Paul Clement Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Hello. I'm new here. :) I wonder if someone has some advice on finishing paela? I'm making some small boxes from paela. I dressed it in my thickness planer and have scraped it and done a tiny bit of sanding. On Thursday last week I put a coat of minwax wipe on poly on just the bare wood, no stain or anything. It was a bit sticky the next day so I left it over the weekend while I was away. Late Monday it's still a bit sticky. Previously I had made a box from the same board only I finished it with Waterlox and had no issues like this. Should I not be using poly on this wood? Any other thoughts? Thanks Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Paela .? That's a new one to me. Test your poly on something else and see if it drys & hardens. Some tropical hardwoods contain oils or chemicals that can interfere with finishes. A test board of your paela using a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac before the poly might work. Shellac is considered the universal barrier coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/paela.htm He mentions an alcohol based finish so dewaxed shellac might be worth a try. Paela is known by other names, some of them are vaguely familiar but paela sounded like a rice & seafood dish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Clement Posted August 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Ha ha not the Spanish dish. It's also sometimes called Chakte Viga. It is kind of an oily wood from Central America. Thanks for your replies. I'm pretty sure the poly is fine as I've ued it on other projects with no issues. I'll strip off the one coat of poly and try some shellac first. Or I might strip it off and just use the Waterlox like I did on the other project. Not a fan of the 24 hours between coats though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Your can of wipeon poly is past it's store date. I use wipe on poly a lot it doesn't really get thicker it just stops curing. Mine cured eventually if yours doesn't i'm not sure the remedy other than back to bare wood. I never have to wait more than 8 hours between coats unless the can is starting to go bad. Can says 2-3 hours between coats. 24 hours and still sticky is WAY too long. The above is if it is sticky on another board that you try. I'd test another wood as well, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Test your finish, check the date on the can, definitely be proactive ! The procedure of planing, sanding and saving scraps as you build anything from wood gives you a place to test sealers, stains and finishes before or alongside finishing the project. Having a scrap that's finished exactly like your project gives you a place to practice fixing a flaw or mistake before you make a mess of a project that you have poured so much effort into. Ignore this advice at your own peril. I learned this approach the hard & painful way. I'm just trying to save you some grief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Clement Posted August 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Thanks for all the replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Clement Posted August 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 A quick update. I tried some of my poly on a piece of mahogany last night and it was perfectly dry this morning. So, clearly the paela does not play nicely with poly. I'll remove the single coat I put on and try something else, possibly the Waterlox I know worked on another piece recently. Shellac as a sealer has been recommended so I might try that - it's also reco'd here - https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/finishing-exotic-tropical-hardwoods/ Thanks again for helping me with my problem. I'm actually making wireless chargers like this one in zebrawood: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Shellac dries quickly. That could let you get to a top coat of your wiping varnish quicker than using Waterlox. Make sure your shellac is fresh, check the date on the can , or mix your own using flakes & alcohol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 20 hours ago, wdwerker said: Paela .? That's a new one to me. Test your poly on something else and see if it drys & hardens. Some tropical hardwoods contain oils or chemicals that can interfere with finishes. A test board of your paela using a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac before the poly might work. Shellac is considered the universal barrier coat. Emphasis on the "dewaxed" shellac; if you buy a can of shellac at the paint or hardware store it is likely NOT dewaxed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Zinnser sealer is a 2lb cut of dewaxed shellac right out of the can. It can be reduced further with denatured alcohol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Paul Clement Posted August 9, 2018 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Happy to report a coat of poly dried perfectly over a coat of Zinnser shellac. Thanks again gang. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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