Hey everyone. I have about ten coats of minwax laquer on a chess board. I rubbed the finish to a high gloss and it has been sitting for about two weeks now. I put the weighted pieces on last night and, in the morning, when I took them off, they had settled into the finish a bit. The leather bottoms had made an imprint into the finish. Needless to say, I repolished it. How long do I let the finish cure or harden before I can use it?
Thanks!
If you brushed it on, it probably is so thick you may be looking at a couple months. In the guitar world, when someone puts on a sprayed poly finish, it is not unusual for it to cure in a proper environment for 6-8 weeks before final assembly.
+1 on Paul's perspective … 10 coats, especially brushed on will take a LONG time to thoroughly dry. Leave the piece where it has good air circulation around it, and OUT OF direct sunlight. It most likely will take weeks, if not months to thoroughly dry to the core, and any time you place an object on the surface, you are impeding the evaporation of solvents flashing off as they rise to the surface.
Don't bother with final rubbing or polishing until it is completely dry … you will probably need to do it again at that point in time.
Wow. 10 coats? Why so many (especially if brushed on)? Just wondering.
It sounds like you've got a pretty long wait in front of you. I don't know how long you waited between each coat; so, that could make a big difference as well.
I think too many coats too quickly keeps the finish from curing/drying. I've had the same experience and I can tell you that putting it in the sun to hasten curing is a BIG mistake (bubbles the size of grapes).
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