by WOODWEB's Finishing Team:
John Buries and Bob Niemeyer
Q. Do you have any suggestions on how to speed up the drying times when working with Watco Oils?
A. John Buries responds: Watco oils are designed to be slow drying oil type finishes. The instructions require 72 hours dry time before applying a clear coat. Adding Japan drier can reduce the dry time slightly, but in relative terms you still have a long drying time. There are no apparent computability problems, but I always suggest running test panels that duplicate your proposed system.
High humidity will effect the dry time of practically any coating. The high content of moisture in the air leaves less room for solvents to evaporate. Try using some fans to increase airflow over the parts. I have seen the furnace turned on to help dry out the air when production was essential. That seems crazy, but it really does work and it’s already so hot you can’t stand it anyway.
Not knowing ultimately how fast you want your finishing operation, there are faster drying stains available that may be of interest. Let us know if you want to pursue these.
