# May I put thinned Poly over Arm-R-Seal?



## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

*Problem:* I don't have enough Arm-R-Seal for another coat I need to make.

*How I got into this mess:* Before my last coat of Arm-R-Seal, I buffed with 0000 steel wool. However, I only wiped it off by hand (gasp!) before applying the Arm-R-Seal. When applying the finish, there were steel wool nubs in my finish. Once I realized this, I quickly took a rag soaked in MS and wiped the table. It wasn't tacky, but there is certainly unevenness in the finish now. (not hard lines, but just some places that look like they took more of the last coat than the rest)

The amount of Arm-R-Seal I have left is about 1 tablespoon. (yikes!)

*Question:*
Once this becomes un-tacky, may I put a 50/50 mix of Polyurethane/MS over the top?

Unfortunately, time is a huge factor here.










You can soooooorrrta see what I'm talking about in this picture. The walnut on the lower right is certainly glossier/deeper than the walnut in the reflection of the left light.


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

Oil-based poly would probably work. Since they are both oil-based urethane resins, they should bond to each other without trouble. Maybe try it on the underside or a back edge first.

I keep a big magnet around for pulling off steel wool dust. I kind of hate the dust, but nothing works better than steel wool between coats.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

How about bronze wool?


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## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

Alright thanks. Yeah it is the typical Minwax oil based polyurethane. I wish I had used steel wool in between previous coats, as I would have learned my lesson by now and I definitely think it worked better.

I'm guessing your magnet has a relatively large surface area then, or you have a lot of patience.


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## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

Alrighty, that seemed like it worked very well! In fact, I'm thinking that in the future, I may never ever use Arm-R-Seal again. The Poly/MS blend was far easier to apply on such a large area than the Arm-R-Seal. At this point, I'm convinced that for wiping large surfaces, Poly/MS has Arm-R-Seal beat by miles (as far as the application process goes). It flows & levels so nice.

Thanks for verifying.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I have given up on steel wool entirely and now use 400 grit sandpaper between coats. Try it, you'll like it.


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