reserve that for adding extra thin coats on odds and ends around the shop.

I keep meaning to experiment with adding BLO or Tung oil as one of my favorite finishes is the Sam Malouf one from Rocker.

[radhak]

Well, that seems to have worked - in just a half-hour the stickiness seems to have gone.

I'll now use the new wipe-on poly with blo to wipe it on anew.

Btw, what does BLO bring to such a mixture? How's such a mixture superior to just wiping the poly on?

[JR]

I've never tried a mixture like you're doing, but I have used BLO by itself. I once made the mistake of not wiping it off after applying it. It made a gel-like surface that was a bear to repair.

[wardprobst]

BLO brings a little color and depth, it will darken over time. I would suggest you let what is on there already dry very thoroughly before you reccoat. Couple of days at 70 degrees plus. Then coat with poly if you like. A better wiping varnish for me is Watco and Varathane (Danish oil and polyurethane). BLO is a bit trickier to work with in my opinion and doesn't add anything for my use. YMMV, DP

[radhak]

Thanks Dale; I was thinking the same. I got Minwax's wipe-on poly and will be using that and will skip BLO this point on.

As it is, I had mixed the stain with BLO earlier, so there's already some BLO there.

I'll allow more time to dry before recoating, thanks.

[woodturner]

As seen in instructions across the 'net, I mixed 1/3rd (2 spoons each) of varnish, BLO and mineral spirits and wiped it on with cloth as the top coat on my tabletop.

LIL here, but there is always some "risk" in mixing different finishes. Manufacturers carefully formulate their finishes for specific properties and often use proprietary mixes of chemicals. As a result, when two different finishes are mixed, incompatible chemicals are mixed that can affect drying properties, finish durability, etc. and can potentially create a harmful, even deadly mix. Exterior finishes are particularly concerning in this regard, since they have chemicals added to kill bugs and mildew as well as resist UV.

I still prefer shellac, "nature's perfect wood finish" ;-)

What finish characteristics did you want that the varnish or BLO alone did not have? If you are looking for color, it may be a better option to stain to the color you want, then apply a clear finish. If you want a hard surface finish, varnish (or better yet, shellac) may be a better choice.

[radhak]

LIL here, but there is always some "risk" in mixing different finishes. Manufacturers carefully formulate their finishes for specific properties and often use proprietary mixes of chemicals. As a result, when two different finishes are mixed, incompatible chemicals are mixed that can affect drying properties, finish durability, etc. and can potentially create a harmful, even deadly mix. Exterior finishes are particularly concerning in this regard, since they have chemicals added to kill bugs and mildew as well as resist UV.

I still prefer shellac, "nature's perfect wood finish" ;-)

What finish characteristics did you want that the varnish or BLO alone did not have? If you are looking for color, it may be a better option to stain to the color you want, then apply a clear finish. If you want a hard surface finish, varnish (or better yet, shellac) may be a better choice.

Aaaand you have identified the nub of my problem here! I did not know why I was doing it, except that I read that it was recommended !

And since then, I have thought about it some, and realized that I was overdoing it. I did apply stain before, and as recommended there, I had mixed up an NGR (non-grain-raising) stain from Woodcraft with BLO. That actually went in pretty good - the color popped, and there's an innate shine to the surface even after it dried, which I love.

So in essence, my top-coat could have been just the varnish. The BLO was an overkill.

Now that I realize this, I am planning to use just the Minwax wipe-on poly, multiple coats. This is going to be a computer table, so I do want a hard finish. Wouldn't varnish be harder than shellac?

Btw, the tabletop is mahogany ply; the stain was again dark mahogany brown. I'm afraid the shellac might change the color beyond what I want it to be. The poly I have is clear, so should be safer, color wise?

[leehljp]

The absolute best finish I ever did was an accident caused my ignorance. But it was with pure tung oil (I was in Japan) instead of BLO. They have similar properties. I applied tung oil liberally. At the end of the day, it was still a liquid. Three days later, still a liquid. Frustrated, I just wiped every bit off that I could and let it set for a week. Then I came back with some polyurethane. It cured, and was glass hard. I did not understand, at that time, the curing process of pure tung oil (nor do most Americans). BLO is very similar. By the way, Patience is a normal skill of most Japanese craftsman when it comes to finishes and the tung oil and BLO are slow curers in that land.

In hind site, I did the right thing in pure ignorance with the TO. It is hard to find TO of that quality today. Most people don't have the time for that process and can achieve an acceptable level of finish in less time.

[woodturner]

Wouldn't varnish be harder than shellac?

The varnish is likely to be softer than shellac, but it depends on the specific type of varnish used.

Btw, the tabletop is mahogany ply; the stain was again dark mahogany brown. I'm afraid the shellac might change the color beyond what I want it to be. The poly I have is clear, so should be safer, color wise?

Shellac is available in different grades, including a clear that does not darken with age. Historically one complaint with polyurethane has been that it yellows with age. I think contemporary products are better but will still yellow some over time.

Personally, I don't like polyurethane - it is essentially a plastic coating that is not repairable. I think natural finishes are better for wood, in general.