Recommendations for varnish for a stripper?
Mark S. Jennings
I'm getting close to completing a cedar strip canoe covered with West
System epoxy (105 resin and 207 clear coat hardener) and 6oz fiberglass
cloth. Does anyone have recommendations on what varnish to use for gloss
and UV protection? All the guidance I've got so far is to use at least
3--coats of a "high-quality spar varnish with UV inhibitors" and NOT to use
any type of polyurethane varnish.
Any suggestions or experiences?
Thanks,
- Mark (mark...@msn.com)
Douglas B. Wilde
Mark,
I have had very good luck with Captain's Spar Varnish. It tends to add
less color to the wood than other varnishes. It goes on well. I use
inexpensive foam brushes to build up layers and a more expensive foam
brush (the kind with itty-bitty cells) for the final coat. Really
clean-up your varnishing place well, let _that_ dust settle for a day or
two before putting on that last coat.
When done stand back and collect the oohs and aahhs from your friends.
Doug Wilde
d...@engr.uark.edu
Bob
Cal. like the Z-spar Captain's brand varnish widely available in most
retail marine stores.
Use the best brushes you can force yourself to buy. Clean them beyond
all reason after each use and they will last a long time.
Resist the urge to hurry or apply too thickly. Any time you "save" will
be repaid ten-fold in sanding.
Follow all the directions. They have been making this stuff for a long
time and like repeat (happy) customers.
I loath varnishing. Good luck. Enjoy.
Bob
Martin Step
"Mark S. Jennings" <mark...@halcyon.com> wrote:
>I'm getting close to completing a cedar strip canoe covered with West
>System epoxy (105 resin and 207 clear coat hardener) and 6oz fiberglass
>cloth. Does anyone have recommendations on what varnish to use for gloss
>and UV protection? All the guidance I've got so far is to use at least
>3--coats of a "high-quality spar varnish with UV inhibitors" and NOT to use
>any type of polyurethane varnish.
>
>Any suggestions or experiences?
>
Martin Step
Green Valley Boat Works
httP://www.greenval.com
Don McCall
On 20 Mar 1997, Mark S. Jennings wrote:
> I'm getting close to completing a cedar strip canoe covered with West
> System epoxy (105 resin and 207 clear coat hardener) and 6oz fiberglass
> cloth. Does anyone have recommendations on what varnish to use for gloss
> and UV protection? All the guidance I've got so far is to use at least
> 3--coats of a "high-quality spar varnish with UV inhibitors" and NOT to use
> any type of polyurethane varnish.
>
> Any suggestions or experiences?
Whatever you choose, be sure to test it first; not all varnishes are
compatible with all epoxies. A recommendation from West might be
worth a lot...
KernHend
Martin Step <ms...@greenval.com> wrote:
>>I've had good luck with Epiphanes (ep-i-fan-ess), a top quality marine
varnish, available at most boat buildering suppliers.<<
_________________________________________________________
Be careful here. Some varnishes do not dry well on some epoxy
formulations. Z-Spar Captains & Flagship along with Interlux Clipper
Clear do well on System Three epoxy, for example, while Epithanes do not.
The best advice is to do a small test patch on the epoxy and make sure it
through dries, doesn't wrinkle and adheres well.
W. Kern Hendricks
System Three Resins, Inc.
Technical Support: 206/782-0818
FAX: 206/782-4426
Orders Only: 800/333-5514
P.O. Box 70436
Seattle, WA 98107
e-mail: sup...@systemthree.com
web: http://www.systemthree.com
Paul Oman
In article <01bc34db$63b1a540$0f28...@markjenn.halcyon.com>,
mark...@halcyon.com says...
> I'm getting close to completing a cedar strip canoe covered with West
> System epoxy (105 resin and 207 clear coat hardener) and 6oz fiberglass
> cloth. Does anyone have recommendations on what varnish to use for gloss
> and UV protection? All the guidance I've got so far is to use at least
> 3--coats of a "high-quality spar varnish with UV inhibitors" and NOT to use
> any type of polyurethane varnish.
>
> Any suggestions or experiences?
>
>
> - Mark (mark...@msn.com)
>
----
Mark:
Why not polyurathane vanish? what did the experts say about it?
I have found it bonds better and lasts longer over epoxy...
regards
paul oman
GWright802
Mark S. Jennings posted:
"I'm getting close to completing a cedar strip canoe covered with West
System epoxy (105 resin and 207 clear coat hardener) and 6oz fiberglass
cloth. Does anyone have recommendations on what varnish to use for gloss
and UV protection? All the guidance I've got so far is to use at least
3--coats of a "high-quality spar varnish with UV inhibitors" and NOT to
use any type of polyurethane varnish."
Mark,
Based on its reputation, I'm sure the Z-Spar/Captians is good stuff.
However, it's not a hardware store item here in Missouri.
I get good results on my epoxy/glassed strippers using Helmsman Spar
Urethane (indoor/outdoor) Varnish from Minwax, which is easy to find in
home improvement/hardware stores. It sells for about $10/qt.
I sand the epoxy down to 220 grit, being sure all lumps and pits are
previously faired with coarser grits, tack fastidiously, then brush on the
varnish with throw away foam brushes (which I sometimes clean and reuse
several times). Sand with 220 between coats except use 320 before the
final coat: I also strain the varnish on the final coat unless I've just
opened a new can.
Lately I've been experimenting with rubbing out the fully cured varnish by
wet sanding with 320-400-600-1000 grit wet-or-dry paper, then rubbing with
polishing compound and finally applying paste wax. This leaves a
semi-gloss to glossy finish which is free of brush marks or dust nibs;
very nice. You can get the finer grit wet sandpapers and polishing
compound at automotive stores. You might want to put on an extra coat
before rubbing down to allow for the loss due to sanding.
I use Clear Coat and Crystal resins from System Three, so I can't vouch
for compatibility with the WEST brand epoxy, but when I was using WEST
resin I had good success with Defthane interior/exterior polyurethane.
If there is a general prejudice against polyurethane varnishes among
boatbuilders, it probably because the polyurethanes are harder and less
flexible than traditional marine varnishes. The harder varnishes can cause
problems when used over thick pieces of solid, raw wood which shrink and
swell with moisture changes. On a hard, dimensionally stable surface like
a cedar strip canoe, however, I believe the extra hardness is an
advantage.
Good luck,
Gary Wright, Whippoorwill Wood Canoes
Gary Wright, Whippoorwill Wood Canoes
gwrig...@aol.com
JEHutch
My experience with polyurethanes has been that they continue to get harder
over time (years) and eventually will flake off when the wood expands or
contract even minor amounts. The traditional spar varnishes never fully
harden so they remain able to expand and contract (actually stretch) with
the wood and can keep their bite longer. I have used a topcoat of
polyurethane over undercoats of spar varnish, but it can be tricky to sand
it prior to recoating. I now use multiple coats of Epiphanes varnish with
pretty good results and just count on 2 topcoats every year to replace the
layer burned off by UV.
Jerry Hutchison
Jeroen Hoekstra
Mark S. Jennings wrote:
>
> I'm getting close to completing a cedar strip canoe covered with West
> System epoxy (105 resin and 207 clear coat hardener) and 6oz fiberglass
> cloth. Does anyone have recommendations on what varnish to use for gloss
> and UV protection? All the guidance I've got so far is to use at least
> 3--coats of a "high-quality spar varnish with UV inhibitors" and NOT to use
> any type of polyurethane varnish.
>
Hi Mark,
We used two-pot PU varnish two years ago on the same West Epoxy on our
Roamer dinghy. Till now the varnish is as new. No scratches or any other
detoriation. This despite heavy use of the dinghy.
Regards,
Jeroen Hoekstra
Ralph Carlsen
I have used Z Spar "captains varnish" over System 3 epoxy with very good
performance and looks. I sand the epoxy with about 240 paper before
painting.
Ralph Carlsen
Jeroen Hoekstra <jeroen....@roche.com> wrote in article
<335B9B...@roche.com>...