"1_Patriotic_Guy" wrote in message
nk.net...
Please help,

I promised to make a table for my wife. All went well until I realized
my
partial gallon of High Gloss polyurethane by Deft had thickened (I assume
repeated use allowed some ingredient to evaporate, guessing the metal lid
is
no longer properly sealed after repeated opening and pounding shut).
Initially I thinned part of the can with paint thinner and this worked
fine
on another project (baseboard trim).
On the large table surface however, I was able to see small hardened
particles in the poly. Additionally the thickness made it difficult to
work
with and I made the mistake of allowing it to dry rather thick on one
portion of the table. The result, wavy distortions of the woodgrain. So
I
sanded, intending to start over.

You've just experienced the difference between "curing" of the finish versus
evaporation of the solvent.

If you have a decent tooth on your old finish, use gloss of your flavor to
bring it back to the way you wanted it. Remember what you've learned about
leveling - cutting back the wavy stuff - and consider thinning a bit. No
harm as long as the solids haven't begun curing, and it'll lay down a bit
flatter.

Brand names are like politics here, with the usual "bigger they are the more
I hate 'em" viewpoint repeatedly expressed. Though there are undoubtedly
differences in formulation, look to the amount of solids to determine how
fast it builds.