A question for the finishing gurus

[LatakiaLover]

This is NOT a joke, set-up, gotcha, or etc. in any way, shape, or form.

Sounds impossible, but I'm 100% serious.

I have a shaped briar stummel that handles, sands, and stains normally. Top grade. Straight grain, zero surface flaws of any kind, and none encountered during shaping.

No finish of ANY KIND will harden on it, though. Shellac, lacquer, or even plain, straight carnauba.

The classic diagnosis is microscopic outgassing of an entrapped solvent, but the stummel has been repeatedly re-sanded, heated, scrubbed with alcohol---I even tried acetone---followed by extended heat drying. Every sane combination of prep steps has been tried---several times---before each finish attempt.

Zero luck. All looks great until the stummel is handled in ANY way, sugical gloves and white cotton gloves included. After brief handling it looks like pre-school kids with tree sap on their fingers passed it around.

It is the most insanity-inducing thing I've ever known. The Internet's professional furniture & woodcraft guys all say the same thing. Solvent entrapment and/or finishes past their shelf date. There is no "C".

Hell, I can't even IMAGINE what could be causing it, even theoretically.

Ideas???

[DocAitch]

I have never experienced anything like that. It is even difficult to speculate on what would cause that.
The worst I’ve experienced is a piece of grade I briar that just would not take a contrast stain, but it did take my usual final finish and wax.
Following
DocAitch

[Sasquatch]

I mean, shellac has a shelf life, so first things first, mix up new shellac. And if you are using a can of zinsser or something, just go fucking die and quit wasting my time. And honestly this block would literally have to be outgassing small aliphatic hydocarbons to make shellac "not harden". Shellac will fuck up if it's old, and probably if it's thick. New shellac, from flake, dissolved 48 hours, very thin, like 1 lb cut, and call me in the morning.

Other than that, I dunno, I have briar that finishes and feels different than other briar, sometimes waxy, but I've never had a block that just rejected a finish.

Mix up new shellac. Strip the pipe meanwhile, alcohol wipes, re-stain as needed or whatever. But get it cleaned off. Poor thing.

[Sasquatch]

I will say, I was fuckin around with pure tung oil last year, and don't do that. Shit don't dry if the humidity is above about 10%.

[LatakiaLover]

No go on the shellac.

Top shelf stuff, properly mixed & strained, less than 48 hours old.

All the other-than-shellac attempts have also stayed soft.

The finishing process itself has happened at two different locations, so it isn't something weird in the air.

[caskwith]

Virgin finish, no wax, market it as a USP, move on with your life.

[LatakiaLover]

Virgin finish, no wax, market it as a USP, move on with your life.

Pretty much there.

I stuck with it to hopefully discover something new (unprecedented?), and because I'm a stubborn son of a bitch. lol

Trying to decide now between what you suggest and just blasting it, where smudginess doesn't really matter.

(I've figured out a quick & easy way to get this):

[caskwith]

Well now you have to tell us how you did that.

[Charl]

Yip!

[JMG]

My grandad would say that you're not holding your mouth right. Hope that helps.