I have a drying problem with Watco Danish oil finish. I applied to cherry it over a well-dried Bartley gel stain. The Watco can says that I should let the finish dry for 72 hours before applying a polyurethane finish over it.
Over 72 hours have past and the Watco is still very slightly tacky. It’s acting like boiled linseed oil which I haven’t used in years. Can I go ahead or should I wait? Would a coat of lacquer work between the Watco and polyyrthane?
Replies
sailor,
The watco should have gone on first. The gel stain has inhibited it's penetrating property and has left it basically sitting on the surface.
You can try wiping it down with mineral spirits or naptha and wipe it dry as you go. Let it sit for a day or two and then see if the tackiness is gone.
If you want to put a urethane finish over this I would suggest a coat of SealCoat (dewaxed shellac) first. This will help seal the oil in and provide a good foundation for subsequent finish coats. Apply a thin coat or two. When dry give it a scuffing , for tooth, with a maroon scotch pad or 220 paper, clean the dust off and proceed with your topcoats.
Peter
In the past, I have used a thin coat of varnish before stain to prevent blotching in cherry, but I didn't realize that the danish should always go on before the gel stain. My current project is four jewelry boxes for granddaughters and the pieces are small enough that any blotching wouldn't be noticed, so I assumed what I did was ok.Thanks for the help. It sounds like I can fix my mistake.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled