Advice on curing finish

[scottmc]

Just finished up my 10th rifle and first carved rifle.  I used waterlox to seal the wood (2 coats). Then a coat of chambers.  No issues. Then tried a coat of tried and true and it just won't harden up and when I assembled the rifle, finish was pulling off it on the leather coated vice pads.  I've had it in the sun for several days and the last time I put finish on it was about 10 days ago.  Never had this issue but never used tried and true either.  Any suggestions??

[scottmc]

Forgot to add the pics...




faith is a fine invention

[Daryl]

You could get some heavy denim, 12 or 14 ounce, washed, folded pieces and rub the stock down, quite hard with it, to rub off that soft finish to the layer underneath.
Usually, for me when this happens, I didn't give the coat underneath long enough to get HARD, so the new coat won't harden up. Rubbing it down hard the
leave it a few days to harden the second last coat, then finish as desired.

[scottmc]

Ok, that makes sense.  I didn't know if combining the different finishes might have been a problem.  So you're thinking rub it briskly with denim...let it sit for a couple days and then see if it is cured enough for one final coat.  I'll give that a try.

[Dphariss]

Don’t do built up finishes. Other than soaking it in a vacuum tank with Epoxy can you make it more than water resistant. You would have been better off to just use warmed tried and true or chambers oil with 5-10 percent real turpentine. Apply a heavy coat keeping the dry areas recoated. Do the end grain. All inlets. Let soak in 10-15 minutes then wipe it off. I coat the rod hole then run a dry patch in and out to get out the excess. Give it a day or so, i like direct sun light, but be ready to wipe it as it warms. then apply a very thin coat let it dry then do this again. If the varnish is not too thin, ie has some body, fairly thick. This is all maple needs. Most hardware store grade “finish” is 85-95 percent solvents and is a waste of time and money. Look up the msds and see.  People really over think this.  Walnut needs a little more work and a thickened finish for fill. But the is long enough now. Hint. It shouldn’t look like a plastic finished 700 Remington. 

[Spalding]

Tried and True must be wiped dry within about an hour on every coat.
I apply a very light coat with my fingers rubbing it in good, even creating a little heat. Let it set for an hour, then take a dry cotton cloth and rub it vigorously, again creating some heat, till the stock feels pretty much dry. Let it set 24 hours and then repeat. I apply about 4-5 coats this way and call it good.
I’m not sure I’d call it drying, it’s pretty much dry when I wipe off each application with the cloth.
Never had an issue with it using it like this. It’s my favorite finish.

Bob

[smart dog]

Hi Scott,
Very nice rifle!  I love it! 

Some general guides for finishes:
1.  Finishes thinned by the same thinner are generally compatible
2.  Mixing finishes may not be the best idea although it is certainly possible.
3.  Even finishes that are not compatible may still be used if you let the first finish dry thoroughly and then roughen the surface with some abrasive like sandpaper or Scotch Bright pad. That allows the new finish to bond with the old.
4.  All finishes used on muzzleloader gunstocks should be applied very thinly, let soak in for a few minutes and then wiped off completely including scrubbing finish out of the corners and carving.

Hope that helps.

dave 

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I have run into this with tried and true.  My issue was leaving a coat on too heavy. Also humidity in my shop. It seems everytime I get to the finishing point humidity spikes in my region. 
I had a rifle I finished and I hated how it looked. Too shiny.  I wanted to buff it back but I sat it aside to work on something else.  In a couple of weeks it mellowed and looked fine.

Cory Joe

[scottmc]

I really like the look of the tried and true finish but after reading all the comments, I do think I made the cardinal sin mistake of not wiping it off enough after applying that one coat.  Lesson learned!
The nice about both tried and true and waterlix is that they don't set up real fast and you have time to let it soak in and then wipe dry.  I did this with the first 2 coats of waterlox and it worked perfectly and dried in one day.  I should have done the same with T&T.  The chambers finish sets up to quick to wipe dry after application.
So is the consensus for me to scrub off with a piece of dry course cloth?

[Daryl]

With the non-cured finish as it is, I would say yes.