[etech]

Ron,

As Codefox says, it does have a lot to do with humidity. I am usually working in an area where the relative humidity is about 45% to 55% and I would say on average the grain filler is usually tacky and ready for removal in about 10 minutes or less. Now possibly, if you are working outdoors in the summer in a very high humidity environment, then it could take a lot longer. Or, the other consideration is that you may have thinned the product too much.

My wife does much of the cabinet work here, and many times we will work together when doing the grain filler because it sometimes drys too fast to properly remove it, particularly when doing a large console radio. In fact on large radios, we will do only one side at a time because the product can dry too fast.

Also, since the grain filler is soluble in mineral spirits, if it is too dry, you can usually remove it with a cloth soaked in mineral spirits, although it may remove too much of the grain filler. In fact, always avoid wiping down the surface with mineral spirits, after applying the grain filler.

Overall, if the grain filler takes more than 15 minutes to dry, I would say that it is thinned too much. Also, if it is thinned too much, the grain filler will be removed from the pores as it is wiped off the surface.

Ron, I have a one gallon can of grain filler here, I would be willing to mix up a small batch ready for application and mail it down to you to try. Who knows, maybe you received a bad can of grain filler?

Ed