ADG Posted August 13, 2016 Report Share Posted August 13, 2016 Hi, all. I am very much amateur and I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I have several old pine doors which I want to "refresh" the finish on. I do not want to strip them and refinish them - I want to keep the old look and the imperfections, but just brighten them up. I was advised to do the following: 1) use denatured alcohol to clean off the old varnish, which was cracked and scratched. I did that, and it worked great. 2) Use a 50/50 mixture of denatured alcohol and boiled linseed oil with some japan drier mixed in to put a fresh finish on them. I applied this with a soft cloth and rubbed it in. It looks fantastic and it did exactly what I wanted to do. HOWEVER - the BLO mixture is still tacky a week after application, and it has been out in the sun some days and in a garage in the Texas heat other days. It feels sticky to the touch and I'm afraid it will pick up dust and grime like crazy once I get it in the house. Did I mess up my doors completely? What should I do at this point? Any suggestions on how to deal with the tacky, but beautiful, finish I have right now? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 13, 2016 Report Share Posted August 13, 2016 Just leave it alone. BLO can take weeks to cure. If it's still tacky a month from now, something is wrong. I bet it won't be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 13, 2016 Report Share Posted August 13, 2016 Eric's right ! How much Japan drier did you use ? Skipping it or too little in this application will mean a long drying time. Raw linseed oil never dries, make damn sure it is "Boiled Linseed Oil " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted August 13, 2016 Report Share Posted August 13, 2016 Also, continue to wipe the surfaces down. The oil can soak in pretty thoroughly and will "weep" for days. Repeated wiping takes care of this. Never leave a heavy coat (or worse, puddles) of BLO or it will be many, many weeks before cured and will not have much integrity (will remain flexible).. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 13, 2016 Report Share Posted August 13, 2016 ^^^^^ what they said. Plus a photo or two would be nice to see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADG Posted August 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2016 Thanks, everyone! Have been working all weekend, so have not been able to post photos - but I'll do that tomorrow. Wdwerker, I used 2 capfuls of Japan drier, which is what the container said....but I was thinking as I did it that it didn't make sense because people would be mixing different amounts of other ingredients. I added the 2 capfuls (which I estimate was about an ounce) to 5 ounces each of the denatured alcohol and BLO. Was that too little? Do you guys know an actual proportion that you recommend for the Japan drier? Gee-dub, what should I wipe the surfaces with? They seem so sticky that I'm afraid of getting particles/lint stuck to them when I wipe them, or of making marks in the finish. Do I just wipe lightly with a lint-free cloth? Or do I rub more firmly? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 14, 2016 Report Share Posted August 14, 2016 Don't wipe, just leave them alone. Wait a month. Seriously. BLO is ridiculously slow to cure. That's one reason why it sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADG Posted August 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 Thanks, Eric. For future reference, what would you recommend using for a project like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 I use General Finishes Arm-R-Seal satin on 90% of my pieces. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 28 minutes ago, Eric. said: Arm-R-Seal Yep! I don't understand why so many choose to mix finishes. ARS saves lives!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxdabroxx Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 The minwax wipe on works pretty well too. It's easier to find locally in my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag1 Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 I've had success with BLO when applied correctly. I've never mixed it with alcohol and japan drier, so I'm not sure what that does, however. To properly apply BLO, it is important to wipe off the excess with a clean cloth after it has soaked in for an hour or so. If you don't, then you can get sticky remains like you're describing. Also, BLO can only be applied to raw wood - in other words all the old finish must be removed first - if you attempt to apply it over an existing finish, it will not soak in and can also leave a sticky surface. You said you removed the original "varnish" with alcohol - if so it must have been shellac, not varnish. If it was varnish, then the alcohol wouldn't have removed much if any of it. And if it was shellac and you didn't remove all the shellac, then that could be why you're finding the BLO is not soaking in and behaving as it should. Although I like BLO for some furniture, I don't think it is a good choice for doors. Especially exterior doors, but even on interior doors I would apply a real finish like shellac or varnish or polyurethane varnish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 It's probably too late after your BLO mixture has been used but I would have used" Howard's Restor A Finish " it comes in different colors and clear. It helps fill in flaws and gaps in an old damaged finish . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 On 8/14/2016 at 6:19 AM, ADG said: Gee-dub, what should I wipe the surfaces with? They seem so sticky that I'm afraid of getting particles/lint stuck to them when I wipe them, or of making marks in the finish. Do I just wipe lightly with a lint-free cloth? Or do I rub more firmly? Thanks! Sorry for the slow response. The wiping down I mention is done 20 to 30 minutes after application. then about every hour until no more weeping occurs. Unfortunately you are past that. I mention it in case you wanted to strip things and go again. Japan drier is usually about 2 - 3 ounces (not to exceed 4 ounces) per gallon of oil or oil based finish. Break that down into milliliters and you can mix small batches to see what ratio gets you what you are after. 'About' 30ml per ounce and 3785 ml per gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADG Posted August 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate the wisdom of all of your experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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