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How to keep varnish fresh?


Peter

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How do y'all keep varnish fresh (remainder in the can)? I have plans for the CS17, but have not yet started. I just finished building a smaller "first" boat, and varnished the seats and gunwales, but the quart can of West Marine's brand I got gummed up quickly. I poured the varnish into a separate container to apply and resealed the can, but it still gummed up. Is there any saving it at this point? What do you do to just "touch up" dinged varnish? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Varnish will tend to skim over in the original container when stored. You can skim the surface with a strainer to remove the gunk. Then stir gently but thoroughly to remix the resins before pouring. Pour just what you need into a separate container thru a cheesecloth or paper paint filter to remove solids and air bubbles. I have also cut a piece of plastic wrap to cover the surface and keep air out before storing. Make sure the original can is clean and tightly sealed and store in a cool place like a basement.

Razz

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There are several things I do, but first- if you are using gloss varnish- don't stir it! There's nothing in there that NEEDS stirring and stirring introduces bubbles. Only varnishes other than gloss need stirring. They have additives to break the gloss and those must be mixed.

Now- If I buy a quart of varnish and I know I'll only use a small amount I pour the can into smaller containers. If you only NEED a small amount, try buying in pints instead of quarts. But what I did was acquire some empty 1/2 pint stain cans clean them well and use them to store my varnish. You can get empties from some paint stores too. I fill them quite full and close them up, storing upside down. Then when I need varnish I open one of those and pour the amount I need into another container and close the 1/2 pint back up. NEVER pour used varnish back into the can.

If I'm using from a quart can and it's going to be a while, I shoot a shot of propane from a propane torch down into the can and then seal it. Propane is heavier than air so it will displace the O2 in the can, which is what causes the varnish to skin over. THEN store it upside down.

I know this is gonna get posts about how dangerous that is, but that is really BullS**t cause you aren't using that much of the gas. I've done it for 35 years now. Just don't light a match over the damned open can:)

For touchups, many people keep an old nail polish bottle full of varnish. You can wrap a small piece of sandpaper around it too. Then when you see a ding or nick, just sand a bit and paint on some varnish. Won't be perfect but it will seal the wood until next time you sand and revarnish.

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I've tried the propane trick too, with mixed results. Not very dangerous, really, since the darn varnish is flammable too. I've often wondered if the propane settles into the varnish at all ... but if you've used it successfully then it must not.

I've found that once you get about half the can gone in a quart can, the remainder always skims over. I even tried some of that fancy "inert gas" in a spray can designed to prevent skinning over. One guy I talked to used smooth pebbles to keep the varnish up near the top of the can ... I asked if it really worked and he said it didn't really help, but the pebbles sure look nice.

I like your idea about the smaller cans. The one can of spar varnish I have in the garage right now has lasted the longest ... over two years now. It has a gasket that fits in the groove in the lid, and if I keep that clean air doesn't seem to get into the can. But I think I'll pick up some empty half pint cans at Home Depot next time I'm there.

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I have a can of the West Marine varnish that I use for my tiller. Its about 3 years old and I'm down to about 1/3rd of a can. When this stuff sits for a year there is definitely some settling of ingredients, maybe the UV inhibitors or some part of the resin. Straight clear varnish doesn't need to be stirred, but this stuff sure does. That may just be the West brand, it seems to be thinner out of the can than the Pettit or Zspar that I have bought in the past. Or it may just be the result of some degree of oxidation over time. I like the idea of storing in smaller cans. It only takes about 1/3 cup to do two refresher coats each year. Probably buy a new can of something this year. a piece of saran wrap floated on top of the varnish seems to work to reduce the skimming.

Razz

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Hmm- that's a possiblity with the West Marine brand. Don't know- never used it.

Since I live and play where the sun is fierce during the summer, I've settled on Z-Spar 2015 for all my brightwork, both on our own boats and on customer boats.

Planning to try Epifanes this year to see how that holds up. But it'll be a year before I know :D

Also looking into using the Bristol Finish stuff on the wooden mast on the Meridian 25. I've heard good reports on that directly from someone in Florida who has used it for a couple years. I HOPE it works cause if it doesn't I'll be refinishing a 28 foot spruce mast way too soon. :(

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Just a quick note: Don't pour into the small container. Try using a cheap, clean, plastic gravy ladle. You won't get anything in the groove and will get a better seal when you close up the larger can.

I really question weather I should admit that I learned this from a woman on a DIY show on daytime TV......

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