what did they do to Minwax stains?

hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl

Reply to
caterbro
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I've never given Minwax much thought when it comes to finishing my projects to be honest so I've nothing to compare it to. One explanation however, might be that most finishes are getting thicker due in part to the reduced VOC's the manufacturer's are having to abide by. Lower VOC's means less solvent in the container. Try mixing up a bit with some thinner (not sure which one for the stuff you're using) and see if it performs more like what you remember it being. Cheers, cc

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

I have only been using them a couple years, so I don't know about changes... What were you using? They have some out now (varnish/stain and gel stains) that really are thin paints; but I think the traditional ones are unchanged. I haven't tried the water based ones; I bet those are good!

Reply to
Toller

Minwax IMHO has pretty much gone the route as Blank & Decker. It usta be pretty good but now it is lagging far behind the competition. I have not had any luck with their stains in the last 10 years.

Reply to
Leon

Just a guess based on your thick and gummy content, but did you possibly grab a gel stain when you were expecting a pigment stain? I don't know what, if any, gel stains Minwax had out 20 years ago. Maybe they did, but the stuff I remember my Dad using sure weren't gels.

jc

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Reply to
Joe

Sounds like you got ahold of some Minwax Polyshades. It is a product that combines finish and color.

Reply to
Roger amd Missy Behnke

There are some shades which haved considerably more solids. Compare Special Walnut with, say, Golden Oak and you'll see the diff. Is it different than it used to be? Only in the drying time from what I recall.

Reply to
C & E

I know. You were expecting a traditional oil stain that you rubbed in. Those stains have gone the way of the buggy whip as far as Minwax is concerned. You can still get them at Sherwin Williams if you can find somebody there who knows more than how to read the label on the can. I think it's called "Sherwin Williams Classics", but that may apply to an entire line of products.

DonkeyHody "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

Reply to
DonkeyHody

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Reply to
Burgy

There is some difference within the minwax stain "yellow can" line of products between the different colors. Some of them have lots of pigment, some are all dye, no pigment. The stains that are predominantly dye are the ones that soak into the wood llike you remember. The colors that have lots of pigment behave more like the one you describe in your post. Either way, if you follow the directions on the can for application & drying time, the results will be OK (for minwax)

Reply to
lwasserm

Yep, pigment particles at the bottom, solvent and oil at the top, and with an old can losing solvent, mostly oil. Could be the old/fresh comparative syndrome like the new blade being superior to the old.

Though the OP specified yellow can, a couple of others have been confused by gel or water-based. OP's can may have exceeded its shelf life - big problem with mom-and-pop inventories - and begun to gel on its own.

I'd stir the daylights out of the stuff in the can and see if I couldn't raise something from the bottom. And pat yourself on the back for getting a product which conforms to CA standards for smog production. You're saving the planet in your own basement.

Reply to
George

I don't think you bought "normal" Minwax wood stain.

I think you might have Gel Stain or Polyshades.

This is precisely why I get my panties in a wad when people refer to products by brand only (ex: "I Varathaned my table"), not mentioning a product name. Minwax makes many, many products, most in yellow cans.

Reply to
B A R R Y

Reply to
root

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