Seal-a-Cell Drying Time

[davejones]

I am using General Finishes Seal-a-Cell and Arm-r-Seal. I applied the SaC today and it appeared to dry VERY quickly. They recommend 12 hours before putting on the first topcoat, but it appears dry after 1-2 hours.

Would it be a mistake to apply to topcoat this early? Do drying times vary that much from the manufacturer's recommendation?



Thanks in advance,
Dave

 

[Gofor]

If you are using it to prevent blotching (maple, pine, etc), I would say wait the 12 hours.

I have used sealers before with unsatisfactory results. I was reading through Bob Flexner's finishing book a couple weeks ago, and he recommends a 12 hour dry even if the mnfgr says 2 hours (as is the case with minwax, etc). He says they take that much time to finish curing so that they block the penetration into the more porous wood and are not dissolved by the next finish coat. I tried that last week on some pine, and got much better results. General Finishes are of higher quality, and they may be giving better directions.

Go

 

[DaveO]

Drying to the touch and curing are two different beasts when it comes to an oil based finish. Initially the solvents in an oil-based finish flash off and that gives you the dry to touch. Then the oils have to cure and that is what gives you the final durability. If you were to apply another coat over the top of the first one too soon you will impede the curing and could wind up with a thicker softer top coat.
I would follow the manufactures recommendations, they want their product to succeed and have determined the process accordingly.
You might get a slightly faster cure-time if your shop is heated with the winter humidity so low, but it might be in the hour or two faster range not 10 hours.


MTCW,
Dave

 

[davejones]

I assumed it would be best to wait, but thought if I could cut a day out of the finishing process I would take it!:gar-La;

Thanks,
Dave

 

[BillPappas]

Dave,

I have used these products quite a bit and always let the SAC dry overnight. You will find the ARS dries real quick and I can get on 2-3 coats in a day normally. I really like their finishes and they work well when I follow the directions on the can.

Regards,

Bill

 

[fergy]

Slightly off topic, but are you folks happy with Arm-R-Seal? I've used it on a couple of projects, and I found it was a PIA to apply. The "brush on, wipe off" method didn't work for me because it tacked so fast, even on small areas. I wound up streaking it.

I then had to resort to brushing onto a horizontal surface only, and letting that cure. I wound up with nice, thick coats, but I've also discovered that it fogs up on desk surfaces where people leave coffee cups or similar. Anyone else have that problem? Am I just doing something wrong?

 

[BillPappas]

Slightly off topic, but are you folks happy with Arm-R-Seal? I've used it on a couple of projects, and I found it was a PIA to apply. The "brush on, wipe off" method didn't work for me because it tacked so fast, even on small areas. I wound up streaking it.

I then had to resort to brushing onto a horizontal surface only, and letting that cure. I wound up with nice, thick coats, but I've also discovered that it fogs up on desk surfaces where people leave coffee cups or similar. Anyone else have that problem? Am I just doing something wrong?

Fergy,

I have found that it has to be applied wet and if you wipe it to much it streaks which is what you saw when you tried the wipe off routine (I tried it myself :wsmile. I slop it on a bit heavy and then wipe lightly from one end to the other leaving behind a wet coat that is not heavy enough to run and I try real hard to only wipe it once. I have found that I can thin the last coat and wipe on a thin wet coat fairly easy and not leave streaks behind also. So far no fogging that I have seen on coffee tables or desktop but honestly they do not get enough use for me to be sure that it does not fog up. Over time I will find out as my desk is coated with it and while I have a coaster handy I will surely forget to use it a few hundred times:eusa_doh:

Regards,

Bill

 

[DavidF]

I have not had a problem with the finish, but I do wipe off with a rag dipped in the finish and then squeezed out, never with a dry rag. Keep this rag in a sealed tin until the coats are all done.