Le Tonkinois turning into jelly

[Poignard]

I have a tin of Le Tonkinois varnish which I opened about a year ago. There is still quite a lot left but it is is turning into a sort of jelly. This stuff isn't cheap, so is there anything I can do to make it usable again?

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

It may be recoverable with the appropriate thinners and warming up the tin of jelly in hot water.

 

[srp]

You may find it struggles to dry properly, if you manage to thin it down as SG suggets - you could try a splash of terebine dryers. I'm not hopeful though - all the varnish I buy goes off before I finish the tin in just this way. The prevention is to decant the remainder into a smaller container to exclude the air, which I'm sure you know already.

 

[Poignard]

[ QUOTE ]
.. the appropriate thinners ...

[/ QUOTE ]

As I understood it, Le Tonkinois doesn't have any thinners, or solvents, in it. It is supposed to be a blend of various oils. Presumably one of these oils is evaporating off and causing the remaining brew to thicken. The thing is, which one??

 

[LittleShip]

Le Tonks always does this once opened.......... you need to remove the air from the tin replacing it with something inert.

One method that may work is to put a circle of cling film on the top of the varnish when you have finished using it, this will prevent the air getting to it.

The easy answer is to use the whole tin and put more coats on, you know it makes sense. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I used Le Tonks last year and found it a great product but loosing half a tin was disappointing. I have moved over to Weathershield varnish and have to say it's as good (IMHO) as Le Tonks, and it doesn't go off in the tin. (well not yet anyway)

Tom

 

[benjenbav]

With apologies for thread hijack, I have been thinking about what to do with my cockpit and I am not really sure what the finish on the teak is at the moment.

It looks like this, which appears to be a hard finish rather than oil, which is why I think it is varnish.

I had thought a light sanding and then an application of Le Tonkinois or else sand back to bare teak - there is plenty of thickness - and leave untreated. The latter seems more likely to end in tears than the former, but I should welcome any insights from people who know more about wood than me - most people, that is.

 

[LittleShip]

It all depends on what you like................

For me the decks should be natural (ie grey) anything that you put on them will need further work when (not if) they are damaged by foot traffic. The seats however will look good stripped back and varnished.

Any coating on the deck can be removed with a tungsten scraper and very light sanding, it will then go grey in about a month.

Tom

 

[benjenbav]

Thanks. I would prefer the teak to look natural (at least on the deck). I was worried that this would involve sanding back quite heavily and then ending up with something which I'd have to cover up again. I think I will try a very light sanding and then see what it looks like.

 

[pmyatt]

I have found that if you turn the tin up-side down that the varnish does not skin-over, even when down to about a quarter full. A painter and decorator who came recently to decorate the house said that leaving the tin up-side down was not necessary - just inverting it for a few minutes and then turning it back the right way was sufficient to ensure that all the air was saturated with vapour and would thus prevent drying-out - so far his advice has been most successful. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[smudge837]

Thanks for that one, sounds like a very good tip.
cheers.

 

[Gordonmc]

I have been using Le Tonk for some time now and find if you have a decent amount left in the tin and it starts to skin, let it. Just take off the skin - carefully- and use what's left.
At the end of my last refit I left about a cupful of Le Tonk in a plastic container with no lid in the paint-locker (bilge). Two weeks later I was on the mooring and needed a drop of varnish for some interior work and the old stuff was fine under the skin.
I have never had Le Tonk going to jelly throughout unless its been stirred just as it starts to skin.

 

[Evadne]

When I bought my first tin of le Tonkinois I was told that you should always pour what you want to use into a jar or tray, never dip the brush into the tin or it will introduce air into the body of the varnish which will cause it to solidify (more quickly).

 

[2nd_apprentice]

The trick is don't leave it in the tin as the oil reacts with oxygen. Buy some linseed oil and leave it open for a week. Same result. Well, perhaps not turning into jelly but it goes bitter and starts drying. Instead get a PET bottle, fill le tonk in it and squeeze out all the air. Use smaller bottles next time and so on.

 

[Billjratt]

But does it EVER really harden? I used it very diligently over many weeks, to put a great finish on the saloon table but it was very vulnerable to denting, and a small accident with antifoul was devastating...