Preview: Varnishing Tips & Techniques, Part 3 – Brushing Varnish

21 Responses So Far to “Varnishing Tips & Techniques, Part 3 – Brushing Varnish”

• 

  edgar gatewood says:

  Very informative! I wonder… can a decent varnishing job be done with foam brushes? While I doubt it, for me a good brush can be too expensive. Thank you.

• 

  Mark Rojec says:

  Very helpful video! I wish I’d seen it years ago. What brush cleaning regimen do you find works best? I presume the linseed oil prevents any varnish that may remain near the ferrule from hardening. is this correct?

• 

  William Foster says:

  If you are working on a piece like this that will require many coats of varnish(6? 8?), how often and when would you replace the masking tape?
  Thanks! Great videos.

• 

  Pamela Parker says:

  What a lovely video. As the primary varnish slave for a Concordia 39, I have done a lot of learning. If you can get convince Mo to do another of those tricky tall vertical surfaces I would be forever grateful.

• 

  Kaci Cronkhite says:

  <3 the ending, Moe. <3 it all, actually. Really appreciate your clear explanations while showing how its done. So zen. Beautiful camera work, too, OCH! Just the refresher I needed this morning before heading down to PAX.

• 

  Don Silsbe says:

  Moe— If I understand this correctly, you do several coats of High-build, and finish off with a few coats of Epiphanes High Gloss?

• 

  WayOffCentered1 says:

  Thank you for sharing you expertise in the art of varnishing! I do hope you will add a follow-up video of how to correct an amateur’s mistakes such as blobs, runs, and sags. I’m currently trying to apply an acceptable finish to the gunwales of my newly built Whisp skiff. Today, I spent my efforts to shave all of those excesses using a razor window scrapper. I hope I will be able to blend the blemishes with 320 grit and apply a 4th coat of undiluted coat of Interlux Schooner varnish. I’m not trying for perfection, but perhaps something close to it; I would dearly love to display my build at the 2020 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show, but I need advice of an expert as to how to approach perfection….

• 

  Michael Seibert says:

  After a frustrating round of varnishing my tiller today when I think it was too hot for varnish from the can, I am going to order Epifanes Easy Flow and hope it is as magical for me as it is for Mo. My rub rails will be getting taped and varnished Mo’s way very soon.

• 

  Deanna Clarkson says:

  This video helps me as an outside varnisher to consider weather. Without sun and wind her varnish stays wet so much longer than mine does. Hope to make the most of those overcast days with no wind in the future. She also doesn’t have the “nice” texture of pollen in her last coat that I do. At least I know if will sand off! Would love to have indoor conditions one day.

  • 

    James Dreyer says:

    You can absolutely get it right outdoors if you pick a low humidity morning. Starting just after sun up, wiping the dew off, watching for the surface to warm up & air temperature to climb above dew point. The first really good roll and tip job I helped with was the Fife cutter Solway Maid. We did the job in a busy gravel yard in Malta, but chose Easter Sunday morning as the 95% Catholic population were certainly not driving around. Superyacht crew also lay literally thousands of gallons of varnish beautifully on outdoor bright work each year over the seasonal shoulders when they get a chance to have some time to do maintenance. I would recommend learning to use a viscosity cup and if really studious, keeping a logbook of jobs, especially if you are varnishing over years with the same product in variable conditions. To be able to accurately meter my thinners perfectly every time regardless of temperature with just with a stopwatch doubled my success rate. The logbook let me check how much paint I over mixed last time I did the toe rail, and let me look over historical conditions and lessons learned. Mind you, now I struggle to find time to get a coat on! It’s a beautiful craft.

• 

  Roscoe Barnett says:

  Thanks guys, and Mo, another great informative series.

• 

  Tim Leary says:

  Really enjoyed the relaxed delivery of quality tips. Hope the pigs are under control now!

• 

  Conbert Benneck says:

  These videos of “how to do it properly” are absolutely wonderful. I just wish that they had been available years ago when I was learning(?) to do it right by reading the fine print on the label of the varnish and paint cans. These videos are priceless! The varnish and paint can instructions are the kindergarten class. Mo is giving you the post-doctoral degree in varnishing, Just her discussion of the various tapes she uses, and why, is an eye-opener.
  Thanks guys for another superb video series. You certainly hit the bulls-eye with them.

  • 

    Michael Neely says:

    Brilliant video. What is your preparation regime between your first and second maintenance coat of varnish?

• 

  Lansing Hays says:

  This is fine to perform inside a shed with controlled conditions. That’s not my boatyard; I have bright sun, wind, dust from neighbors, morning dew, thunderstorm showers, and old eyes that have difficulty seeing angled light. Long ago I chose to get the varnish on as best I could and protect the wood, then enjoy sailing until the following spring. Seeking perfection, I guess, is not my goal.

  • 

    George Kruzynski says:

    I’m with you out here in the “real world” in British Columbia. Our Rozinante is afloat for months of the year with haul-out every 3 years. Cockpit, deckhouse and spars are clear with toe rail Cetol Marine then Clear. We sail with two Portuguese Water Dogs so beach sand, shells etc.end up on/in the boat. As a consequence, Evangeline has more of a workboat than showboat demeanor. I’ve come to the conclusion that instructions on cans of varnish and paint on conditions to avoid must have been written by someone in Southern California or like the videos, have the luxury of an indoor controlled temperature, dust free environment. Out there in our world, we do the best we can in between unexpected showers and much welcomed sun but summer temperatures often dropping to the high 50’s. This year I’m trying Seagold water based varnish which goes on thin but I can push 2 or 3 coats in a day, weather permitting. After about 5 coats, I finish with a couple of coats of McCloskey’s Spar varnish which unfortunately is not available here in the Great White North, so I have to rely on my American friends to bring up a quart whenever they come to visit. Did the gunwales on our peapod last year and it seems to be holding up very well thus far.

• 

  Carole Porter says:

  Great to watch an expert.
  How many coats of high-build varnish would you typically apply on a toe rail as in the video, and would you finish with Epifanes gloss? What about these new varnishes that don’t require sanding between coats? Are they worthwhile?

• 

  David Slater says:

  Mo, I wonder if you can offer any commentary on how you use the available light you have to your advantage? I admire your shop and its controlled environment and lots of light. I have to varnish outside, so I try to pick the best daytime conditions I can get. I angle myself down to get a good long view of the varnish and try to have the varnish between me and the best available light. Thanks.

• 

  Pedro Rego says:

  Wonderful work. We have seen just 1 coat. It’s finished or you do a second one? And if so, what’s the preparation we have to do? Thanks!

• 

  Patrick Daniels says:

  An opportunity for perfection. Thanks for that. Mo rocks!! I closed my eyes and imagined lying on my back in the cockpit chatting and listening to her coax the varnish on. So good.

  • 

    Scot Copeland says:

    Agreed, and what a tender conclusion. Another great editing job.