Waterlox Original

[John King]

Does anyone out there have any tips for keeping Waterlox Original sealer/finish from going bad?

I usually buy the quart size. Seems like about one half of the quart turns to jelly before I can use it. I did not completely break the metal seal on the last quart that I bought. I punched a small (1/8" diameter) hole in the metal seal and used plastic pipettes to extract the Waterlox from the can. No luck. After using about one half of the quart, the rest turned to unusable jelly.

So, what works to prevent Waterlox from turning to jelly? - John

 

[KEW]

I've never tried it, but here is a product intended to address this issue:
http://www.bloxygen.com/

 

[David Somers]

John,

This stuff is a tung oil base, with other stuff in it that helps it cure faster and affects the qualities of the finish. Air, particularly oxygen I believe, is what is causing the product to cure, as is the case with most oil finishes. The folks at Waterlox recommend using Bloxygen to replace the air that gets into the can once you open it. Bloxygen is a can of inert gases that gets sprayed into the open can of finish, displacing the air that got in once you opened it. It is not too expensive, but I would think you could achieve the same effect if you transferred the product to a can that had little or no room for air in it.

I haven't see this for a while, but when I used to do a lot of dark room work I found that many of my chemicals would react with Oxygen and degrade fairly quickly after mixing. One way to prevent this was a great product that looked like a cross between a cylindrical plastic bottle and an accordian. The bottle was made of a flexible plastic that resisted the chemicals. The sides of the bottle were like the pleated folds of an accordian. You stored your chemicals in these bottles, and as you used them up you simply squished down the bottle to eliminate the air. It worked great. I suspect they are still made and can be had at shops that carry dark room supplies.

Another product that was used alot when you made up chemicals in larger quantities was a floating lid. It fit closely to the inside of whatever container (a large tank ususally) that you were using. It floated on the top of the chemical and kept the better part of the chemical from exposure to the air that was inside the container. You could make something like this for a small paint can or other container that could be used to hold your remaining finish.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Mele Kalikimaka! (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian!)

Dave

 

[Brian Hahn]

I store my Waterlox in small plastic bottles, 2 and 8 ounce size. I work from the 2 ounce bottles and squeeze the air out before I close them. When the 2 ounce bottles are done, I fill a new set (4) of them with an 8 ounce bottle. This doesn't cure the jelling problem, but it does minimize the loss.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Marbles. Let glass fill the void. A quick trip through mineral spirits will make them ready for the next can of finish.

 

[KurtB]

John,
Although I haven't yet used the Waterlox, I have had success with other products like this. After you seal the can turn it upside down to store it. That way, any gel that forms will be on the bottom the next time you use it.
Kurt

 

[waltben]

I get 12 oz screw top, squeezable soft plastic bottles (search for the cheapest supplier on the Internet), keep the air out and then toss them in the recyclables bin when empty. Works for Waterlox and any other oil finish.

 

[Jake Debski]

I drilled a hole in a 4/4 board to accommodate the cap on a quart can and store the can upside down on a shelf. The loss is kept th a minimum.

 

[dkulze]

Brute force. I squeeze the can until there's no air left then put the cap back on. Kinda hard on the storage space, as you get cans that are bent and wobbly, but works fine.

Dietrich

P.S. (careful on that first squeeze. It will resist then give way quickly, giving you a face full of finish if you're not careful)

P.P.S. (On second thought, I think I'm going to try Michael's method. Will use old bolts and nuts instead of marbles, as that's what's on hand)

 

[Ed Heuslein]

Howdy John:
I've tried all the above with mixed results - mostly not too good. What does work are two things:
Find someone who drinks cheap wine - the kind you buy in a box with a bladder. Rinse the bladder well, pour in the quart of Waterlox, squeeze out all the air (I put the bladder back in the box for convenience) and dispense as you would wine. Caveat is that the spout will clog up with time, but it's easy to change out the spout with another from another box of cheap wine.
A friend uses beer bottles. He purchased a device from one of the local "bed, bath" stores which pumps out the air from a Waterlox filled bottle. It uses a special cork with a "flapper" built in that will allow the device to pump out but not allow air back in when done. This is a simple hand pump that attaches to the top of the bottle.
I've had success for 3 years with the wine box bladder.
He has had success for "months" with the beer bottles.
Yeah, I'm serious.
P.S. If anyone knows where to buy those collapsable photo chemical bottles, I'm interested. I've tried several photo stores and on line with no success.
Ed

 

[Paul Heely]

Adorama sells them, http://www.adorama.com/DKBAEQ.html

I've never bought these bottles from them but they are a well known company with my photography friends and I've had good luck with other stuff I've ordered from them.

 

[Vince Welch]

Hi John,

I just had the same experience with this product. Very frustrating! I called Waterlox and spoke to them about using some other product to help. They suggested Bloxagen and said keep air out of away from the product unless using the product. Here is my plan: share a can with a friend and split the cost. Pour most into a Salsa jar leaving a small in another container to use and hope for the best.

Vince

 

[Ron Sardo]

I use small baby food jars, I think they are about 2oz. Once I open the can I decant of of the liquid into these jars. I never had a problem with these jars.

As I use a jar I add marbles to fill up the space. I usually can get though a jar with marbles.

 

[John King]

Waterlox

No babies in our family; therefore, no baby food jars. Anyone have a source for 2 oz glass or plastic bottles? - John

 

[4mikee]

Miller ponies maybe......

 

[blackhorse]

I've had the same problem, and I don't find Bloxygen to be that great. However, I do drink wine and have a set of those rubber stoppers and hand vacuum pump. It works great for wine; you can hear the air enter when you remove it. Maybe I'll try it with my finishes.

N.B.: Since I drink a lot, I can't vouch for how long the seal will hold, but I'm sure a few wraps around the rubber stopper with cling wrap would help.

Joe

 

[Ron Sardo]

No babies in our family; therefore, no baby food jars. Anyone have a source for 2 oz glass or plastic bottles? - John

No babies in my family, but if you have your wife ask around you would be surprised how easy it is to get them. It is amazing how many jars a baby goes through in a week.

 

[blackhorse]

Here's a pic of what I was describing.

 

[MichaelMouse]

No babies in our family; therefore, no baby food jars. Anyone have a source for 2 oz glass or plastic bottles? - John

Wally World. In the shampoo/soap section. They're for "travel" amounts of your lotions and potions.

 

[drh]

collapsible bottles

Lee Valley Tools also sells the bottles. (And lots of other neat stuff.)

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20052&cat=1,190,44133

 

[4mikee]

I just tossed about 3/4 of a can this past week. Mine went to gel in a short while. I came across this recipe last week also. Don't know if it's good or not, maybe someone else has used it or knows about it. I don't know the author but it had several finish recipes. Here's the Waterlox recipe:

1 pt. Poly
3pt-Mineral Spirits

I must confess I like to grab it and go so I'd probably prefer collapsable bottles.

 

[John King]

"Danish Oil" Recipe

Since we have migrated into finish recipes, here's a "Danish oil" formulation I got from Mike Mahoney when he visited our woodturning club.

1/3 boiled linseed oil
1/3 urethane oil (available from Craft Supplies USA)
1/3 mineral spirits

A piece he did at the demo was finished with this Danish oil, topped off with lacquer and then waxed. This protocol yielded a hard, satin finish. - John

 

[Brian Hahn]

No babies in our family; therefore, no baby food jars. Anyone have a source for 2 oz glass or plastic bottles? - John

I get my 2 and 8 ounce plastic bottles from Blick Art Materials: Flip-Top Bottles