Any Ideas? - Arm-R-Seal Taking a Long Time to Dry

[peter halle]

I am using Arm-R-Seal as a topcoat on a small padauk cabinet / aquarium stand.  Gloss.  I had used this can successfully for a similar project a couple of months ago with excellent results.  Can stirred thoroughly before application.  The first coat - foam brush applied - is not dry after 40 hours.  Cabinet is inside my house (air conditioned with additional dehumidification).

Any ideas on how to either force dry this or what may have gone wrong?  I would hate to have to strip it - the previous finish had been sanded off and the veneer is getting thinner.

Peter

 

[Scott B.]

Hi Peter

Working from an older partial can, sometimes the air inside the can during storage can cause the driers in the liquid to evaporate.  This would be my guess as to why it is taking so long to dry. If you have a heat gun, you may be able to apply heat at low power to induce drying. Start a foot or so away and keep it moving for a gradual heat up. If another coat is desired, I'd probably get a new batch of product.

Here are some general tips on using old cans of paint from a current JLC piece:

http://www.jlconline.com/how-to/interiors/using-old-paint_o

 

[tiralie]

I would take it outside and leave it in the sun for a couple hours.
Adding some Japan drier to the can will help next time, but I don't think applying it now will help much.
Tim

 

[jacko9]

Peter, Was the Arm-R-Seal applied on bare wood?  Was the Padauk oily?  I just finished a 28" x 95" panel with an old can of Arm-R-Seal that had been used on several jobs over the past 6 months with no problems.

The only time I've had trouble is with oily woods which I then sealed with a very thin coat of shellac.

Jack

 

[rizzoa13]

I was going to say the same thing as Jack a 1/2lb cut of shellac under the arm-e-seal is how I finished a cumaru table I made and it went very well. That doesn't help you now though sorry.

 

[peppapig101]

I know the problem is sorted now but if the OP reads this I am wondering what dehumidification method was used.

A great unit for faster drying of wood, walls etc is a  dehumidifier with an adjustable louvre.

This way, with the louvre, the warm air generated by the unit can be pointed into a specific or broader area as opposed to just letting it gush out of the top of the dehumidifier.

In my personal experience I have found this method works very wel.

Oh, and of course have the dehumidifier at max setting for maximum warmth and air flow. 

 

[mo siopa]

Some input from Captain Hindsight- I tend to "wash" oily woods with acetone to remove most of the oils near the surface and then "wash" again with denatured alcohol to remove any residue.