Poly question...

I put one coat of satin finish poly on a tiki, and after two and a half days it still feels tacky. Is there something I should do to it or should I just let it be until it completely cures? I've never had this problem before now.

Mahalo!

I've had the same thing happen. I thought it might have been the cold temperatures and maybe if the poly settles in the can and it's not mixed a little before application.
In cold weather though, it takes a long time.

One of several things happened.
If you stained it first, the stain may not have been dry enough.

If you put on a coat and then put on Another coat without letting it dry.

Maybe the poly was not mixed enough to get the proper consistency.

Maybe it is Too COld to apply the poly,, Check the lable for temp minimums.

Maybe you grabbed the jar of honey instead of poly.

Now IF it is the first one and the stain is not dry, the poly will NEVER dry.. Remove it and start over.

If it was the second scene, Remove the poly and start over.

IF it is too cold? I don't think the poly will ever cure now even if you put it in a heated room with the correct temp..Remove it nad apply in correct temp setting.

If it was the honey, first get your glasses updated and open can in a well lit area so you can read the lable and second, let your pets lick off all the honey and what they leave, remove yourself then open the Right can and apply after the stain has dried, applying one coat at a time letting it dry before adding the second coat.

Oh yes, you Could have a bad can of poly that will never dry no matter what you do to it.

HONEY HONEYHONEY..

[ Edited by: Benzart 2005-11-24 09:37 ]

Ben said HONEY :) :) :)

Just to reiterate: A - not mixed enough or B - temp was too low or too moist. I've even noticed a change in poly drying times here in mild so cal. When I work on a project late into the evening (it starts getting dark and moist) - the poly will take FOREVER to dry (and that's at temps around 57 ish). I've had tikis take several days to cure because of moisture. I can only imagine what it would be like at colder temps.

Maybe you grabbed the jar of honey instead of poly

damn...I hate when that happens. But what's worse in when you grab the jar of poly instead of honey...I really need to store these things further apart. (gives your insides a nice shine, though)

I'm having similar problems with my stain...it's been almost 3 days, still tacky. Hopefully both ours will dry up!
Funny with the honey!

Thanks everyone.
There is no stain on it, it's the first coat, and it's the same can of poly I've used for my other tikis. So maybe it's the temp in the house, only in the mid-60's. Hopefully if it sits for another day or two it will harden up.

If it doesn't, Ben mentioned that I should remove the poly and start over. Any ideas how to do that? I couldn't possibly sand all of it off so I'm a bit worried.

Aloha Fink, I wouldn't remove that first coat, give it time, put it in the microwave (just kiddin'). Try to find a warmer place for it. I carved da' 4 foot penis in da' winter and some daze, some layers took a long time to dry. Not as cold as where you are but enough to delay, delay.

Finkdaddy...

Its the temps first and foremost... I put poly on the other day in the basement and the average temp is 64 down there. The label on the poly calls for 75-80 for quick drying. When I poly and stain in the summer outdoors, the sun really dries everything quick... solar radiation and heat... I can get two coats of poly dry within 2 hours. The lack of humidity this time of the year up here effects it too.. a fine balance... you don't want too much humidity and you don't want too little. That's the problem with our state... one extreme or the other. :(

Go to Menards or Home Depot... any big box store... get yourself an inexpensive personal heater. I've got two with different heat setting. The heaters are usually coils that heat up and then a fan blows the heated air out. I have one of these blowing right on whatever I just stained or put poly on... the moving air helps dry quicker as well as bringing up the air temps for the poly to cure.

Overall, expect longer dry times this time of the year... if its tacky that's the next step from being dry.

And as Ben said... sometimes you get a bad batch and it never dries... always use fresh material on pieces that you care about.

I've also found that poly settles out over time and gets thicker...can effect dry times. The top of a one gallon is real thin and clear... dries quick. As you get down to the bottom 1/4 the poly is thicker no matter how much you stir and will dry longer. Sometimes I like the thicker bottom and will save it for outdoor tikis... it goes on thicker and I don't have to put on so many coats.

Its a learning process... especially in a climate like ours...

Good luck... by the way the shelves are killer!

Thanks JT, and Lake Surfer

Yeah, I'm sure it's the temps also. Today it's still a bit tacky, but way better than yesterday. I actually hung it in the bathroom overnight because for some reason it's way warmer there than anywhere in the house. It seemed to help a lot. I think I'll toss the poly I have though, it's been around a pretty long time.

JT, don't you hate it when your penis doesn't dry quick enough? :wink:

Lake, thanks for letting your tikis hang out with me in the bar. You and your wahine will have to stop over when it's finished. BTW, do you ever use a angle grinder to carve with? I think I'm getting one for Christmas and I have no idea what to do with it, but I'm real excited to try some big stuff.

Yeah, I hate when that happens. And don't ever put honey on it. I better stop while I'm ahead....oops.

Finky... an angle grinder can be a carver's best friend...
You should look forward to getting yours... and I will share some secrets over drinks in the near future...