cocobolo problem

[Ky Gobbler]

I purchased a cocobolo pot and striker and was in he process of coating them with polyurethane and noticed it wouldn't completely dry. Is there a way to fix this? Or should I use a different finish? If so what?

I'm having the same problem with the bocote, but its not as bad. It still remains a little sticky

[strutnrut]

It's the natural oil in the wood. Might try using DEFT or retort the oil try wiping the calls with Acetone. The oil will come back to the surface but as the acetone drys fast. Coat the wood with a sanding sealer or apply your first coat... Cocobolo does really like polyurethane Hope this helps

[Ky Gobbler]

It's the natural oil in the wood. Might try using DEFT or retort the oil try wiping the calls with Acetone. The oil will come back to the surface but as the acetone drys fast. Coat the wood with a sanding sealer or apply your first coat... Cocobolo does really like polyurethane Hope this helps

So just rub it down with nail polish remover and apply polyurethane very quickly? How long should I let it set until it should expect it to be dry?

[M,Yingling]

That rub down and sanding sealer don't even work on them woods most of the time ,,,best thing is a ca finish ,,,,if you don't have much detail in the wood its not hard to do

[strutnrut]

I ment to say that Cocobolo DOESN"T like polyurethane and any finish only last just so long but Rich N Tone dip their duck calls. I have found that Mylands High Build Friction Polish works. You can buff it in while on the lathe. It is Shellac based and it works just find. The problem with CA finish is the use of bug spray you have to be careful not to hold your call with any undry spray. Deet and CA just don't get along to well.

[mastevt]

I use polyacrylic by minwax.  No problems.

[carolina custom calls]

Just wipe it down with acetone and you will be fine.

[West Augusta]

I apply two coats of a 1 pound cut of shellac let that dry first and then apply the polyurethane.  Works well for all oily exotics.

[Ky Gobbler]

I tried the acetone thing and it help but the finish still never dried all the way. So today I bought Zinsser bulls eye SealCoat universal sanding sealer 100% Wax-free shellac. It was 15.99 and they only had it in quart cans. I'm goin to give it a try later. It was kinda pricy for the use on just 2 calls, but probably more in the future if it works. Has anyone ever tried this before? I was going to put on one coat of the shellac and then coat with polyurethane a couple times.

[West Augusta]

I buy dry shellac flake and mix my own as needed that way I don't have a quart that sit around and drys out.  If it does start to dry out, add some denatured alcohol as a thinner.

http://www.shellac.net/dewaxed_shellac.html

[Ky Gobbler]

Well I tried the shellac and it worked nicely but I couldn't get a flat, thin, and even finish, it dried with lumps. So I sanded the lumps out and applied a second coat of shellac. Then I sanded it again and tried coating with minwax polyurethane and it still wont dry     I don't know much about shellac, but would it be a strong enough finish to work by its self? If so, I'll try my best to put on an even coat. I really wish I could've had time to finish these calls before season goes out. This is the last weekend coming up.