: If there are any oil deposits on/in the wood, waiting won't get rid of them.
: I usually use acetone to clean up any surface that I have expoxied. As for
: prepping the wood for sealing, since I have always worked with okhume
: plywood, I have not had to worry about natural oils in the wood. As Mr.
: Nystrom has pointed out, paint thinners have oils in them and the oils
: won't evaporate. Once the sealer coat has been applied, a light cleaning
: with an acetone dampened cloth works wonders. The acetone evaporates on
: contact with any warm surface and leaves precious little residue of any
: kind.
: Robert N Pruden

Well, I guess now I'm at a loss but not to worried. One thing I have learned from this experience has been "trust the author"! I must admit to spending more time scratching my head, thinking about how I'm going to do something than it took to just get my hands dirty and "do it". So far, every time I've delayed this project overthinking, then finally just saying to myself "don't worry, just do it and if it comes out bad, oh well It comes out looking good. I'm learning to stop thinking and just start doing. I guess this is one of those times! I did go on the MAS website. I think I will wipe the boat down with denatured alcohol, then put my surface coat of epoxy on and hope all turns out well. Now I'm wondering about the difference between acetone and denatured alcohol. Thanks for all the input and I'll let you know how it comes out, maybe with a photo.