Arm-R-Seal Shelf Life....dancing with the Devil

[Keith Starosta]

Howdy, Folks!

I have a small project that I am trying to finish up. I have already applied two coats of General's Satin Arm-R-Seal, and was hoping to wipe on two additional coats using the same finish, only in gloss. I grabbed my sole can of gloss Arm-R-Seal, and realized it might be empty. I opened it to find that I had about 3/4" of material in the bottom of the pint can, and that it did not have the consistency that it normally has. It was sorta.....goopy, almost like a paste. I wiped a very small amount of it on a scrap of wood, and it didn't appear to have any poor effects. What I'm concerned about is that once I apply it, there would be disasterous results.

So, can I use the rest of this pint can, or just properly dispose of it, and complete the project using the satin Arm-R-Seal?

Thanks!

- Keith

[Howard Acheson]

The test of any finish is whether it dries in the expected time to a hard finish. Test it out on some scrap.

Arm R Seal is really a thinned urethane varnish. You could just as well make your own. Mix your favorate poly varnish about 60% poly varnish and 40% mineral spirits. This will give you a reasonable facimile.

[Keith Starosta]

Thanks, Howard!

I went ahead and used it late yesterday. It set up pretty well overnight, but there are still a few spots that are tacky. I may have to fuss with it a bit, but I don't think there will be any overly-poor results. No more than usual, that is.

- Keith

[Scott Holmes]

If it's still tacky after an overnight dry time I would be concerned...