Full-strengrh Oil-based Polyurethane on hull

[vvvjames]

I made a rookie mistake on my Albatros hull. Because I am a rookie. I am wondering how bad this will be. I read here that I could use a clear satin, oil based polyurethane for my hull.

I also read "wipe on" as a verb and not an adjective, I didn't realize dilution was a crucial step in the process. I applied full strength poly on the hull last night using a foam brush, and I fear I may have put too much on. 12 hours later it is still tacky and shiny.

Is this something I can sand down and recoat with an appropriately diluted mixture? Or should I stick with full strength and be more conservative with it's application. Thank you in advanced for advice, maybe I'm overthinking it. 

[BritByker]

If it were mine, I'd get it somewhere warm and wait.  Anything you do while it is sticky would likely be just more of a mess.

[vvvjames]

12 minutes ago, BritByker said:

If it were mine, I'd get it somewhere warm and wait.  Anything you do while it is sticky would likely be just more of a mess.

Thank you, I'll do that. Still learning the patience part of model making. 

[Knocklouder]

 I had  to use a fan in front of a portable heater for 3 days to dry up a plastic model that I made. Air movement is the key, but like the above statement  , wait a few days if you try anything while it is sticky , you'll make more of a mess.

 Rember that two thin coats are better than one thick one.

 

Knocklouder 😁 

[Keith Black]

9 hours ago, vvvjames said:

Is this something I can sand down and recoat with an appropriately diluted mixture? Or should I stick with full strength and be more conservative with it's application. Thank you in advanced for advice, maybe I'm overthinking it. 

 James, I'm unfamiliar with Varathane Polyurethane, I have only ever used Minwax Polyurethane. Once upon a time I did the same thing as yourself and tried wiping down with paint thinner and made a dog's lunch of the whole thing, In the end I still had to wait till the poly dried where I could then sand down and start over.

 

 Lesson learned......set it aside and wait till it dries. Find something to work on while you twiddle your fingers. 

[RVB]

8 hours ago, vvvjames said:

Thank you, I'll do that. Still learning the patience part of model making. 

Don’t feel bad we all have been very anxious to get on with our builds and in the end it always makes the problem worse. That is why most of us have more than one build at the same time. Between paint drying, ordering needed parts etc it takes our minds off the problem and before you know it the problem is over and we can continue without making the problem worse. I go by the saying Time Heals All Wounds and in this case it will. 
Best Rick

[vvvjames]

3 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 James, I'm unfamiliar with Varathane Polyurethane, I have only ever used Minwax Polyurethane. Once upon a time I did the same thing as yourself and tried wiping down with paint thinner and made a dog's lunch of the whole thing, In the end I still had to wait till the poly dried where I could then sand down and start over.

 

 Lesson learned......set it aside and wait till it dries. Find something to work on while you twiddle your fingers. 

Thank you Keith, very much been appreciating your input. Got the nail vice drill thing today and went to work cutting/staining parts that will be put on the deck later! Better than watching the poly dry

[vvvjames]

3 hours ago, RVB said:

Don’t feel bad we all have been very anxious to get on with our builds and in the end it always makes the problem worse. That is why most of us have more than one build at the same time. Between paint drying, ordering needed parts etc it takes our minds off the problem and before you know it the problem is over and we can continue without making the problem worse. I go by the saying Time Heals All Wounds and in this case it will. 
Best Rick

Thank you Rick, I was wondering how someone could handle more than one of these things at a time haha!

[vvvjames]

I wanted to come back here to report that patience, sanding, the right polyurethane, and also patience payed off! Here's pictures after the first coat of wipe-on. 

Almost glad I messed up, now I get to be even more satisfied by the wipe-on experience. Thanks for the advice.

[shauer]

That looks great!

 

One additional word of caution, allow each coat of wipe on poly to fully cure before applying another.  I ended up with a variation of your original problem using wipe-on.  The first coat looked so good that I applied a second coat after only a couple hours.  The first coat was not fully cured and the whole thing turned gummy and thick with the second coat resulting in a gloss finish that should have been satin.  Waited a couple days, sanded, and re-applied just like you.

 

So it is possible to run into the same issue even with wipe-on if doing multiple coats.

 

Still working on the patience thing myself I guess...

 

Steve

[vvvjames]

6 minutes ago, shauer said:

That looks great!

 

One additional word of caution, allow each coat of wipe on poly to fully cure before applying another.  I ended up with a variation of your original problem using wipe-on.  The first coat looked so good that I applied a second coat after only a couple hours.  The first coat was not fully cured and the whole thing turned gummy and thick with the second coat resulting in a gloss finish that should have been satin.  Waited a couple days, sanded, and re-applied just like you.

 

So it is possible to run into the same issue even with wipe-on if doing multiple coats.

 

Still working on the patience thing myself I guess...

 

Steve

You may have just saved me a bunch of pain, I was about to get the rag again when I saw this. I appreciate your warning. 

[paul ron]

varathane is a low voc varnish. it takes a few days to cure so be patient. once dry it will look beautiful. i made the mistake of using this on my wood floors. it took a few days to dry completely. if you can raise the heat, it will dry faster.

 

the best varnish ive found is minwax fast drying satin. it drys to the touch in a few hours, hardened finish overnight. the fast dry only comes in quarts or pints. 

 

 

 

 

[palmerit]

On 10/25/2025 at 5:26 PM, vvvjames said:

Thank you, I'll do that. Still learning the patience part of model making. 

Right. That's why I have several models I'm working on at once - I now have five, which is probably too many. I can do something on one model - and let it sit, say waiting for planks to dry while shaping, paint to dry, glue to dry - and move on to something else on another model. I know there are ways to speed up all these things and maybe rush and not negatively impact the build, but having multiple models at once for me has let me be impatient because I can just set one model aside and move on to another one.