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A few weeks ago I applied 3 coats of Arm R Seal to the inside of some drawers. How do I get rid of the odor? I have the 8 drawers spread out in the shop to air out. As soon as I close the drawer the smell comes back.
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(11-13-2023, 01:15 AM)lift mechanic Wrote: A few weeks ago I applied 3 coats of Arm R Seal to the inside of some drawers. How do I get rid of the odor? I have the 8 drawers spread out in the shop to air out. As soon as I close the drawer the smell comes back.
In simple terms, you're hosed. That smell will take years to go away. Never use an OB finish for drawers, except the outside face.
At this point, the only thing that might work, besides stripping them and starting over, would be to spray them with a coat or two of dewaxed shellac. You can leave them like that, or you could add a WB varnish afterwards.
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John nailed it. the shellac may be the only quick fix. Otherwise waiting for a few years might get rid of the odor.
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I made that mistake years ago, when I built my wife a china cabinet for our 20th anniversary. I finished the inside with oil varnish. It smelled for years afterward. Yes, I said years. The worst of it was gone in probably a couple years, but even after many (maybe as many as 5???), you could still pick up a faint smell when you opened the doors. Drawers will be even worse, because they are closed up tighter than the doors of this cabinet.
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