Sticky - stop me if you've heard this one before

Hi

I have a Kariinja first final coat that doesn't seem to want to cure beyond a mild tackiness. It's been on for three weeks. I'm in Victoria so not particularly hot/cold/humid etc. Can I accelerate the process or kick start it with a hairdryer on low? I sat it in direct sunlight for a few days but nothing changed. The application was as per instructions, very thin and the last of the intensifier coats was dry and a week old. I'm wondering if I should start again and go with plan b (black nitro). I know this has been asked and answered previously but I noted all this before starting to avoid the known pitfalls

cheers

I would put a fan on it. Blowing the solvent away from the surface is the best way to get most paints/inks to dry more quickly.

It's possible there is something wrong with the product, but I'd give that a shot first.

cheers, will do

Nitro is unlikely to sit well on top of an existing oil/wax finish, so you'd need to sand right back to bare wood if you went that way. I'd persevere with letting the DT dry and only give up if it's still not dried after another three weeks.

Hi Tony, I know exactly where you are at as that happened on builds #1 & #2 for me, the only ones where I used DT.

My guess is that you have about 4 or 5 coats of base stain and about the same number of intensifier too? Whilst it may look like really thin coats have been laid it is surprising how it tends to thicken up and then refuse to cure. Light wet sanding with 1500 W&D grit every 2 or 3 coats helps but in this instance there are only a few choices......

Leave it alone for a whole lot more time hoping that last coat will eventually cure.....
1500 grit wet sand that initial top coat off and sparingly reapply the DT top coat again....
Or, as I did on mine, after wet sanding back the top coat switch to Tru Oil as it goes down really well over the top of DT and cures much quicker and gives you less dramas and hassles.

Last option may not be to everyone's liking but it gets the job done without worrying about different products adversely reacting to each other.

Cheers, Waz

cheers Waz, your guesses are pretty good ones. I will leave it another week but if there's no change, I will attempt to remove the top coat. I'd be reluctant to reapply it so I may go down the tru oil route

I've ordered some truoil and we'll give it a whirl. Looks like a weekend of sanding :)

Hey tony give it a wipe over with turps it will take of some of the uncured coat and save some sanding

Good point Adam.

Last thing you want to do is any overly aggressive sanding which just clogs the sandpaper, even when wet sanding DT too. Remember to rinse after every couple of passes as this also helps to keep an eye on the level of finish being removed before it gets too late.

On mine i used 400grit till it stoped balling up while sanding, when u sand it doesnt dust up it balls in the paper when that stops you good to start again

Cheers for turps tip, I have a follow up query that I haven't come across previously. Over the last three days, the stain has noticeably faded in colour and intensity, especially on the top. The body has been sitting on my kitchen table with some diffused sunlight coming in in the morning. Anyone come across this? I am going to take the finish off the top "face" of the body and paint it, with some truoil on the neck and back etc, so I'm curious at this point more than looking for a solution. I did take it out on the front porch on a sunny but cool day last week and I'm wondering if that's a factor?

Do you have any base stain or intensifier left over?

Probably best to give it a very, very light intensifier coat once you have done the wet sand to remove failed top coat. Leave that to cure for about a week to 10 days before starting the TO coats. The additional intensifier coat should restore some zing before you seal it off.

yes, I do have a little of both. I'll take the top coat off tomorrow and make the call on whether to re apply the dt stain and intensifier again. I did really like the result of those so if there's a chance to rescue that look I will. Thanks for the responses