I always sand my boards before and after scrolling. Most times I am dimensioning my lumber so that requires resawing, planing, and sanding to just get started before i put the pattern on. Then after cut I always run a random orbit sander over to rid of fuzzy and any tape residue if there is any. Then I blow the dust off and out of the frets with a small compressor. doing this outdoors at all times. Then pick a good day to dip and and let dry out doors. Oils will smell for a long time. So I make sure to do these projects in the summer time so I can leave a window open in the basement after I bring them in. After a few days the smell dissipates. I love my Watco. I loved it much better before they decided to stop making it and when they came back they made a slightly different formula. I could tell the difference right away.