African Blackwood - Tacky

Nature Man

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I applied a coat of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal to a handle I am making out of ABW. Looks great, but just doesn't completely dry. A bit tacky to the touch. I have used 0000 steel wool to scuff the finish, but it is still tacky. What should I do? Chuck
 

Sprung

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How long has the finish been drying?

ABW is a very oily wood - and an oil based finish applied to it can take longer to dry/cure.
 

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Too late now, but you would have been better off using a base coat of dewaxed shellac. That's always best on oily woods, so good info for next time.
 

barry richardson

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You can wait and it will eventually dry. I have the same problem with a little Zircote knob I put on a piece and finished with poly, the rest of the piece dired normally, but still waiting for the knob to dry. Or you can sand it off and finish with lacquer....
 

Mike1950

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If you put wipe on poly on anything too thick you can have drying problems. Wipe on wipe off and normally i have no trouble on any wood.
 

phinds

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If you put wipe on poly on anything too thick you can have drying problems. Wipe on wipe off and normally i have no trouble on any wood.
Yeah, I use a 1lb cut and it dries quickly
 

DKMD

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I’d wipe it all off with mineral spirits and then just buff and wax it... ABW is really nice without any kind of film finish.
 

TimR

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I’ve had good results using naphtha to wipe off while tacky. If you’re familiar with use of CA application for pens, that may be an option for finishing. Would wear well.
 

Nature Man

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How long has the finish been drying?

ABW is a very oily wood - and an oil based finish applied to it can take longer to dry/cure.
It's been drying for 3 days. Seems like it is drying, but slowly. Chuck
 

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Too late now, but you would have been better off using a base coat of dewaxed shellac. That's always best on oily woods, so good info for next time.
Thanks! I'll try that next time! Chuck
 

Nature Man

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You can wait and it will eventually dry. I have the same problem with a little Zircote knob I put on a piece and finished with poly, the rest of the piece dired normally, but still waiting for the knob to dry. Or you can sand it off and finish with lacquer....
I was hoping it would eventually dry. I have plenty of time on this project, so it is really not a big deal. Just concerned with the rate at which it was drying. Chuck
 

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I’d wipe it all off with mineral spirits and then just buff and wax it... ABW is really nice without any kind of film finish.
Thanks! Good suggestion! It sure looked nice sanded down to 600 grit before I applied the finish! Chuck
 

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I’ve had good results using naphtha to wipe off while tacky. If you’re familiar with use of CA application for pens, that may be an option for finishing. Would wear well.
I'll give it until tomorrow then I'll wipe down with Naptha if it is still tacky. Chuck
 

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Put the handle outside in the sun, and that did the trick. Finally dried! So I put on yet another coat yesterday. Think I experienced this tacky scenario once before with Bocote if I recall (which caused me to break out in a rash). Chuck
 
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