BLO help!

[Chris Colman]

How long does it take BLO to set up?

I might have messed up on this one. I made a bowl out of sycamore, which is a very thirsty wood and hard to get sealed for a gloss finish. I read here on the creek where some of you apply BLO before WOP to seal and pop the grain.

I SATURATED the sycamore with BLO, which soaked up a LOT.

How long will it take before I can sand and finish now?

[David E Keller]

I'd wait at least a day, but I generally wait longer than that. If in doubt, I'd think about using a coat of dewaxed shellac before the WOP. I'm interested to see what the others say.

[Chris Colman]

Next day I tried sanding. Wow, what a bunch of sludge. Sandpaper clogs with a paste-like conglomerate.

The bowl still smells very strongly of BLO, so it is still very wet.

The bowl is very thin, 1/8 to 3/16 inch walls. The BLO soaked all the way to the outside when applied to the inside of the bowl, so it has penetrated deeply into the wood.

Have I ruined the bowl?

[John Keeton]

I have applied WOP immediately after the BLO, as I often finish wet sand with BLO. I have not noticed a significant difference in the cure time - perhaps a little, but not enough to concern me. When you think about it, the WOP has oil in it, and I have, on occasion, added a little BLO to the WOP to make it a little "longer" finish - meaning it has a higher oil content. That will extend the cure time a little, too, but not significantly, and it will let it "lay down" a little better in flat work.

Just saw your follow up post - no, you have not ruined it at all. When I use BLO, I put it on heavy, and then wet sand as stated. The sandpaper shouldn't clog. In fact, wet sanding with BLO and 400 grit will let you use one piece of sandpaper for a long time.

[Lance Norris]

I usually wait at least 7 days. When you wipe the wood, you will see the oil weep out of the pores. When that stops, you should be ok to add your finish.

You have not ruined your bowl, but you may have to set it aside and forget it for a while, till its dry

[Prashun Patel]

I don't think BLO is a good choice for 'sealing' a thirsty wood. It can be a good choice for popping grain. Like John said, if you wetsand the BLO immediately after it's applied, you can create a slurry that will fill the grain. However, it will take a while for that slurry to dry, and hence is not a good choice as a sanding sealer.

If what yr after is a mirror-ish finish, I'd fill/seal by combining yr WOP (majority) and BLO (minority). This will create a liquit that will allow you enough time to wet sand into the pores, and then buff off the excess, but will dry quicker than the BLO alone.

Once the surface is smooth enough to yr eye in raking light or yr fingernail, then switch to straight WOP and build away.

Either way, I'd let the existing BLO dry. You can accellerate the drying by keeping the piece in a gently heated location.

[Bernie Weishapl]

No you haven't ruined your bowl. Some woods soak BLO like a sponge and have found it does take longer to dry at least in our area. I always make sure the temp for drying is at least 70 deg or so. I have found if left to dry in low temps (60 deg or less) it takes a while. When I apply BLO I always let sit to dry 5 to 7 days then apply WOP with warm temps which has what has worked best for me.

[Chris Colman]

Thanks for the input, guys.

I will move the bowl into the living room next to the stove, where it is warm. Temperatures in the shop have been down in the single digits, so I know better than to leave it out there. I wonder, does leaving my HSS tools out in the single digits qualify as cryogenic treatment? (wink)

Prashun, what percentage WOP/BLO would be good for a sealant? Or would I be better off using a sanding sealer like Mylands?