Especially with Epifanes this isn't a problem I've encountered. I did a test vacuum degassing a sample piece and found the results to look identical. It's not like epoxy or other very high build formulas. It's thin enough that the bubbles if they are present from regular handling work their way out naturally. I'm doing all my work in 65°F +.
Yes absolutely, sand to no finer than 220g and I'd recommend thinning the first coat around 5% to help with a bond between that and the existing varnish.
This will be fine for an exterior door. I don't believe that Epifanes make an oil based polyurethane, the two are quite different things but any of the Epifanes products can be used internally.
Not really, the varnish will flow out just as well on either, however, vertical surfaces will induce runs and curtains more easily. Features in the surface will tend to be the route cause of this; a hole, fitting or underside of a plank land on a clinker boat for example are features that can cause a build up of varnish that a run will emanate from. Pay particular attention to these areas upon application to avoid excessive build up, especially if the surface is vertical.
I would recommend two part varnishes for finishing over epoxy rather than traditional gloss, I made a video on this process which you can find here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_HY9LnSJxLE.html
I’m certain it’s not the brush now and not me shaking the varnish , I’m guessing the varnish is just too thick and the bubble and rising through the varnish , the finish is amazing just these annoying bubbles , I will try and thin by another 5 percent and see what happens . I’m using Marelac which I haven’t used before
Ok, a common question and there are a couple of things to consider here, most importantly of all... is it definitely bubbles that you are seeing? Dust within the varnish and on the surface can very often create "craters" in the surface that look deceptively like a bubble, particularly in dried varnish and especially once you start sanding back and taking the top off that crater. People very often mistake a dust contamination problem for bubbles. It's actually Epifanes most commonly asked question. In reality it is actually very difficult to get varnish to dry with bubbles in it, excessive film thickness application or serious overworking are really the only ways that you can actually achieve this. This is one of the things we look at in the varnishing course, I test 5 varnishes and actively try to induce as many bubbles in the surface as I can. I then leave the varnish alone (a key factor in its flow out) and film it over the proceeding hour to watch the bubbles release and varnish flow out. All 5 varnishes that I tested released their bubbles within 10 minutes of being left alone. If your conditions are reasonable (within the recommended scope) and application follows good practice all bubbles should release from the varnish! Your tipping pass should serve to remove these quicker, breaking the surface tension of the varnish and popping them, however, don't get caught up with working the varnish for too long. Leave it alone and allow the flow out magic to happen is my number 1 tip! It's only a short clip but you can see a snippet of the bubble footage for that test in this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YzwUfkL-afo.html at 1:42. There are a number of ways you can get to the bottom of what's going on based on when you see these defects appear and we cover much of that in the troubleshooting and dust control lessons of my course.
back in 1983 , an old painter confided to me that his claim to fame was using a badger hair brush for all his perfect varnish work … what say you , Captain Dan ???
I have heard much the same, many people favour them. At 1:53 the brush I am using is a Badger hair one, not cheap either at circa £30! It is lovely to use but even after 10 or so uses, it continues to constantly loose short bristle sections, around 10mm long, almost like a split end. For that reason I don't really like it. My preference is the synthetic bristled Purdy Elite brushes, I have been using them for years and I can count the times they have lost a bristle on one hand. They would always be my go to for paint and varnish but I guess it's down to personal preference.
Look at the Awlgrip system to get a feel. I've used fine Griptex in between coats of varnish with good results. You can also go the old school way and use a fine sand. Keeping it in suspension is the hardest part.
Yes turps would be ok for most traditional varnishes I would think. I find the correct thinner for the product always works the best at shifting all the product so that's what I tend to use. This is the method I use for cleaning a brush: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NFvDd0HwNjc.html and doing it that way means you use very little thinner.
Hello Dan, Would you recommend this varnish or any other monocoat varnish from Epifanes for an oak table/Desk top? I am wondering if this is good or is it better to use a non-marine varnish with less coats (mainly for durability/low maintenance). Great tutorial btw. Sam
This could certainly be used for a table top. Given the heavy traffic of a table though I would think it would probably mark quite easily in time. My personal preference for that instance would be one of the harder polyurethane products or even something a bit more subtle like one of the satin varnishes, rubbed effect for example.
The key there is to sand lightly in the early stages until you have enough volume of varnish on the surface. Stick to abrading with scotch bright pads or a light sand until you are up around the 6 coat stage. That should greatly reduce the chances of you sanding through the stain.
For paint work? Yes pretty much the same, especially if working with a Yacht enamel which behaves in much the same way as a traditional varnish. That would be my recommendation although I use the polyurethane topcoats a lot these days with good results as well. Similar tutorials to this will be coming out soon for the Epifanes paint range as well.
So I was doing the varnish on a mast and I think I put too much Japan dryer in it and as I was making my way down the mast in sections I over lapped some of the varnish and it looks so rough and it’s obvious that the two sections did not marry correctly. How do I fix bad overlapped varnish?
With regards to fixing it it's really going to be a case of sanding that last coat flat and doing another one. To avoid this in the next coat, try working in smaller sections to give each area maximum flow out time with minimum working. Also the additive may be a little overkill and therefore causing you issues. I wouldn't generally introduce additives unless I am in extremes of weather conditions i.e. below 10 degrees C or above the high 20's.
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding thank you so much for responding to me. I’ll do shorter sections next time and I did try varnishing without the Japan dryer and it worked a lot better the only thing that I did wrong this time was that I did too long of sections
Нет, если он полностью высох, нет. Можно использовать машину, но основная причина, по которой я на этом этапе шлифоваю вручную, заключается в том, чтобы избежать образования поперечных царапин или следов на текстуре древесины, которые может оставить шлифовальная машина. Начиная со слоя 6 и далее, как только зерно будет заполнено, я буду выполнять большую часть шлифовки машиной.
Перевод, просто супер, или вы владеете русским?) Спасибо огромное за ваши видео, ваши катера это просто классика!!!! Я понимаю все эти технологии ))) К сожалению миром правит алюминий 😊 создавайте больше прекрасных лодок!!!! P.S. какой мотор стоит на Вашем корабле?
I'm sure I can help you get to the bottom of that issue. A couple of questions initially... 1. What coat are you on when seeing this? 2. Are you thinning the varnish at all and 3. What are you using to apply it?
Ok, you definitely shouldn't be seeing outgassing by coat 12, the wood should be well sealed by now. It's possibly bubbles being induced by the foam roller/brush but even these should release within a few minutes in all but extreme conditions, providing the varnish is not overworked. I suspect what you might actually be seeing here is a dust issue which is very commonly mistaken for bubbles. If you can get in touch with me via email (email@danleeboatbuilding.co.uk) and ideally send me some pictures of what you are seeing then I should be able to help you identify the issue you are having and help you to correct the issue.
