wouldwurker Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I applied some Waterlox (red can) to a test board last week. Smells like pure gasoline. 7 days later I can still smell it if I put my nose up to the piece. I couldn't imagine how bad it would be on a large project. I was going to finish my new sanding station with it, but it would presumably make my shop unbearable for days. So what's the deal? No other finish I've used smells this strong. Did I get a bad batch? If not, what's the fume off time? (for the record, my go to finishes are Danish Oil or Arm R Seal, which I've noticed take about a month to fume off, but actually smell quite pleasant while they do) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Sounds like it still smells the same as it did 20 -30 years ago. I cures a bit faster in warmer weather. Plenty of ventilation is a good idea I recently put 1 coat of the exterior version on a little birdhouse and it still smelled 2 weeks later. It can take a long time to cure and even then it's not really hard, but a softer finish can weather much better. It moves with the wood. Redwood roof and mahogany body. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I've used Waterlox since I started woodworking and love the look and ease of use but hate the slow dry and cure times. It can out gas for 30 days and you don't want to put anything on furniture for that time or it can stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Steve, that birdhouse has a pretty wild look to it..almost Dali-esque. Is that by design, or is it just the photograph? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 ==>slow dry and cure times When not using Tung-oil, I tend to use Waterlox and/or Arm-R-Seal. IMHO, Waterlox is a much better look to A-R-S, but the drying time is a real bother... I add about 1oz/qt drier to speed things along -- that ratio gives about the same dry time as A-R-S... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 'Dryer'? Like Naphtha? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 No, 'Drier' as in 'Drier'... Google Japan Drier... You can find driers/retarders/accelerators for just about any alkyd, resin, oil/varnish blends, etc… Some are general, some are product-specific... Driers work by 'drying' (aka catalizing) the oil... Thay are more formally called 'drying agents', 'siccative agents', 'catalizers', 'catalizing agents', etc... One other thing.. I frequently use a small Vornado fan with built-in heating coil... The circulaiton of warm dry air accelerates drying... They work extreemly well. I've got a couple of these: http://www.vornado.com/heaters/AVH2-Heater. Important: don't go overboard with either heat or drying agents -- too much of a good thing is very bad... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 Bird house was my own design. Made it for a lady who's boyfriend died suddenly. I was trying for a kinda Japanese feel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.