My son and I are building a desk using wood from a water tank we dismantled from the roof of our building. I am assuming it is either red wood or cedar. I am having a problem with the finish. I am using polyurithane that is new and been used on other projects with normal results. I’m having a problem getting the poly to dry. I did a couple of test samples and the wood that had been on the exterior of the tank dries fine but any of the wood that I have cut and sanded does not want to dry. I have a piece that is still tacky after over a month.
Any one have an idea of what might be my problem.
Thank You
Replies
Not Drying
Those woods usually finish without troubles and you know the poly is fresh - so maybe it's in the moisture content. Do you have a meter to measure moisture content. Are you finishing in a basement ?
SA
water tanks
Did the water tank spend the last fifty years filled with water? Could it just be a matter of letting it dry? Last month we had a presenter at a woodworking guild meeting showing us pictures of a huge Douglas Fir tank that had been used for storing vinegar. It was quite an undertaking dismantling it safely.
Cedar isn't always an easy wood with resins that inhibit oil based finishes from curing, you can get around this with a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac. you would have to strip off poly that won't cure.
Incidentally, isn't cedar pretty soft to use for a desk?
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