chemical odor remaining Agualente finish


drx

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Been a woodworker for 40 years.  I built kitchen cabinets with oak plywood, stained to match exterior finish because doors have glass fronts. Used Minwax Gunstock oil based stain. Let dry 2 days. Sprayed interior and exterior w satin  Aguelente full strength using  Fuji HVLP ...Nice hard finish!    However 3  years later, there is still a chemical odor emanating from the cabinet that lingers on all the glassware stored in the cabinet giving any beverage a hint of the odor whether the glass is stored upside down or not... rinsing the glass before filling w beverage does  work to eliminate it. 

I have tried leaving the cab door open for weeks at a time to 'offgas' the chemical odor with no change.

There was no mention in Agulente specs  about using caution applying over an oil base stain. The finish is hard as nails 

Other cabinets that have the glass doors with factory applied prefinish plywood do not emit any odor.

Anyone else ever experience odor inside a cabinet finished w Agualente?  Looking for solutions ...HAve tried self adhering clear shelf paper and turned the glasses upside down w no real difference in the smelly glass syndrome

 

 

 

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I have used Agualente for years and never had a lingering odor. Did you use the pre cat or post cat version ( did you have to add the catalyst ? )

You might contact M L Campbell or the supplier you got it from . I have gotten excellent support from my supplier.

I have some very detail oriented clients and they would surely let me know if there was a problem. Quite a few of those clients I have done repeat work for and I never noticed an odor.

Maybe you got a bad batch ? Please post your results however this issue turns out. I would really like to know how much support you get and how it was resolved.

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my guess is the stain is the problem.  Oil stains contain dryers which have a harsh smell.   Waterborne topcoats have their own odor but it is much more tolerable.    I'd take the doors off, empty the cabinets and just wait it out.   If possible remove the shelves and let the off gas outdoors.  

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i just realized its been 3 years!  I'd scuff sand the cabinet insides and top coat with shellac, which will seal in the odor better than anything else.  Shellac won't be durable enough for the shelves.   I just call those a loss and start from scratch.   Use a water or alcohol based stain for the shelves then top coat with waterborne.    Let the shelves off gas outside for as long as necessary.    

Most cabinet insides I see are factory UV cured maple or birch with a clear finish.  I guess this is one reason why.   Even with glass doors i see a lot of natural insides with glass shelves.  

 

 

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I don't know about forever, but yeah a long time.  It has to be given a chance to cure though, and keeping the finish closed up behind doors can certainly prolong the length of time it takes.  But once it's cured, it has no odor.

Those nightstands I built a few months ago and finished with ARS...I brought them inside after only about a week because I needed them out of the shop.  I left the drawers wide open and empty for about a month.  It stunk a bit for a week or two but now there is absolutely no detectable odor...it is fully cured.

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thanks for all of your replies on the Agulente offgassing...I had previously contacted my supplier Wurth early on  but their reply was only that they never had this problem before...not helpful...guess I need to contact a Campbell chemist.

I failed to mention I did try scuff sanding and recoating a spare  shelf with oil based polyurethane but problem still persisted....I suspected the stain from the getgo--- frustrating thinking about stripping it all down to redo ..

.as Mike says "I will build it better next time!"

As new ideas surface I will keep yall posted on any successes 

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With either stain the biggest mistake people make is to leave stain on the surface. You are supposed to wipe, brush or spray the stain on,let it sit for a while then wipe it back. If you put it on heavy to dry for a darker color it can affect the finish adhering. It you want really dark use a dye first then stain on top of that and wipe back.

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I don't use any oil inside enclosed spaces like cabinets and drawers because of possible odor problems. The lack of fresh air can cause it to outgas forever no matter the topcoat. 

me neither ..anymore and forevermore...learned my lesson and will build it better next time

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  • 5 months later...

004.zip Same Problem

I have a china cabinet purchased about 2years ago that is date stamped 1977 it has an antiqued style finish in a French provincial green color with what appears to be a lacquer based top coat on Mahogany solid wood and veneered particle core material,has large glass doors on the upper portion. It seems to have a strong gassing off odour in it and I mean strong, and any of the glassware my wife puts in it gets a thick haze/film on it that will wash off but comes back again. I have been a cabinetmaker for 30+ years and have never run into this situation before and can't explain it, The only thing I can come up with is that it sits in the kitchen across from a large bay window with a lot of natural sunlight coming through I am wondering if the sunlight is shining through the 3/8 thick glass a couple of which are concaved doors which are acting as magnifying glass and causing the finish to be compromised or heated and cooled somehow releasing gases. It is a nice piece of furniture,e purchased at an extremely reasonable price I have considered painting the inside white hoping to lock in the old finish but not  100% sure this will solve the problem.

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Just like the laminate flooring issue in the news lately if the glue/resin/binders in these composite materials are not formulated correctly they can continue to give off fumes for a long time. Especially in a contained space. I would expect the excess solvents from a stain under the Agualente to eventually evaporate.

I have used Agualente since it was introduced to the US market. I use the pre cat version. The post cat version has specific ratios and batch life instructions but I have never used it. Was the smell noticeable before the Agualente was applied ? Agualente has not been on the market for 40 years .

I'm just a cabinetmaker not a chemist. I wish you the best in trying to solve this.

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