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Old 01-12-2013, 17:53   #1
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I bought some Epifanes high gloss varnish and someone insists that I use all Varnishes brand thinners.
Do you agree?
Is common paint thinner not to be used with varnishes?
Should we be buying their marked up thinner products?
If so, are the ingredients different than regular paint thinners?


https://epifanes.com/na/store/thinners-additives/


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Old 01-12-2013, 19:12   #2
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

Quote:
Originally Posted by endoftheroad View Post
I bought some Epifanes high gloss varnish and someone insists that I use all Varnishes brand thinners.
Do you agree?
Is common paint thinner not to be used with varnishes?
Should we be buying their marked up thinner products?
If so, are the ingredients different than regular paint thinners?


https://epifanes.com/na/store/thinners-additives/


endoftheroad
I use their thinners, but only on the last two coats, usually with a bit of boiled linseed oil to improve workability. Cleaning - nope. The Epifanes thinner is distilled or some such nonsense, but I think (?) I can tell the difference between it an cheaper thinners.
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Old 01-12-2013, 19:27   #3
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

I use same brand thinners unless I'm using the cheap stuff. For the high quality epiphanes I'd use epi products.
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Old 01-12-2013, 20:19   #4
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

Being a cheap date, I use regular low odor mineral spirits (IE the good stuff). Works fine with epi
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Old 01-12-2013, 23:00   #5
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

I don't really have the answer for you Endoftheroad but I wish I did i.e. I wish I knew more about thinners and solvents.

The following is not gospel, it is just what I think I know about thinners.

All thinners seem to be either one of the following substances or a blend of several. I have listed them with the most aggressive first and the more begin last (IMHO). Note that the potential harmful effects seem to closely mirror the same order.

1. Toluene - very aggressive and very nasty.
2. MEK
3. Acetone
4. Mineral Turps (mineral spirits in the USA??)
5. Alcohol (methyl or ethyl)
6. Water.

I tend to go by smell but do try to avoid smelling or handling Toluene.

I once went to an epoxy seminar run by a major epoxy manufacturer and during the presentation, they sang the virtues of using their special thinners. Afterwards in a small conversation over coffee, the same presenter said that most of the smart epoxy workers had worked out that the special thinners was indeed 100% Acetone and this of course was much cheaper than their special thinners. He just couldn't provide this information during the public presentation.

Let us know what you finally decide and how it works out. I assume the only downside to using the brand name stuff is cost.
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Old 02-12-2013, 03:08   #6
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

Wotname,
I grew up on a dairy farm and remember an old timer bitchin' about odorless products for safety reasons of course. It would make sense that odors could also be welcomed as an alarm against fire hazzard or inhalant risks.
I like to know when I'm being poisoned.
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Old 04-12-2013, 10:00   #7
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Another question,
When we mix a batch of say, 50 thinner 50 varnish and you have some left can you cap the mixed pot to be used for the next coat?
No doubt you don't want to dump it back into the tin.
Or will it "go off"'in the sealed pot?
I don't imagine the thinner will evaporate as it doesn't evaporate in its original sealed container. But does the thinner and varnish change their properties once mixed?
Toss it or cap it for next coat?

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Old 04-12-2013, 10:09   #8
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

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Originally Posted by endoftheroad View Post
Another question,
When we mix a batch of say, 50 thinner 50 varnish and you have some left can you cap the mixed pot to be used for the next coat?
No doubt you don't want to dump it back into the tin.
Or will it "go off"'in the sealed pot?
I don't imagine the thinner will evaporate as it doesn't evaporate in its original sealed container. But does the thinner and varnish change their properties once mixed?
Toss it or cap it for next coat?

endoftheroad
I dump it back in since the varnish thickens over time anyway.
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Old 04-12-2013, 11:00   #9
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I dump it back in since the varnish thickens over time anyway.
I read that to my wife, she says "no...that can't be good".
No matter what she says, she's kinda funny anyway.

Thanks
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Old 04-12-2013, 11:02   #10
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

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Originally Posted by endoftheroad View Post
I read that to my wife, she says "no...that can't be good".
No matter what she says, she's kinda funny anyway.

Thanks
If a man says something in the woods and his wife is not there to hear it, is he still wrong?
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Old 04-12-2013, 11:27   #11
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Funny you said that,
About 18 years ago I was dating a girl for about 7 years. I was breaking up with her for about 6 and a half years. While I was drunk wrote a list of things I wanted to accomplish after we broke up and there were a couple female names on the list. I stashed it away and forgot about it, she was looking for something one fine day and came upon the list. She approached me kindly, handed me the list and calmly said to me "My mom always told me to never put something down in writing that you wouldn't want someone else to read".
Wish she had told me that beforehand because even as good of a bulls$&ter as I am I was speechless for a response.
I think I still tried spitting something pathetic out of my mouth as she deeply wanted to believe but I don't think it helped.
She is a wonderfull person.
I still feel bad about it today.
Karma is gunna get me somethin fierce someday.

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Old 04-12-2013, 11:30   #12
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

Quote:
Originally Posted by endoftheroad View Post
I read that to my wife, she says "no...that can't be good".
No matter what she says, she's kinda funny anyway.

Thanks
Never put anything in your new supply can of Varnish, except a very clean turkey baster. Else you will contaminate the varnish with dust,dirt and any other foreign that happens to be about.

Not to mention that if you keep tipping a thinned Varnish into the new can you will soon not know how much in the can is varnish and how much is thinner.

Now onto the turkey baster. Every can of Varnish will tell you on the can how many square feet it will cover. So with a little math all you need do is convert it to ounce per sq.ft or inch. Measure the surface area to be varnished, do the math to how many ounces you need.

Mark the turkey baster in ounces, and use this to draw out the right amount of varnish. Use a good glass baster and keep it in a fresh can of thinner.

Here is one of my posting's on the Black Art Of Varnishing

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Old 04-12-2013, 12:01   #13
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

A tin of Petit varnish costs about $35. A tin of their thinner costs about $20. The same amount of generic thinner would cost maybe $5, for the same amount. I am using the thinner at an average of 20% of the varnish.

4 tins of varnish + 1 tin of Pettit thinner = $160.

4 tins of varnish + 1 tin of generic thinner = $145

How much am I saving by using generic thinner? $3.75 per tin of varnish. Doesn't seem worth it, does it?

For cleaning brushes, that's a different matter - I use a 1 gallon container of the cheapest stuff.
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Old 04-12-2013, 12:33   #14
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

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A tin of Petit varnish costs about $35. A tin of their thinner costs about $20. The same amount of generic thinner would cost maybe $5, for the same amount. I am using the thinner at an average of 20% of the varnish.

4 tins of varnish + 1 tin of Pettit thinner = $160.

4 tins of varnish + 1 tin of generic thinner = $145

How much am I saving by using generic thinner? $3.75 per tin of varnish. Doesn't seem worth it, does it?

For cleaning brushes, that's a different matter - I use a 1 gallon container of the cheapest stuff.
Having maintained bright a spruce masted, wooden everything but the hull cutter for 25 years and built out the interior on my current boat I gave up on brushes a long time ago and only use foam. Much easier to level than a brush and I don't have to clean up.

And, if dumping thinned varnish back in the can is a problem, I must have missed what it was after using about 50 gallons of the stuff.
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Old 04-12-2013, 13:16   #15
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Re: Varnishes, Use Their Thinning Products or Generic Thinner?

I use paint thinner bought at hardware stores for years. However make sure its the clear and not the milky white thinner. I pour the varnish/paint into a cheap plastic clear cup only what is going to be used. No pouring back into the can. If there is some left, let the thinner/varnish dry in the cup and throw the cup away.

Did you know that paint thinner will also remove calking before it dries. But the best is it does not wreck a manicure and/or remove nail polish as that can wreck even a good day!
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