Cetol and 2 Part Polyurethane Varnish

[s/v Beth]

Can I put 2 part polyurethane varnish (perfection) on cetol? Can cetol go on the varnish? Or should I just put cetol on cetol and use the varnish for those pieces of brightwork I have completely stripped (rudder).
Thanks guys in advance. I have been stripping varnish all day so this post is kinda short. My back aches. (whine)

[Cheechako]

I dont know100%, but I would guess no. Sure you want 2 part varnish?

[Pblais]

No you can not! You would need to strip off the Cetol first. Once Cetol goes belly up nothing goes over it not even Cetol.

If you really want to get into it. AwlBright (the Awlgrip people) makes a 3 part varnish that holds up quite well but you need to maintain it else rue the day you were born.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Pblais

No you can not! You would need to strip off the Cetol first. Once Cetol goes belly up nothing goes over it not even Cetol.

If you really want to get into it. AwlBright (the Awlgrip people) makes a 3 part varnish that holds up quite well but you need to maintain it else rue the day you were born.

Awlbrite is actually a one part varnish which is specially formulated to be top coated with Awlbrite Awlclear, which is a two-part acrylic urethane. Together the two are called Awlgrips "Ultimate Varnish Sysytem". This is the method I use, it looks better and lasts much longer than anything else out there. However, it is a ton of work and not cheap.

[brankin]

So Awlbrite is in fact an isolator...great info

[minaret]

Originally Posted by brankin

So Awlbrite is in fact an isolator...great info

Yeah if you want to topcoat a traditional varnish with a clear urethane, a technique which has been around in the very high end market for many years, in the past you needed to wait at least 30 days after the final coat of varnish before prepping and applying the urethane. This is to prevent solvent popping from off gassing in the traditional varnish being trapped under the urethane. Using Awlbrite dramatically reduces this waiting period, because it has been specially formulated to be topcoated with urethane. It is also a great traditional varnish in it's own right, even if you are not going to topcoat with urethane.

[Pblais]

This is the method I use, it looks better and lasts much longer than anything else out there. However, it is a ton of work and not cheap.

A neighbor has been using it a while and it looks great but you do need to touch it up and you can't let it go totally bad or it is really tough to get totally off. That is the bottom line with all of them. If you have to get them all totally off the nice looking gloss finishes are the worst.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Pblais

A neighbor has been using it a while and it looks great but you do need to touch it up and you can't let it go totally bad or it is really tough to get totally off. That is the bottom line with all of them. If you have to get them all totally off the nice looking gloss finishes are the worst.

Yep, you can't heat strip a urethane. But regular Awlbrite which has not been topcoated with Awlclear heat strips just fine. On the other hand the urethane topcoat can actually be spot repaired and blended, so any scratches or gouges can be fixed just like a paint job. If you sand and reapply a coat of urethane every five years it will last 15-20 years without having to be stripped and refinished. And it looks much better than any normal varnish.

[Pblais]

On the other hand the urethane topcoat can actually be spot repaired and blended, so any scratches or gouges can be fixed just like a paint

My neighbor finds he can spot patch it fine and I can't see it where he has done it. It is a tad expensive but then all the teak treatments are. The cheaper ones you reapply more often add up in cost.

[s/v Beth]

So I can't "patch" Cetol- in other words heat strip were it is bad back to the good cetol, sand into the good stuff and apply? What will that look like?
BTW- I am using the tinted stuff.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

So I can't "patch" Cetol- in other words heat strip were it is bad back to the good cetol, sand into the good stuff and apply? What will that look like?
BTW- I am using the tinted stuff.

Yes, you can do just that with Cetol and in fact all varnishes. However, there is a huge learning curve. Basically you make your "patch" repair, using as many coats as necessary to build up level again, then prep and apply a single topcoat to the entire area in question. I have dozens of custom built very small hard blocks in various shapes and sizes I use just for patching varnish. Helps to keep the "repair" small, and to patch in strange places. Patch points are usually seams and joints.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

So I can't "patch" Cetol- in other words heat strip were it is bad back to the good cetol, sand into the good stuff and apply? What will that look like?
BTW- I am using the tinted stuff.

I've never had much of a problem going over older cetol. It seems to wear rather than peel. So long as it's the same tint anyway. Is there an out of the way bit you could try?

Funnily, was chatting to neighbor liveaboard this morning about cetol. We concluded that cruisers with a bit of a masochistic streak, or with a bit of a sadistic streak and staff, used varnish outside. The rest of us use cetol

[ohdrinkboy]

Years ago I used captains varnish...looked great, but constant maintenance. Then went to bristol finish (2 part). Bristol looked great and was supposed to last years. At the end of year one it was starting to deteriorate, at the end of year two it was shot. Then I went to Cetol. Not my favorite look, but the maintenance is easy and it is forgiving.

[Capt.Don]

Originally Posted by minaret

Awlbrite is actually a one part varnish which is specially formulated to be top coated with Awlbrite Awlclear, which is a two-part acrylic urethane. Together the two are called Awlgrips "Ultimate Varnish Sysytem". This is the method I use, it looks better and lasts much longer than anything else out there. However, it is a ton of work and not cheap.

To use Awlbrite Awlclear, do you have to apply to bare wood or can this be applied over/sanded varnish?

Thanks
Don

[Cheechako]

A neighbor has been using it a while and it looks great but you do need to touch it up and you can't let it go totally bad or it is really tough to get totally off. That is the bottom line with all of them. ....... but you need to maintain it else rue the day you were born.
This is what I've seen and heard regarding all the multipart systems in the past... no miracles!