Clear coat staying sticky?

[kitaye]

I recently replaced the handles of two knives. One was with rosewood and tagua nut, the other with Padauk. I covered both with tung oil and let them sit for two weeks. Then I decided to use a light clear coat over them both.

The rosewood handle worked just fine and looks pretty good. The padauk is still sticky even after letting sit another two weeks. I sanded all the sticky sealer off and tried again. It is better this time but there are still sticky spots.

This is a Christmas present and needs to be ready in a week. The padauk really looks better with a clear coat on it but I can't give it away in the condition it is in.

Any thoughts on the cause of this and a way to correct it?

[telecarver]

Did you wipe the excess oil off after applying? Padauk is an oily wood and does not accept more oil readily. For an undercoat for any clear coat, use Bullseye Seal Coat. It will give you that rich oil finish look bit will seal the wood without adding more oil. It also driers fast and can be recoated in a few hours.

Strip the sticky handle with 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol and start over with the Seal Coat. If you use a quick dying clear coat, you should be able to complete the whole process in a day.

[kitaye]

Never knew padauk was oily. That explains the problem I'm having.