Getting some wrinkles in old Salem clear sealer

[scoxx30]

Ok guys, 1st post form me, long time lerker
Ok so I started finishing my 59 Barbour silver clipper.
Stripped, then sanded decks, cleaned then applied intelux filler stain, used as directed. let dry a day, then today applied Pettit old Salem clear sealer, I'm getting some bad wrinkling in spots.
What am I missing? Ya think I can let that cure real good re coat a few times then sand out?
Or am I basically screwed. Plan was build up 3 coats with old Salem before building up with epifanes.
any ideas?

Steve

[Nicholas Carey]

I'd let it dry for a while, then take a sharp cabinet (card) scraper to it and level out the defects.

Build up coats of varnish, sanding between coats with maroon Scotch-Brite pads. Give any runs, sags, curtains, etc. in a coat the sharp cabinet (card) scraper treatment just before putting on the next coat. When the finish gets too ropey/rough, use sandpaper on a hard rubber block to block it out and level it. The only coat that truly matters is the final coat.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...310,41069&ap=1
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...310,41069&ap=1



To sharpen a card scraper, you'll need 3 things:

• A burnisher. A piece of hardened drill rod will work. So will the chuck end of, say, a 1/4 general-purpose drill bit.
• A mill file. I find a jig like this useful as well,
  
  
  
  to keep the file square WRT the scraper blade. You can whip up the same thing pretty easily (a block of wood, slotted to hold the file with a thumbscrew to clamp the file in place.
• A fine oilstone.

[scoxx30]

Good idea, I just need to sharpen mine up and I'll be in business. What do you think caused it?

[David G]

The two most likely causes would be: contamination; too thick of a coat.

[pcford]

Sealer coat was too thick. Stuff does not dry when wrinkled; unfortunately you will have to remove. Scraping as mentioned above is fine.

[Lew Barrett]

OS is a sealer, not really much for build, though it has some solids. I suspect (or more properly, another guess is) contamination or incompatibility. Detail the substrate for us again, please. Any chance of silicone anywhere?

[pcford]

Lew, Old Salem Sealer is commonly used around the Lake as a build coat...just as the original poster has done.
It is not as thin as many sealers, say the old Zspar 120.
The notes say that it is not as high solids as Jet Speed for example. However, it certainly seems to me that it builds much faster than Jet Speed. I really can't see much use for Jet Speed...you eventually have to put higher solids varnish on and these will dry slower. However, it might server well if you find yourself finishing off a stain job in the face of a threatening rain storm.

Using 2018 as a build...only use a couple coats. Again, I think the original poster's problem is too thick an application.

Jetspeed varnish...Volume Solids: 49.5%
Old Salem 2018 Solids (theoretical): Weight- 37.2 +- 2%, Volume- 31.0 +- 2%

[Lew Barrett]

No doubt Pat, and as you know, I have it in the kit but my experience is that while it will give you a bit (so will Ship n Shore for that matter), if you want build, get going with the varnish. I like Old Salem, especially in colder weather to get the wood closed up and the process started. It saved me a great deal of labor when I redid the decks in TDS and varnished over them. It cured where varnish would not, and a few coats were enough to isolate whatever compound made the varnish slow to kick. But to me, the faster you can get on with varnishing, the more build you will accumulate. That's all I was trying to say. That, and to check for the possibility of contamination.

I will watch the thread to see what is revealed.