Waterlox problem

[Ralph Okonieski]

I searched the forums but did not see anything that addressed this problem.

I put three coats of Waterlox Finish/sealer on several jewelry boxes and the lids. First coat looked good but noticed as applied the 2nd and third coat with foam brush, the Waterlox behaved like a mix of "oil and water" when it was applied to the wood. It did not level out but left irregular areas where it looked like the Waterlox slid over. The wood was bare (oak) wood, sanded to 220. There was NO stain or anything applied before the first coat. Only vacuumed and wiped with tack cloth before applying the first coat, then only wiped with the tack cloth before the 2nd and 3rd, no sanding between coats. The coats were as thin as possible to apply with a brush. There was no evidence of runs or puddling. I'm thinking problem might be with the tack cloth leaving a residue behind. The date on the Waterlox was 1/08 and was just opened a week ago. All of the jewelry boxes and lids were the same.

I've wiped the Waterlox finish down to bare wood with cotton cloths, grey sanding pad and mineral spirits. Removed all the finish I could in this manner. I plan to let it dry overnight and then sand with 220 grit sandpaper. Then try applying the Waterlox using a small cotton cloth to rub it in thin coats until achieving a nice deep finish.

Comments on the planned approach would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Jim Becker]

Tack Cloth. Evil things. 'Likely culprit as you suspect...Just use a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with a little mineral spirits if you need to "clean" the surface between coats for any reason to avoid contamination. Alcohol is also fine to use when you are working with varnish. (Which is what Waterlox is)

That said...I'm bothered that you were able to remove ANY finish using the method you described. Waterlox is a film finish and once cured is "hard". You should not be able to remove it without either using a stripper or sanding it off with abrasives. If you are able to wipe it off using a simple rag and mineral spirits, it's not curing... Hopefully, I'm just misunderstanding what you are doing.

Oh, what species of wood are you finishing?

[Ralph Okonieski]

The wood is oak, primarily although I have some exotics as panels in a frame-n-panel type lid. The exotics were no better, worse or different than the oak with respect to the "ugly" finish.

The Waterlox did not come easily. I put the first coat on Friday evening, 2nd on Saturday evening and 3rd Monday morning. The last coat was still tacky and soft later on Monday morning when I decided to remove it all. I worked the grey sanding pad pretty good to get it all off.

I was surprised it came off.

[Howard Acheson]

Many tropical and/or exotic woods contain oils that affect the curing of oil based finishes. I would recommend you apply a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac before you over coat with an oil based finish.

And, as Jim said, throw away your tack cloths. They are more likely to contaminate or move contaminates than they are to remove them. A rag slightly dampened with mineral spirits and wiped lightly over the surface will remove any dust nibs. Of course, that assumes you have vacuumed off the dust initially.

[Prashun Patel]

I infer from below that your first coat went on ok, right?
Did you reuse your foam brush? If yes, what did you clean it with?

I've had best results with waterlox either wiping it on or brushing with a China bristle brush. Many say to soak the brush in spirits between coats of oil varnish, and to soak the brush with spirits before dipping in the finish so's to protect the brush's ferrule from varnish. But I never get good results with that. If resting the brush in solvent between coats, I spin the brush dry before dipping into the varnish for the next round.


Assuming you get it working eventually, I really like the mfg's advice of first laying the finish on across the grain and then tipping off with the grain. Like glass.

[Ralph Okonieski]

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Tack cloths are now "history". Initially, I did vacuum prior to using the tack cloth. I will try using the dampened cloth with MS.

I used a brand new foam brush before each coat. The first coat went on nicely with no hint of issue. Even the second coat looked good. The third coat was the problem though. Even if it was new, I'm wondering if the brush could have been contaminated with something?

I wiped some Waterlox on the inside of the lids tonite and it went on fine. NO tack cloth this time.

[Prashun Patel]

I'm guessing yr prob is the brushes. I defer to these guys' experience w tack cloths, but I've never had probs with them (and I use and REuse the cheapest ones available - to my chagrin). You should really be 'Loxing with a wiping rag or china brush (if you want glassy build)

[Ralph Okonieski]

Thought I'd update everyone on the issue.

I used the same can of Waterlox Sealer/Finsh as before. This time I used a small clean, lint free cloth as Shawn suggested. I used a new cloth for each application. I wiped on about 8 coats sanding lightly in between about every other coat with 400 grit. Each coat was allowed to dry 24 hours. I cleaned the surface before each coat with denatured alcohol. The end result is a finish that I am very, very, very, happy with. It is glossy and has that nice depth to it. I am convinced the original issue was due to contamination from either the tack cloth or the foam brush. As I said before, tack cloths are now history.

Wiping the Waterlox is now a favorite approach as it seems easier to apply thin coats and prevent runs.

I will post some pictures of the boxes in a few weeks.

Thanks for the suggestions and advice!

[Ralph Okonieski]

I promised a few pics of the finished boxes. Pics are not very good quality but you may get the idea.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=92459