Permalyn help needed

[jm190]

Hi All,
   I'm refinishing an American walnut stock that had been treated with some kind of linseed oil. I cleaned the stock with turpentine and scotch-brite and let it dry till it didn't smell of turpentine. Applied two coats of Permalyn sealer that dried with no issues. The first coat of Permalyn finish was still tacky 24 hours later. Even took it out for an afternoon in the warm sun. Pretty sure I didn't apply it too thick as it tacked up almost immediately. I'm thinking maybe I didn't take the linseed oil down far enough even though the instructions say Permalyn will go over a CLEAN old finish. Any ideas on what might have caused it not to dry?

  I've stripped the stock back to bare wood using xylene, then lacquer thinner and finally acetone. Stock is dry and looks like bare unfinished wood and only smells faintly of artist oil paint or linseed. Any suggestions before I try again?

Thanks!
John

[Goo]

What ever was applied to the stock is obviously incompatible to what you want to use.  It has soaked in and it will be very difficult to remove you may not be able to get it all out.  Maybe you could wrap it in some cloth soak the cloth with solvent or paint stripper then cover that with cellophane wrap to keep it moist and allow it some time to draw out the old chemicals.   

[Jim Kibler]

Don’t use the Permalyn finish.  Just use the sealer.  The sealer is just a thinner version of the finish.  Very thin coats are best for drying and final appearance.  I suspect the finish could have been applied too thick. Wait and it should dry.

[wmrike]

It has been a while since I have used it, but regular Permalyn, applied thickly enough to begin a built-up finish, dries pretty quickly.  Within 24 hours, it should be ready for light sanding and reapplication.  It's one of my favorites.

I'm with the others in thinking that the original finish and subsequent strippers are messing with the Permalyn.

[P.W.Berkuta]

I quit using Permalyn finish a long time ago and now use only the sealer as I can regulate the outcome much better.

[FDR]

Hi All,

  I've stripped the stock back to bare wood using xylene, then lacquer thinner and finally acetone. Stock is dry and looks like bare unfinished wood and only smells faintly of artist oil paint or linseed. Any suggestions before I try again?

Thanks!
John

Give the stripped wood a couple of coats of "sanding sealer" then rub it back with a gray scotch bright pad. Now apply your new finish.

Fred

[jm190]

Thanks to all of you for your advice!

I decided to hand rub the Permalyn sealer on to see what would happen. Some areas dry quicker than others but it seems to be drying OK and it's taking about twice as long as the directions suggest. It appears my last stripping removed enough of the previous offending finish for the sealer to work mostly as advertised.

Thanks again!
John

[Bsharp]

https://www.thewoodworkplace.com/can-i-varnish-over-linseed-oil/

The jest of it.

"Only use an oil-based varnish over oil finishes like linseed oil.
And make sure the linseed oil has cured properly before applying varnish."

[Fly Navy]

If it was my stock I wouldn't do anything. Hang it up and forget about it for a week and I'm pretty sure it should be dry by then. I also only use Permalyn sealer.