Lengthening the shelf life of finishes

[Glen Blanchard]

I use mostly Waterlox, a product that I very much like. What is a bit disconcerting is that as a hobbyist I don't pound out the product to quickly consume a one quart bottle of this stuff and it skins over, get thick and globby and has to be tossed. I have tried "bloxygen" with limited success, and am hoping someone might have a secret or tip. Would placing the can in a zip lock bag between uses be of any help? Any other ideas?

[Jerome Hanby]

I haven't tried it, but I saw a tip someplace where you place a zip lock bag into a jar (I think the jar is just to support the bag/protect the bag), pour in the finish, press out all the air you can and seal the bag, poke the top of the bag down inside the jar and screw on the lid.

[Jerry Thompson]

I pour it into a Mason Jar and keep adding marbles until there is very little air space left.

[Prashun Patel]

The best (and most costly) is to get 8 or so 4oz sized glass jars and fill them when you first open the can. Fill them as close to the lid as possible, seal them, and they will keep for a long time.

I've found 4oz to be a good hobbyist size. It stays usable for 3-4 days even at 1/2 full. Once it gets about 1/2 full, there's just too much oxygen in the jar and it'll start to skin, so use the rest as quickly as possible.

Also, to the extent possible, do not SHAKE the bottle. I see too many Youtube videos of people applying Waterlox by putting the rag over the can spout and shaking a little bit onto the rag. Bad. Just decant a single use in a greek yogurt container (that's right, eat yr protein!) and close up the container quickly. Those containers are perfect to get a brush or rag into, and they can be reused indefinitely if you wipe the container with a clean rag after yr session. Don't rinse it out with mineral spirits. It's needless and risks getting ms into the next round, which can cause (me) streaks.

Waterlox takes some $$ and some baby sitting of the unused product, but IMHO it's well worth the effort.

[Scott Holmes]

In my shop Bloxygen works well; you may not be using enough. Another option and cheaper is to use the argon gas from your mig welder to displace the oxygen in the can.

Placing the can in a zip lock bag is a waste of time and ziplock bag. The oxygen is IN the can of finish.

Displace it and you will not have an issue. You can aso use smaller can or jar and add a bit of mineral spirits to fill the container and displace the air.

[George Brown]

Couldn't you use CO2, it is inert, cheap, and readily available?

[Ernie Miller]

I've used Bloxygen with some success, but I recently switched to Private Preserve which is a wine preservative. Basically the same as Bloxygen but about 2/3 the price. So far, it's working quite well. You can get it on Amazon.

[Scott Holmes]

I don't have a tank of CO2; exhaling to get CO2 adds moisture to the mix and not pure CO2.

[Bob Wingard]

Propane works also ... it is heavier than air and it displaces oxygen ... just don't hit the igniter with the tip still inside the can !!!

[Henry Ambrose]

Prashun got it.
This works really well.

The best (and most costly) is to get 8 or so 4oz sized glass jars and fill them when you first open the can. Fill them as close to the lid as possible, seal them, and they will keep for a long time.

I've found 4oz to be a good hobbyist size. It stays usable for 3-4 days even at 1/2 full. Once it gets about 1/2 full, there's just too much oxygen in the jar and it'll start to skin, so use the rest as quickly as possible.

Also, to the extent possible, do not SHAKE the bottle. I see too many Youtube videos of people applying Waterlox by putting the rag over the can spout and shaking a little bit onto the rag. Bad. Just decant a single use in a greek yogurt container (that's right, eat yr protein!) and close up the container quickly. Those containers are perfect to get a brush or rag into, and they can be reused indefinitely if you wipe the container with a clean rag after yr session. Don't rinse it out with mineral spirits. It's needless and risks getting ms into the next round, which can cause (me) streaks.

Waterlox takes some $$ and some baby sitting of the unused product, but IMHO it's well worth the effort.