# Have you ever dried a finish this way?



## zm15 (Dec 16, 2013)

I'm doing some staining tests in wood with recessed letters. A good amount of stain, poly, and shellac got into the recessed areas and not sure it will dry anytime soon.

We have a rack for our dryer that we can use for shoes, but I thought what the heck let's try it with the copius amount of leftover stain.

Here it is , I put the dryer on delicate temp, the lowest setting. Any cause for concern with fumes or anything? It's not overly odorous...










Ever done something like this??


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I would be a little concerned. The solvent for shellac is alcohol. I would only use air and no heat.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Well did it work?


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## zm15 (Dec 16, 2013)

There are 3 items on the board, Shellac, Poly and a regular minwax stain.

The shellac and the poly appear to have dried further, but the stain is still wet in some places. And this is after sitting for about 24 hours drying in the garage.

One unintended side effect is the wood warped a little bit. I tried different heat levels eventually going to the hottest, I'm sure this hurt the wood itself than help the actual stain.

I'd need to try it more, but I think lower temps for longer might be ok for lighter coats perhaps.


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## rwbaker (Feb 25, 2010)

Have not tried the dryer, but I often use a vented electric kitchen oven @ 125~150 degrees F. It works great , also use a dedicated crock pot with a ceramic liner for hot oils & waxes (set on low) and this also is great. 

disclaimer: Caution, Charles is correct as these are combustibles and unless you know what you are doing this is not an endorsement, recommendation or effort to get anyone else to do the same (lawyers, you know).

Baker


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Your Insurance company might consider this ARSON!


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

If I tried that, Joy would get out her #6 rebar and make dents in my already non-spherical noggin, no thank you. I build abaci (the plural form of the word abacus) and have my own cute little way of drying them - maybe you remember when people would use "clotheslines" stretched across their yards to dry their clothing - similar to that, but indoors - rather than string or rope - I have inverted T-Track and use T-Bolts and knobs.
It works for me. I add them to one end and remove them from the other - kinda like a pizza oven. It works for me.

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## zm15 (Dec 16, 2013)

Lol, thanks guys. No harm done, good to get your opinions on this method, appreciate it.


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## routergieck (Feb 11, 2013)

Hi Zach 
I have never used the dryer but I have used the convection oven on the dehydration cycle and it worked wonderfully. It was a poyurethane finish and for some reason remained tacky after 24 hours but overnight in the oven solved the problem. There was no odor in the kitchen and only a very mild odor in the oven no more than the usual odor you get from newly finished projects. I didn't think there should be any fire hazard with such low temperatures and the bulk of the volatile products would have evaporated in the first 24 hours.

Dennis


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## zm15 (Dec 16, 2013)

That's a smart way of doing that Dennis.

Even after 48 hours, and the small time spent in the drier, the stain still isn't close to being dry in the recessed areas. Other than 'painting' it in the small areas, not sure how to apply the stain without it getting stuck down there.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Zach; I'm having difficulty with the fact that the stain didn't dry(?). Is it really old stuff?
Frankly, I'd lose it and try a different product. 
Another option is to try adding 'driers' to it before applying. Anything that doesn't dry in 24 HRS is defective, in my world. 
Maybe this is a clue?
Search Results
Lots of alternatives!
Industrial Stains & Color Products - Mohawk Finishing


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## zm15 (Dec 16, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Zach; I'm having difficulty with the fact that the stain didn't dry(?). Is it really old stuff?
> Frankly, I'd lose it and try a different product.
> Another option is to try adding 'driers' to it before applying. Anything that doesn't dry in 24 HRS is defective, in my world.
> Maybe this is a clue?
> ...


It is odd to me as well. It's stain I just bought the other day, but that doesn't mean it wasn't sitting there for awhile.

There really was alot of stain in the recessed areas. I brushed it on, and it pooled in those areas. I tried to wipe and soak up as best I could, and even the flat top surface area I wiped well and it's still not dry either. Hmm, back to Menards apparently...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

You've tried the dryer and it worked but here I'd some to consider. Everything that is flammable has an upper and lower flammability limit. What that means is that if you are within those limits, the per cent of the flammable substance mixed with air, the flammable substance can sustain ignition. Since you have the substance in a enclosed space you'll get an explosion first. The heat generated by the explosion may be enough to set other combustibles on fire such as plastic dryer hose 

This scenario might only happen 1 in 100000 times. The problem with that is that it could be the next time or the 100000 th time. So the question is is it worth the gamble or is it better to come up with another solution?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

The other problem that I see (non life threatening) is that with the dryer, there's a strong possibility of lint/dust/crud getting into your finish while it's in a tacky state.
The incoming air is not filtered in any way. That alone would have me voting 'No'.
Can you set up a small portable 'clean room' with poly and maybe a furnace filter for incoming air, and put a small desk fan inside?


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## zm15 (Dec 16, 2013)

All good points, no more dryer for me...


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I would be a little concerned. The solvent for shellac is alcohol. I would only use air and no heat.


I would bet the shellac would be dry before the dryer was set and turned on. Poly is the problem.

Al


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## Al B Thayer (Jun 2, 2014)

Ive tried all kinds of things. I like the hair dryer best.

Al


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## bowdean (May 7, 2014)

Check this out, unless minwax has changed at one time when i used minwax, it would not work or dry good with other brand products. Had to be minwax products on minwax products. Later,bowdean


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, Zach.
Did you tell this to your wife?


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## zm15 (Dec 16, 2013)

papasombre said:


> Hi, Zach.
> Did you tell this to your wife?


This one is on a need to know basis, and she doesn't need know :laugh:


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

zm15 said:


> This one is on a need to know basis, and she doesn't need know :laugh:


Wisely done.


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## Baller (Jun 13, 2011)

Drying with high air flow at room temp is far better than using heat. It's just like trying to get plaster on a wall to set, a high-velociy drum van> heat gun.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Might be time for another type of stain. We are redoing our kitchen cabinets. Right now the doors are laying all over the place here in the house. They were stained with General Finishes Columbia Maple gel stain. Brush it on/wipe it off. Looks really nice. It dries over night. Heck it will dry in a few hours sitting out in the Houston heat. 

Any stain in the cracks is dry. After spraying a coat of clear finish, we will add GF Van **** Brown glaze...same method. Brush it on/wipe it off. It also dries fairly fast. And the water based clear finish dries in about 20 minutes out in the sun. 

Unfortunately. We are having a lot of thunderstorms and downpours, so our progress has been delayed a bit.

Here is a link to our remodel. All face frames, doors and drawer fronts are knotty alder.
http://www.routerforums.com/show-n-tell/47429-our-kitchen-remodel.html


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