What can I be doing wrong?

[brokenhand]

Finished the stock on my Chambers York and have stained it with Kibler's nitric acid. Love the color. Using the Chamber's stock finish and have applied a heavy coat to seal. It seemed to soak in and dry just fine. Now I am trying to add some sheen with some light coats, put on with just my hands and rubbed in. It doesn't want to dry and stays a little tacky feeling. ( over 24 hrs) It was a new can of finish and I have used this finish  before with good results. I think it will dry hard eventually, but not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

[jerrywh]

 How new is it?

[54ball]

Using the Chamber's stock finish and have applied a heavy coat to seal.

 Wood will only take so much so fast. Likely that heavy seal coat was too heavy. It may have appeared to be fully cured but it was just the outer skin that was dry to the touch. It also could be your last coats were too thick and are not able to fully cure or cure quickly.

 Remedy...
 Set the rifle out in direct sunlight and it may cure over time.

[smart dog]

Hi Brokenhand,
Probably, your first coats did not dry completely.  If you can put it in the sun for a day, do so and don't add any more finish for several more days.  Just be patient.  In future, thin your first coats of finish about 50% with whatever thinner is proper for your finishing product (mineral spirits, turpentine, xylol etc.).  Seal the wood with the thinned finish, then do the hand rubbing with the unthinned finish.  If you intend to rub back your finish with an abrasive like rottenstone and oil, let the finish cure for at least a week before rubbing it back. 

dave

[brokenhand]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will give it some time. I really thought it was drying up well on the seal coat, but that makes more sense than anything. The can was a couple of years old, but still sealed until I started this job.

[Daryl]

If the last coat smells really GREEN, it probably is and needs more time to harden. I like to give the first THIN coat of finish 2 days to fully harden, then usually 1 coat a day after that- it they too are hard and completely dry - Tung, Permalyn or True Oil.

[Pete G.]

I use it more as part of the cleaning regimen, but I usually wipe the stock with a paper towel after applying linseed oil. It dries relatively quickly and over time builds up a nice polish.

[Acer Saccharum]

As Daryl says, your second coats may be too thick. A few drops will coat a buttstock with some elbow grease.

When it's thin, it seems to dry as you apply the finish. When you have too much, it never seems to dry.