Cocobolo and Massey Epo not dry yet?

[Joey V.]

Hey all,

Well I made a cocobolo riser and tried Massey epoxy finish on it last evening.  I used 60 min 2 part epo to 5 parts acetone and it is still sticky after 8 hours. I know Cocobolo takes a month of Sundays to dry with poly but is this normal for Massey finish?  Do you think I can put it in the heat box to kick off the epo once and for all if it still is sticky when I get home from my fulltime job tonight?
THX

THX

[John Scifres]

Spread a layer of CA glue (superglue) on oily woods before finishing and it will work better.

It might cure after a few days as it is.

[jess stuart]

I second what John says I always use the supereglue on rosewoods.  Tried the massey finish once worked okay but been using the superglue since.

[JamesV]

Epoxy does not dry, it is chemically cured. I tried thinning with acetone and had a problem also. I found that letting the epoxy cure for about 30 min before thinning worked better..........James

[macbow]

With the Massey finish it will be like water as it is dragged on with a cloth etc. It gets sticky right away so much so that you can't hardly wipe a second time.
Usually dries quickly. Sooo something has effected it.
Can't say what. I've had good results on arrow shafts to various bow woods. But never used it on Cocobolo.
Ron

[Lee Robinson .]

I believe the massey finish is supposed to be the 2 ton epoxy, not the "60 minute" epoxy. I can't speak for Massey himself, but I can say that is what I was told and I have been using the 2 ton epoxy for years diluted with 5 parts acetone with many woods and never had a problem. When I use it, I mix the epoxy in the acetone and not prior to adding it. I put both parts directly in the acetone and mix it by swirling the jar of acetone and epoxy all at the same time...swirling until all the acetone has disolved and the mixture is uniform in consistency and looking like water. I have never used super glue on cocobollo prior to finishing it, but I have wiped the wood with acetone several times prior to putting the massey finish on it. All that said, I imagine some pieces are worse than others. I typically wait about 4-5 hours between coats. If I need to steel wool it between coats I will wait at least 6 hours.

All that said, I can't swear that I have used it on a cocobollo riser although I know I have used it a bunch on a bunch of bows...and I know I have also refinished several cocobollo bows...I just don't know if I have used the massey on a "raw" piece of cocobollo or not...but I will be doing so soon and I will post my results.