A good inexpensive varnish

[Captain Bucknut]

IMHO.... I've used Epiphanes to great success. I've also used rustoleum, ACE and others. To me it is all in the prep put in prior to and during application. The most important to me is thinning down the first couple of coats to be sure that you get good penetration. Spar Varnish is like a living creature and needs to expand and contract within its environment. When it has good penetration that allows for the top coats to have more resiliency to do so without cracking. When you don't get the material into the grain, that's when you see chipping and cracking. I learned all of this when I went to sand down and varnish the dagger board, rudder and tiller on my sunfish when I was a kid. After the first season I was back to sanding and the like. I used helmsman each time, but the next time I read the can and it suggested thinning (1970's, not sure they do so now). Wallah! It worked.


Back to present day. I read Wittmans book on Brightwork and followed some of hr tips as well. When stripped my Catalina of all her teak, I cleaned it up with a teak cleaner, then I sanded a bit to get the heavier damage removed. Then I used a wet dry paper with tung oil to work that into the grain with the sanded fines (saw dust) from the teak. That creates a paste that fills in the grain along with the thinned tung oil. The mineral spirit evaporates and leaves behind a smoother surface to work from. Then start in with a thinned (+/-50%), cure, light sand and coat with a thinned (+/- 75%) coat, cure, sand thinned coat (+/- 90%). At this point you should have a good base to apply the next few layers (upwards of 6-8 layers) of varnish. Then it's just maintaining after that.



A lot of upfront work (and what isn't on a boat) for a lasting and satisfying job.

[guyrj33]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

That's good to know. I've been using TotalBoat varnish, and it's not a cheap, but it's reasonable, and pretty good as well.

To anyone using varnish a lot - how have you been keeping the varnish from skinning over in the can, from a partial use? I've been using a product called "Bloxygen" - which works well, but it's somewhat pricey. Are there any good alternative methods anyone knows of?

I fill the excess space with propane, works well with most paints.
Paints like polyurethanes that cure in the presence of moisture will still skin over, propane does slow that process.

[wannacat]

Sailon1-whats the name of that bottom paint you got at HD?

[pdxsailordiver]

I’ve been using McCluskey varnish for years. Tried all the expensive varnishes and went back to McCluskey varnish. I did make sunbrella covers for all bright work.

[Hardhead]

Thanks everyone - lots of smart tips about keeping the varnish from skimming. Being simple minded - I'm having some trouble envisioning exactly how to use the propane method. Do you have any special hose and regulator to do it?

Bloxygen does work great - but the last can I bought off Amazon was shipped empty, or leaked in shipping somehow. I had tried a trick of exhaling through a straw into the can - I can tell you... that works about as good as an empty can of Bloxygen. I almost needed a saw to cut through the skimmed over top..

Flipping the can over sounds good too.

[briblack]

I've grown to trust, as well as like, the Minwax spar urethane I get a home depot, etc. And it dries quickly, recoats come quicker

[Spot]

Originally Posted by briblack

I've grown to trust, as well as like, the Minwax spar urethane I get a home depot, etc. And it dries quickly, recoats come quicker

Minwax is the soup du jour at the home improvement stores near me as well.
Seems like most of my projects, home or boat, get a medium stain and a couple coats of semi-gloss.

My boat only has 8 or 9 pieces of brightwork other than the tiller, and those are mostly hatch-related. 3 were constantly exposed and neglected by previous owners. I am debating whether to try somehow sand-bleach-refinish or just make new ones.

Interesting article on testing varnish: https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...d_10576-1.html

[michaeld]

I guess the word got out.... The best price I could find was $33.30 for a quart via Amazon Prime, but thanks for the information. Word of mouth recommendations are always the best.

[RNWilson]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

That's good to know. I've been using TotalBoat varnish, and it's not a cheap, but it's reasonable, and pretty good as well.

To anyone using varnish a lot - how have you been keeping the varnish from skinning over in the can, from a partial use? I've been using a product called "Bloxygen" - which works well, but it's somewhat pricey. Are there any good alternative methods anyone knows of?

Whenever the can gets less than about three-quarters full I simply pour it into a smaller jar sized to fill full. I use progressively smaller size jars as I use the Finish so that the jars are usually almost full with almost no air. Glass food jars work well for me. Also when the Finish will be stored in a stationary place like at home I carefully pour in a teaspoon or so of thinner so it will lay on top of the Finish in the container.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by RNWilson

Whenever the can gets less than about three-quarters full I simply pour it into a smaller jar sized to fill full. I use progressively smaller size jars as I use the Finish so that the jars are usually almost full with almost no air. Glass food jars work well for me. Also when the Finish will be stored in a stationary place like at home I carefully pour in a teaspoon or so of thinner so it will lay on top of the Finish in the container.

Thanks - good ideas. I've learned some things from this thread.

[MicHughV]

...I don't usually see the word " good" and " inexpensive" being used in the same sentence...

...but interesting reading....some good ideas....

I've tried probably every type of varnish made on the planet....including the venerable deks olje...but I can't say I found one product to be overly better than another...so price would dictate my decision...knowing that in a years time I would repeat.

...at the end of the day, it has become just a yearly grind to sand and varnish....sand and varnish....
...in my opinion, the biggest pain in the rear end is masking off all the areas....particularity under handrails..it takes longer to mask off the teak than to to apply any product...

[Cheechako]

My favorite is Varathane exterior. Tried most all of them.

[barnakiel]

I have also used something called


Tonkinois


that came in a big barrel from France. It was not quite a varnish but I found it inexpensive, very easy to apply and good for about a year in our sun (high UV, 364 sunny days a year a norm here).


Maybe it was some kind of high oil / low resin mix.


b.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

...I don't usually see the word " good" and " inexpensive" being used in the same sentence...

...but interesting reading....some good ideas....

I've tried probably every type of varnish made on the planet....including the venerable deks olje...but I can't say I found one product to be overly better than another...so price would dictate my decision...knowing that in a years time I would repeat.

...at the end of the day, it has become just a yearly grind to sand and varnish....sand and varnish....
...in my opinion, the biggest pain in the rear end is masking off all the areas....particularity under handrails..it takes longer to mask off the teak than to to apply any product...

How many coats do you think it generally needs each year? Do you also sand every year as well? My hat is off to you - you sound like you really speak from some experience. I really do like seeing the teak, even though there's substantial work involved. I haven't been in it that long though.

[malbert73]

There’s a new varnish a Monk 36 owner told me about that he used all over that is designed to be applied without sanding between coats. Looked great. Anyone know the name as I forget... (Not cetol)