[Steve Neul]

Several weeks ago I finished some small (3"X1") pieces of exotic wood with Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane spray clear semi-gloss, per the instructions on the can. They hadn't dried in well over a week so I called Minwax and the CS rep determined the product I used was outdated. Sanded everything down, bought a new can, again followed directions and same result. They have been drying for 8 days and they are still tacky to the touch. I live in a dry, warm climate (below 20% temp around 80 inside) and have an overhead fan circulating air on them. I don't think I have put the three coats on too heavy as I have no runs and they were held upright when sprayed. The directions on the can state to reapply each coat within 1 1/2 hours or wait 72 hours. I applied coats at about 1 1/4 hours. I'm in no hurry to use these but I'm beginning to think they will never dry. If the experts here tell me they will dry in a few weeks I can wait but I'm starting to think they will never dry. Any thoughts would greatly be appreciated. I am a novice at wood finishing.

Any finish that takes that long to dry will never be dependable. It may skim over but will never dry where it bonds to the wood. Even if the Helmsman wasn't outdated it would be a pretty poor product. You would be better off using another brand for any finishing project. What is the project? As a rule of thumb you should only use a spar varnish if the project is used outdoors. A spar is made soft and flexible enough to deal with the wood movement of being outdoors. For a table top used indoors you would be better off using polyurethane. Poly is a harder finish which makes it more scratch resistant.