Should I do it?
This time, varnish questions....
Reader Bill Taylor doesn’t have a boat-model dilemma, rather he’s wondering what the SCA reader brain trust would suggest regarding varnish. He writes:
Hate to open the varnish selection can of worms, but today’s “Should I do it?” email arrived as I was pondering the question below.
I’m wondering whether SCA readers have experience over time with the Petit Sea Gold product. I bought a can from Duckworks a while back. Most of it is still on hand, flows out nicely, and seems to cure up hard. Petit no longer sells it. Total Boat has a product with a similar description—Halcyon—available. I’ve stripped my handrails bare, plan to seal with West 105/207, and then varnish. Coamings are slated for refinishing come spring. Couldn’t get them off the boat and into the shop. Makes sense to use remaining varnish on next scope of work.
Should I use what I have on hand and stick with a non-VOC product? Are water based products durable enough or should I go the solvent based route? Will be varnishing in the basement, so water-based seems preferable to fumes seeping up stairs. But, it’s a lot of work that I don’t want to be redoing anytime soon. Refresher coats are one thing, stripping failed varnish another.
What wisdom and experience is out there on this subject?
•SCA•
I am a fan of tung oil varnishes. unlike the urethane varnishes, it needs occasional touching up but is easily repaired and does not have to be fully stripped if there is a problem. Perhaps not super modern but it is satisfying.
My comment is that I do not like epoxy under varnish. It makes it much more difficult to refinish if you ever need to sand any part back to wood. Above the waterline just varnish on wood is plenty of protection, under the waterline there is no need for varnish.