Varnish not drying properly

[Doug Hortvet]

All,

Continuing the project of varnishing the exterior face of a mahogany entry door.

Is going well - better than I would have expected, certainly the result of all the helpful guidance from members of the group - with special thanks to DadiOH.

The first coat of Flagship varnish was thinned 10% (per manufacturer's instructions) with their T120 brushing thinner and went on well for my first time applying varnish and to a vertical surface.

The product tech bulletin states time to dry hard is 8-12 hrs @ 90 F.

Four days after application there were areas where the varnish had accumulated that were still very gummy / tacky - note our max. temps have been in the mid to upper

90's. The accumulation was approx. 1/32 +/- thick.

Thinned to the max. recommended - do not understand why this would be the case.

Any ideas?

Should remaining coats be similarly thinned or applied with no thinner - although may need some considering the temperature.

Best time is late afternoon when the humidity is below 50% - of course that is when the temp is at or near max. for the day.

Thanks again for all the great advice!

Regards,

Doug

[Doug Miller]

Doug Hortvet wrote in news: [e-mail]: [...]

Too heavy a coat, or old varnish.

Too heavy. [...]

Thin it. And don't brush it on nearly so heavy.

[Leon]

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although may need

So would "Flagship" varnish possibly be a marine type Spar varnish???

If so keep in mind that Spar varnishes never really harden, they will always remain some what sticky and not harden so that they can flex.

[dadiOH]

Marine, yes; spar, no. I have never had spar (or any other) varnish stay sticky.

[Leon]

You might have that backwards, Spar always remains sticky, so much so that I will no longer use it for around the house. When the spar flexes the spar varnish needs to flex with it.

[Michael Lalonde]

x-no-archive: yes

When we varnished our cottage entranceway it took almost 24 hours for it to completely dry. It was still sticky in spots. The recommended time was 12 hours but it was put on rather heavy. Just allow it to sit untouched and it will eventually dry

Michael Lalonde Sudbury, Ontario - jumlers.com food catering

[dadiOH]

Just because it flexes more than non-spar doesn't mean it has to stay sticky. I kept a foremast, mizzen mast, main boom, main gaff, mizzen boom, jib boom and yard varnished with spar varnish for close to 20 years. They were never sticky.

[Stuart Wheaton]

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Did you use Epoxy on the door? I have had issues like this going over epoxy. You have to give the epoxy time for a full cure, and then wash the amine blush off completely or it will interfere with varnish curing.

Stuart

[Leon]

That simply has not been my results and perhaps the OP's results either.

[Doug Hortvet]

Thanks to all for their comments.

Epoxy was not used - just the varnish on bare wood.

Is clear the first coat was too thick, which allowed the accumulation to form.

Although the accumulation was not all that thick - I would have thought it would have dried hard after 4 days with max. daytime temps in the mid 90's.

A better description would be gummy instead of sticky - kind of balled up when sanding.

Was going to apply the next coat this afternoon - and it is now raining.

No complaints on the rain - it is sorely needed.

Drier days are sure to come shortly.

Regards,

Doug

Stuart Wheat>>> All,

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accumulated that were

although may need

[dadiOH]

Did you stir the varnish well before using? Remember, varnish is resin + oil + thinner. If the oil wasn't mixed in well that might be your problem as oil stays sort of gummy even when cured. Stir well, don't shake, don't make bubbles.

[Doug Hortvet]

Will make certain to sufficiently stir before the next application.

All surfaces were dry and sanded nicely except where the varnish had accumulated

- the result of being applied too heavily.

Thanks again!

Regards,

Doug

"dadiOH" wrote: