Jharry Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 I'm finishing a walnut bar top and plan on using GF arm-r-seal. I went to pore fill the surface first after sanding up to 180. I wet sanded with Watco Danish oil per suggestions on one of the wood whisperer early vids on refinishing. After 24 hours the surface wasn't dry and now I've waited 4 days. Thought it was dry tonight and went to dry sand it starting with 220. It appears areas are still not dry as 220 would do nothing and back to 180 creating a 'gummy' mess in a few areas. Is that indication that its still not dried? Its looking like I'm going to have to start again at a lot lower grit and basically get below the pores that were filled (start over). Or should I give it more time? Beings this is the first time I've done this process, was not expecting these results/problems and based on what Marc said in the vid, thought the dry time would be much faster. It has been unusually wet here in Colorado this Summer so I guess that might have something to do with it. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Did you leave the oil sitting on the surface, or wipe it back after wet sanding? If the excess oil is left too long, it soaks into the wood and takes forever to cure. It can even weep back out for months, if soaked deeply. I would wipe it down with a rag dampened with minetal spirits, the wait a couple if days to see if more oil seeps to the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jharry Posted July 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 After the wet sand I didn't do any wiping back. I just left the slurry! Anything I can do now to remove and start over if it's soaked down in? How deep would it go? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Definitely should have wiped back. Danish oil has some dryers in it so it shouldn't take as long as straight oil like BLO...but it still takes time, especially if you have to wait for a big puddle of it to dry. You could go weeks or months and it might still be tacky. At this point I'd put away the sandpaper and get out the scrapers. Get back down close to raw wood, give it another few days to further dry and reassess. At that point you could probably give it a sanding with 180 then 220 and move forward. Obligatory wrist slap: Not sure why you felt compelled to fill the pores in the first place. If you were planning to do an epoxy finish or other high-gloss finish, understandable (why you would do a high gloss finish on walnut would be another obligatory wrist slap)...but with Arm-R-Seal (hopefully satin), you could have just gone straight to Arm-R-Seal without messing with the pore filling. Mother Nature made walnut opened-pored. Why tamper with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 +1 to what Eric said. First paragraph, at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jharry Posted July 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Thanks guys! Yes, I'm a noob. Just want a super smooth finish, although close to wood look, after done. (Mind this is going to be a bar too with lots of glasses and such). Was just going by Marc's suggestion on one of the wood whisperer vids to pore fill prior to finish on table top. He didn't mention wiping back after first application so handslap to him....lol. I'll know better now. Seems after watching countless videos and articles, I can still only learn by mistakes. ...and, I have seen open pore wood surfaces like oak with poly and no pore filling and it looked odd to me. Anyways, I did start to hit my slabs with card scraper this morning and looks like that's the ticket. Also did a mineral spirit wipe down as wtnhighlander suggested. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 ...and, I have seen open pore wood surfaces like oak with poly and no pore filling and it looked odd to me. Only under a glossy finish...otherwise it just looks like wood like wood should. Satin finish on open-pored woods...there should be a law. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Eric seems to be ignoring the fact that it is a bar top. Filled pores and a satin finish will show less scratches and help keep moisture out of the top. It's really not worth filling the pores on the base surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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