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Anyone tried using Japan Drier with Pore-O-Pac filler or any other of the old fashioned solvent based wood fillers that contain linseed oil? Thanks, Bob

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

Have used it with an oil based filler, ,it is a metallic salt , and needs to be used very sparingly. e.g. 1or 2 drops per tablespoon of filler to speed up drying IMHO,or you can also use naptha in cooler weather , it flashes off a lot faster than mineral spirits , which will slow down evaporation of the thinned pore filler.Before using jap drier experiment on scrap wood first.

I've used it for years with home made wipe on type finish. One part polyurethane, one part boiled linseed oil and one part thinner. I know if you don't use Japan Dryer it takes forever to dry. If your question is "is it good to use with linseed oil" I would say yes. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do a test on something other than your new guitar.

Danny

Bob, what is the theoretical advantage I wonder? Just faster cure or more complete?

Allegedly supposed to cure finishes quicker , but alot depends on application , amt of relative humidity , temp etc , it.s a metallic drying salt. Very hard to quantify, unless one tests with and without jap drier

I used to make a finish similar to yours, except I would use Tung Oil instead of the thinner, and it would dry pretty quick. Paint thinner, varsol and such will slow down the drying process - don't ask how I found out ! If you use high gloss poly, the finish ends up at a semi/satin sheen.

Alex

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My question was really about possible advantages or disadvantages, from a chemical point of view, as to it's affect on the filler. I've always used naptha to thin the filler, but just wondered if Japan drier might make the filler harder or not. It dries quick enough with naptha, so drying time is not my interest. I suppose, if it is just another evaporate vehicle for applying the filler, it might not have any effect on the filler itself. Thanks for the replies.-Bob

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

It is hard to answer .As I am not a chemist.In an older book on finishing, michael dresdner wrote a page on how it works.

I don't think Japan Drier would have any effect, or at least a noticable effect on Pore o pac filler. The filler is basically silica with a drying oil to deliver it. Why do you (or do you) want to make the filler harder?

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A second application of filler and it's solvents easily must soften and disolve some of the filler in the first coat, and I always do 2 coats. I was just imagining that if the first coat were to dry to a a more solid state, the 2nd coat might not affect it so easily. I think it would be nice if that were to happen, but it does not appear that Japan Drier works like that. I was just curious, not having used the drier before, though I've had a can on the shelf for several years. I'm O.K. with the way the filler works as is, so no big deal. -Bob

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

I think shrink back and traditional paste fillers go hand in hand. if you want it perfectly level, you have to rely on the lacquer coats to do the last little bit. The longer you cure the lacquer, the better it will look. However, it becomes harder to buff out and also there is a greater risk of sand through. I would say this issue is more for builders who use hardwood tops than most other makers.

It's a chemical that catalyzes faster polymerization in some drying oils... so if Pore-o-pac has drying oils in it - then there is a good chance that it would make it cure faster....

Now... Anyone with Epoxy experience has learned that faster cures don't necessarily produce a more durable finish.... so I would exercise care....

Now... if you need another coat of finish to bite into the previous coat - I would think you would have to be careful about how much drier you use and how soon you re-coat....

Thanks