Sticky finish

[rsser]

Any ideas from the brains trust ... ?

3 Deodar commissioned bowls. Resinous wood that clogged the abrasive like nothing I've seen before.

The finish was a wash coat of Shellac followed by 2-3 coats of Rustins Danish Oil.

After a day they were sticky so I span them while wiping hard with White Spirits (which is the solvent in the DO I'm told by the supplier). That gave them the normal silky finish but then a week later they're sticky again.

I'm assuming that they're bleeding resin or sap or something and I need a way to seal them that's compatible with DO.

There's a spare bowl that can be used for experimenting.

 

[rjones]

looking for ideals
I would try spray lacquer on it
just a thought

 

[rsser]

Thanks rjones.

I should've said they'll be used for mashing potato. Trad Macedonian recipe in which chillis are added.

So a surface finish wouldn't be ideal.

 

[justaccord]

What's puzzling me is that I have always found shellac to be the ideal sealer over oily woods. I wonder, could the shellac be sticky? In other words, is the problem what's coming through the shellac, or the shellac itself?

Have you tried (1) newly mixed shellac or (2) diluting it some (50/50 with denatured alchohol and a 2# cut, or even 60-40 or 70-30 {more alchohol}) for a sealer/wash coat?

Last suggestion is to wash the wood in acetone right before you shellac it; should remove the top layer of resins long enough for the shellac to bind to the wood.

HTH

 

[rsser]

Thanks for the ideas JA.

Yes, the shellac coat was a thin one and in hindsight could have been repeated several times to better do its sealing magic.

And yes, a friend with similarly resinous Himalayan cedar has had good early results with an acetone scrub before finishing.

The challenge is to get a better seal with several coats of DO in place. I may try some shellac coats on the spare bowl. And now think too that the solvent in the oil may in fact be dissolving the resin allowing it to migrate to the surface. The DNA in the shellac may of course have had the same effect.

When dry as rough-outs the bowls weren't sticky at all.

 

[Malcolm Smith]

It's certainly the case that finishes that one has had for a period of time should be tested to be certain that they dry properly. It's also possible that a dealer has sold one a finish that he had on hand for a long time. There are many products that don't harden properly when they are old.

Malcolm Smith.

 

[rsser]

True 'nuff.

Not in this case though. Most of the surface is OK. The sap can be seen exuding from some of the late growth rings.

Added: the shellac was freshly mixed.