Andy,
I just finished a desk gallery unit in curly cherry. I applied about 5 coats of Benwood Quick Dry Varnish, thinned 50% with mineral spirits, so basically a wiping varnish. I followed with one coat of your wipe-on top coat (the same quick dry varnish, benwood filler and boiled linseed oil). Couple questions. You don’t mention if you knock down any lint or dust nibs before applying the top coat. I hit the surface with some 0000 steel weel before I applied it, because I had some roughness here and there. You also didnt mention how long you let the last coat of wiping varnish dry before applying the top coat. I waited basically overnight. How long you would recommend letting the top coat cure before using the desk?
Thanks very much.
Jameel Abraham
Replies
Hola, Jameel—
Yes, if it's at all rough, I smooth the surface prior to the final coat. Four-ought steel wool sounds fine; I would probably use a well-worn grey nylon abrasive pad, which has about the same grit as the wool.
I don't think drying time is a big issue for applying the oil-varnish blend, assuming all your previous coats are compatible with the ingredients in the final coat, which sounds like yours are. If the finish is dry to the touch, and has some hardness to it, you should be fine. I usually apply the topcoat the next day, after leaving the prior coat of finish to dry overnight.
As for using the desk, the oil-varnish blend takes quite a bit of time to harden compared to other oil finishes, thanks to the linseed oil in the mix. You mentioned using five coats of wiping varnish, plus the oil-varnish blend, so you've got a fair amount of finish that needs to cure before you can put the desk into full service. I'm thinking about three days to a week (weather and your shop's climate depending) should be enough to harden the finish and remove most of the smell. Of course, the desk will require a few weeks before the finish is fully cured, but you should be able to write in comfort within the week.
Happy woodworking!
—Andy
Thanks a bunch, Andy. You've answered my questions perfectly! What a great service FWW is providing here. Thanks again.Cheers,
Jameel
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