hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl

wrote in message
ps.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl


I've never given Minwax much thought when it comes to finishing my projects
to be honest so I've nothing to compare it to. One explanation however,
might be that most finishes are getting thicker due in part to the reduced
VOC's the manufacturer's are having to abide by. Lower VOC's means less
solvent in the container. Try mixing up a bit with some thinner (not sure
which one for the stuff you're using) and see if it performs more like what
you remember it being.
Cheers,
cc

wrote in message
ps.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

I have only been using them a couple years, so I don't know about changes...
What were you using? They have some out now (varnish/stain and gel stains)
that really are thin paints; but I think the traditional ones are unchanged.
I haven't tried the water based ones; I bet those are good!

wrote in message
ps.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl

Minwax IMHO has pretty much gone the route as Blank & Decker. It usta be
pretty good but now it is lagging far behind the competition. I have not
had any luck with their stains in the last 10 years.

wrote in message
ps.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl
Just a guess based on your thick and gummy content, but did you possibly
grab a gel stain when you were expecting a pigment stain?
I don't know what, if any, gel stains Minwax had out 20 years ago. Maybe
they did, but the stuff I remember my Dad using sure weren't gels.

jc

Sounds like you got ahold of some Minwax Polyshades. It is a product that
combines finish and color.


wrote in message
ps.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl

wrote in message
ps.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl


There are some shades which haved considerably more solids. Compare Special
Walnut with, say, Golden Oak and you'll see the diff. Is it different than
it used to be? Only in the drying time from what I recall.

wrote:
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl

I know. You were expecting a traditional oil stain that you rubbed in.
Those stains have gone the way of the buggy whip as far as Minwax is
concerned. You can still get them at Sherwin Williams if you can find
somebody there who knows more than how to read the label on the can. I
think it's called "Sherwin Williams Classics", but that may apply to an
entire line of products.

DonkeyHody
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit
there." - Will Rogers

You are right. I used minwax for years. Every time I opened the can, I had
to stir up the pigment. For about 8 years or so, I haven't been doin much. i
had quite a stock on hand. Lately, i used up the last of it and had to get
some more. I use the cherry stain on oak to match with what the cabinets
etc. that are advertised as oak. Anyway, the new can was real cheap, $5 and
change compared to the $8 I used to pay for it. I took it home and opened it
up and started to stir, but there was nothing to stir. It didn't even smell
the same. I don't know what happened either, but the results suck. Not even
close. i have examples of the old and the new.The cans are identical, but
the contents are not. I thought maybe I just got hold of a bad can, but
apparently there has been a political correctness change. Too bad, never
thought it could screw up that part of life too. Crap, think I'll go back to
smoking... Oh wait, i can't , they just outlawed that too......CRAP!!!
wrote in message
ps.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl


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In article ,
Toller wrote:

wrote in message
ups.com...
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

I have only been using them a couple years, so I don't know about changes...
What were you using? They have some out now (varnish/stain and gel stains)
that really are thin paints; but I think the traditional ones are unchanged.
I haven't tried the water based ones; I bet those are good!



There is some difference within the minwax stain "yellow can" line of
products between the different colors. Some of them have lots of
pigment, some are all dye, no pigment. The stains that are
predominantly dye are the ones that soak into the wood llike you
remember. The colors that have lots of pigment behave more like the
one you describe in your post. Either way, if you follow the directions
on the can for application & drying time, the results will be OK (for
minwax)

--
For every complicated, difficult problem, there is a simple, easy
solution that does not work.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland -

"Burgy" wrote in message
...
You are right. I used minwax for years. Every time I opened the can, I had
to stir up the pigment.

Yep, pigment particles at the bottom, solvent and oil at the top, and with
an old can losing solvent, mostly oil. Could be the old/fresh comparative
syndrome like the new blade being superior to the old.

Though the OP specified yellow can, a couple of others have been confused by
gel or water-based. OP's can may have exceeded its shelf life - big problem
with mom-and-pop inventories - and begun to gel on its own.

I'd stir the daylights out of the stuff in the can and see if I couldn't
raise something from the bottom. And pat yourself on the back for getting a
product which conforms to CA standards for smog production. You're saving
the planet in your own basement.

wrote:

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

I don't think you bought "normal" Minwax wood stain.

I think you might have Gel Stain or Polyshades.

This is precisely why I get my panties in a wad when people refer to
products by brand only (ex: "I Varathaned my table"), not mentioning a
product name. Minwax makes many, many products, most in yellow cans. G

Well, if you compare the newer MSDSs to the older MSDSs, one thing
they did is remove the "japan dryer" from it. You could put it
back -- but don't give the recipient of your teether, salad
bowl or chew toy a one-way ticket to midnight. Call it heavy metal.

wrote:
hello,

its a long story, but i haven't stained anything for about twenty
years. recently i wanted to, so i bought the little yellow minwax can
and heaved to.

it was not what i remember by a long, long way. it took a full day to
dry, it was thick and gummy compared to what i expected, and it did not
soak into the wood. just sort of spread around on it. when i sanded, it
almost sanded off like paint or a colored poly finish.

color looks fine, after i figured out to put it on like paint, not like
stain, and the project turned out fine, but i remember a thin product
that soaked into the wood, dried in a few hours, and did not sand off
like paint. stain, in other words.

what gives?

carl