Scratches on varnish

[McPhail the Engineer]

Can anyone suggest what I might apply to nicely varnished wash boards to stop them getting scratched?

 

[Poignard]

Somewhere safe to keep them when not in use, to prevent them getting knocked about ; eg a canvas bag with 2 pockets, or a make a holder to slide them into.

 

[Daydream believer]

2 neoprene, or better still plastic,strips, so that when you put them on a flat surface the varnish does not touch. The neoprene is better if you put them together. The thicker plastic is better if you intend to lay them down. A bag is a good move

 

[johnalison]

I have a feeling the answer is going to be in the negative, though some varnishes are harder than others. The only option I can see is to use a different non-varnish product that can be touched up, at the loss of some gloss finish. I think that prevention is a better option. We have stowage slots in the cockpit locker for our washboards. Only the interiors are varnished, but they keep well enough.

 

[Dellquay13]

We have stowage slots in the cockpit locker for our washboards.

Why is the blindingly obvious answer never obvious to me?

 

[Daydream believer]

My single piece wash board sits over the sliding hatch. When the hatch is slid in to the hatch garage the washboard goes with it.

 

[KevinV]

Mine live in a pouch made (very rudely, by me) of an old blanket

 

[[70521]]

Can anyone suggest what I might apply to nicely varnished wash boards to stop them getting scratched?

Mr MacPhail, I would be placing them in Para Handy's bunk.

Seriously, they are wash boards covered with varnish. They will scratch, they will blister in the scorching heat of a Scottish summer, they will warp and swell with the rain of a Scottish summer. Varnished wash boards are a labour of love.

 

[PCUK]

If it's two pack varnish it can be sanded and polished the same as two paint paints. If not, some single pack can be treated the same using fine paper and light compound by hand.

 

[johnalison]

Mr MacPhail, I would be placing them in Para Handy's bunk.

Seriously, they are wash boards covered with varnish. They will scratch, they will blister in the scorching heat of a Scottish summer, they will warp and swell with the rain of a Scottish summer. Varnished wash boards are a labour of love.

We ordered our washboards unvarnished, but they are varnished inside with a satin finish that I have renewed once. At least they have never had to stand the rigours of a Scottish summer.

 

[Concerto]

There are generally 2 types of varnish but McPhail does not say what varnish has been used.

Single pack traditional varnishs, like Le Tonkinoise, are a soft varnish and can mark quite easily. The first couple of coats soak into the wood and this stops water ingress into the wood. They do require a couple of coats every few years to keep them looking good, but can easily be touched up if any damage occurs.

Polyurethane varnish is a hard varnish and resists scatches and lasts well. It sticks to the surface of the wood, so if it gets damaged water can get between the wood and the varnish and make the wood go black. It is also difficult to touch in without complete revarnishing.

Varnished washboards look lovely, but they are a maintenance item. Protecting them from damage as suggest above is the only way to keep them looking good.

 

[William_H]

My experience of plywood wash boards is that they just invited the scrotes to kick in the wash board. I resorted to heavy aluminium wash boards that have survived a long time. Not painted I don't have to look at them. Storage yes a problem. ol'will