I ‘m finishing off a countertop that has Cocobollo inlays. I brushed 4 coats of poly on it. In hindsight I probably should have presealed it with shellac first. The last coat I put on was yesterday morning. This afternoon I went into the shop to check it out. I started to knock down the finish with 320 grit and noticed that the poly over the Cocobollo inlays were still rather gummy. But over the rest of the surfaces it was dry and easily sandable. Is there something in Cocobollo that keeps poly from curing? Or do I just have to wait a bit longer for it to harden up?
Discussion Forum
Get It All!
UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month.
Start Your Free TrialCategories
Discussion Forum
Digital Plans Library
Member exclusive! – Plans for everyone – from beginners to experts – right at your fingertips.
Highlights
-
Shape Your Skills
when you sign up for our emails
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. -
Shop Talk Live Podcast -
Our favorite articles and videos -
E-Learning Courses from Fine Woodworking
-
-
Replies
The natural oil in the cocobolo is preventing the varnish from curing. How long did you wait between coats? What is the temperature in the shop when the varnish is curing? How old was the varnish?
It may cure on its own if given enough time and warmth. Is this last coat the only coat that did that?
Rob
As said, cocobolo is a a very oily wood and it's oil will interfer with oil based finishes drying. Unfortunately, it won't get better. I would recommend removing the finish. Then apply a coat of dewaxed shellac as your first coat. Let it fully dry 24 hours. Then you can apply your first coat of poly varnish. Let it dry 24-48 hours, flat sand with 320 paper on a sanding pad and then apply two to three more coats.
I would recommend using a coat of shellac as the first coat in almost all finishing. It makes a wonderful sealer of whatever contaminants might be left on the wood or inherent in the wood. It also works well if you use orange or garnet shellac to give warmth to light colored woods like maple and to restore some of the beauty that is lost when steaming walnut. Besides, if you put on a coat of shellac and see how nice the wood looks you may decide to use it as your only finish. This is usually a good thing, no matter what poly fans would have you think.
I am afraid that Howie is right in this case. You should know by today anyway. If it isn't cured to the touch by now it isn't going to, unless it is in a cold spot.
Rob
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled