roughsawn Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 We built a new house 3 years ago, and the cabinet finishers left the remaining finish behind. I put it in a new can, and just pulled it out today, and experimented with it. I'm hoping you guys can tell me what it is. I can give you some clues. When they left it behind, it was in a steel 5 gal can. The sides of the can had thick build up, and real gooey in the bottom. I canned the remainder up, and just opened the can today...since 2019. When I opened the one gallon paint can today (it is half full), there was a rubbery covering over the top of the liquid. I could dent it with my finger. It was a 1/4" thick layer all the way across. I pinched the rubbery layer between two fingers, and just lifted it out of the can...and tossed it. This exposed the good working material. It is the consistency and color of caramel. Very thick, thicker than pancake syrup. This is the same way it was when I canned it up for storage. I mixed it 50/50 with mineral spirits, and it turned a tan milky color. I wipe on applied 3 different coats of the mixture to a test piece of walnut that I sanded up to 150. Every coat was fully dries in 45 minutes, and ready for another coat. The dried coats are silky smooth. It is a great finish, whatever it is. What do you guys think it is? Shellac? Varnish? Something else? I only have experience with polyurethane, and don't recognize this product. But I really like it. Any ideas? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 No idea. Could you ask the cabinet shop or contractor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted March 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Not on speaking terms with the contractor...you know how that goes. I guess I could try to find out who the cabinet shop was. I was thinking the properties described would be a dead giveaway to guys that have used a lot of different finishes. Are there many more options other than oil based poly, water based poly, varnish, or shellac? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 There are only so many base carriers but there are countless blends and proprietary recipes. Do you recall how the contractor had been applying the finish? Or anything about what the 5gal can label looked like? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 29 minutes ago, roughsawn said: I guess I could try to find out who the cabinet shop was. You could look through your bills and contracts from the construction period. You might find the subcontractor's name mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted March 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 John, I'm not positive...but I think it was sprayed on? Mark, I'm pretty sure we have the cab shops name in our records. When the boss gets home, I'm going to have her look it up. My test piece, after 3 heavy coats wiped on, is really nice! I'll have to use it on some of my shop furniture and personal projects, before I use it on customer items. It's so easy to use, and turns out so nice, I really want to start using it. Would it make sense...if in fact, they had sprayed it on...that it is fine to cut it with mineral spirits and use it as a wipe on? Do you see any negatives? I'm going to experiment with percentages of finish and MS. The 50/50 dried so fast, so nice...I want to try 2/3 finish to 1/3 MS and see what happens. Thanks for the help, and any other ideas, I'm all ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 The fact that it mixes well with MS narrows down the options. Not water based. Not shellac. Not lacquer. Most likely a polyurethane or poly blend. Could be a “tung oil” finish of some sort. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 In my (somewhat limited) experience, the 'tung oil finish' type of product cures faster than straight poly, so maybe @JohnG is on to something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted March 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Thanks John. That's the kind of info I am looking for. The finishers were a subcontractor. 2 guys from south of the border...no way to track them down. I may take the can to Sherwin Williams and see if they can come up with any ideas. Or, just toss it. I will say, it dried with a sheen somewhere between matte and satin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 On 3/13/2022 at 10:11 PM, roughsawn said: Thanks John. That's the kind of info I am looking for. The finishers were a subcontractor. 2 guys from south of the border...no way to track them down. My ex contractor must have used the same subs as yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted March 14, 2022 Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 From the description it could also be a hard wax oil product. Is the odor strong or mild? If it was a Sherwin Williams product that came in 5 gallon cans, that might narrow it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted March 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 Pretty sure it was, Mark. Odor is mild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 You might also tell something from how the finish has performed on your cabinets as well. Have they yellowed? I'm no expert, but was always kind of under the impression that good cabinet shops often used products and processes that were unavailable to us mere mortals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted March 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2022 I only applied it to a test piece of walnut. So, not enough time to see if it will yellow. Dried very smooth, very fast, in a matte-satin finish. But, is a goop unlike anything I've seen...way thicker than maple syrup. Thins super nice, and rubs on great. Turns a milky color thinned with MS, and is still that color 3 days later in the jar. They very well may have had a special mix made up. The wildcard is, all our cabinetry is semi-gloss. Maybe if I built up 3 or 4 more coats, the test piece would get a little more shine. I'm stumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 16, 2022 Report Share Posted March 16, 2022 The consistency does sound similar ti a hard wax oil, but those take much longer to dry than you are describing, unless the thinning speeds it up drastically. As I recall Osmo Polyx says 8-10hrs dry time, and in my experience that has been accurate. However, if it goes to a milky color when you add MS, I’m not so sure that MS is the proper thinner for the product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted March 16, 2022 Report Share Posted March 16, 2022 It sounds a bit like Gel Topcoat from general finishes. Been a few years since I used it, but it was very easy to work with and looked like vaseline in the can. I think it had more of a medium/high odor though, since it was a urethane. General Finishes Gel Topcoat | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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