Are there any suggestions for curing a finish in winter? I defaulted to polyurethane because I wanted a low maintenance option but after a week and a half the finish hadn't cured enough to work with (I found this out after doing the mod). How can I get it to cure quickly when there's not much heat?
Wood Curing finish in winter?
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Your finish ought to come with a application temperature range, much like paint does. Humidity is also a factor, it should be in a rather dry atmosphere. Have you got a garage that is sheltered from the elements? It doesn't need to be heated per se, but in a spot that gets some radiant heat from the house would be good. Also if your weather is sunny, you can set it out in the daytime to soak up the rays and bring it in at night.
It's been pretty overcast and cool here. The garage doesn't get much heat from the house at all. I saw some suggestions on a woodworking site about building a hotbox. Will this help cure it? Winters here are anywhere from 0 to 30 degrees during the day.
sometimes polyurethane can require minimum humidity and minimum temps to cure correctly....follow the manufacturers recommendations min and max...trying to force heat above the max temp could cause other problems
What sort of heating have you got in the house? Surely there are some warm spots that also get decent ventilation. Maybe on top of the fridge close to a vent. A small mod isn't the same hassle as a whole floor or similar.
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The vents are all on the floor, forced air. I tried it in the bathroom but that only works if I turn the heat up to 75 and it's just not tolerable for us. I figure a hot box would do the same thing without making us suffer as well.
what kind of poly are you using exactly? brush on? spray on? brand?
mid 60 is generally sufficient to cure but might be slow ...all kind of depends on the particular coating
trying to avoid fumes indoors can be difficult in colder climates...if it hasnt cured in a week even in the 60's there may be other issues now the solvent evap cycle has passed
all really comes down to the specific coating...might try a hair dryer on it held back from the piece to not get too hot..alot of stuff will cure ok up to about 100-120 F
Ive cheated in winter time by heating the coating and the peice and taking it outdoors to spray fast and then returned it inside in a heated area to help reduce fumes..in that case the hot box will help matters Im sure ...as long as you dont exceed max temp the manufacturer states
mid 60 is generally sufficient to cure but might be slow ...all kind of depends on the particular coating
trying to avoid fumes indoors can be difficult in colder climates...if it hasnt cured in a week even in the 60's there may be other issues now the solvent evap cycle has passed
all really comes down to the specific coating...might try a hair dryer on it held back from the piece to not get too hot..alot of stuff will cure ok up to about 100-120 F
Ive cheated in winter time by heating the coating and the peice and taking it outdoors to spray fast and then returned it inside in a heated area to help reduce fumes..in that case the hot box will help matters Im sure ...as long as you dont exceed max temp the manufacturer states
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Ha, I have the exact opposite problem here in Texas. My pieces are curing fine now but a couple months ago it was HOT and HUMID took 3 to 4 days to cure a single coat and even then it would still be tacky.
The hotbox sounds like a good idea if you can keep the humidity down and provide some kind of airflow.
Good Luck I hope you find something that works for you. I love woodworking but finishing sucks lol.
I did find that putting a electric fan to blow on them helped a little bit.
The hotbox sounds like a good idea if you can keep the humidity down and provide some kind of airflow.
Good Luck I hope you find something that works for you. I love woodworking but finishing sucks lol.
I did find that putting a electric fan to blow on them helped a little bit.
How about using a desktop PC as a hot box? Heated forced air and the humidity should be pretty low also. I wouldn't set the mod in the PC, but just behind where the exhaust hits it. If you are concerned about fumes, after the first six hours there really shouldn't be anything noticeable. Somehow you must have an Eco friendly no need to build something solution. 
I'm using Minwax fast drying poly. I can't find any temperature ranges on their website specific to that product but theyou had a woodworking faq that suggested between 50 and 70 would have slower drying times but not much more detail.
I do have a desktop PC so I will give that a try. If it works I'll stick all of my wood projects behind the computer! ^_^
I do have a desktop PC so I will give that a try. If it works I'll stick all of my wood projects behind the computer! ^_^
I found a pds on it (sherwin williams) minwax fast dry
basically reads 4 - 5 hours at 77 F and 50% RH for recoat 24Hrs to cure...its an acrylic mix...solvent evap is important
dont want to make it too thick...better to have multiple light coats , extended dry times could be due to solvent entrapment if its too thick also...PC fan sounds like a fine idea
basically reads 4 - 5 hours at 77 F and 50% RH for recoat 24Hrs to cure...its an acrylic mix...solvent evap is important
dont want to make it too thick...better to have multiple light coats , extended dry times could be due to solvent entrapment if its too thick also...PC fan sounds like a fine idea
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Here is what I do to cut curing time and it seems to work great for me. Line a small box with aluminum foil. Make a simple light from a spare cord and a home depot plastic screw in light bulb base (about $1) Attach a clear light bulb and suspend it so it's about an inch from touching the bottom and approximately in the center of box. then put the item to be cured next to but not touching the light bulb ( in my case a wood box mod). Periodically rotate the item. It seems to me to cut the curing time in half if not more without damaging anything or using a lot of electricity, Hope it helps.
What kind of box did you use? I was going to make a box out of foam insulation board...
Hey bamani71 I use Minwax fast drying poly all the time with no problem you living in Colorado have altitude , that might have something to do with curing ,you can always call the Mfg.and see what they say.good luck
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