Using Owatrol

[johnwest]

I have heard that Owatrol will assist varnish and paint to flow.
How much Owatrol should be added to how much varnish / paint ??

Thanks

j

 

[Quandary]

I use less than 5%: in fact just a wee drop perhaps adding a touch more if after brushing it looks as if it needs it, the brush will tell you.
What it says on the tin- topcoats, 5-20%, undercoats- up to 30%, primers up to 50%; however I have only ever added it to topcoats or painted on bare surfaces prior to painting. It does seem to make a difference to the quality of finish but they warn that it should only be used with oil or alkyd based paints.
I have never used it with varnishes as they have less solids and usually flow well without it and the stuff is not that cheap.

 

[johnwest]

Thanks for the information

j

 

[VicS]

Thanks for the information

j

See the website for all the gen. In fact there is quite a wide range of products with the Owatrol brand name

http://www.owatrol.com/index.php?langue=en&page=produits

I am not quite sure which one is the original. Owatrol Oil presumably.

 

[tillergirl]

I've never used it with varnish but then I have never had difficulty with getting cvarnish to flow or maintaining a wet edge. Just used Owatrol for the Undercoat and Gloss on TG. It is surprising how much you can add. I normally go for around 5% (casually measured) like Quandry but on Friday doing the gloss in bright sunlight and the best warmth this year, I probably added 10%. And it worked. Flowed well, no sags or drips and wet edge maintained. Have used it now for 27 years!

 

[Dipper]

I've have used the original on the GRP hull of two boats to protect the gel coat and bring up a shine. It was one of the uses recommended on the original tin but it isn't mentioned now. It seems to work well especially on older hulls where the sheen has gone from the gel coat. I brush on a small area and wipe it off with a cloth before it dries so it must only be a few microns thick. I used Owertrol Oil this year. It has a very slight yellow tinge but now that the boat is in the water it looks white and shiny.

I've also used it in a similar way on an old aluminium mast that had a very rough and dusty surface.

If my hull was newer, I would wax and polish it like everyone else but it's 34 years old and I feel that the Owertrol has a greater protective benefit. It's also very easy to apply.

 

[LadyInBed]

Some years back I was using Marine Owatrol to help soften up some old varnish before re-varnishing. I got interrupted and didn't get to put the new varnish on, when I returned to the job a week later, the finish now looked so good that I didn't need to apply any more varnish.
I was well impressed with the product.

 

[VicS]

I've have used the original on the GRP hull of two boats to protect the gel coat and bring up a shine. It was one of the uses recommended on the original tin but it isn't mentioned now. It seems to work well especially on older hulls where the sheen has gone from the gel coat. I brush on a small area and wipe it off with a cloth before it dries so it must only be a few microns thick. I used Owertrol Oil this year. It has a very slight yellow tinge but now that the boat is in the water it looks white and shiny.

I've also used it in a similar way on an old aluminium mast that had a very rough and dusty surface.

If my hull was newer, I would wax and polish it like everyone else but it's 34 years old and I feel that the Owertrol has a greater protective benefit. It's also very easy to apply.

Polytrol is the product now sold for "rejuvenating" faded GRP hulls http://www.owatrol.com/index.php?langue=en&page=produits-polytrol

 

[Dipper]

Polytrol is the product now sold for "rejuvenating" faded GPR hulls http://www.owatrol.com/index.php?langue=en&page=produits-polytrol

Thanks Vic. I've a feeling you've pointed this out to me before! The oil seems to work but I might try the Polytrol next time. It says not to use on white but if it is like the oil, it's only a very pale yellow tinge which is not noticeable once afloat.

 

[LadyInBed]

Polytrol is the product now sold for "rejuvenating" faded GPR hulls

Harpic does it for me

 

[johnalison]

We also use Owatrol to freshen up the painted line around our HR cockpit.recent models have gelcoat. For varnish I use a standard dash.

 

[johnwest]

I am re-varnishing all my teak work outside the boat, Half a rainforest worth ! I added the Owatrol to the top coat ( the first of many ) and it worked a treat even SWMBO was impressed, so thanks for the hints team.

j

 

[ianat182]

A word of warning already mentioned in previous posts is not to store any rags which are impregnated with Owatrol, they can self combust.

Like others I too have used it to freshen my hull, colour and for a while it seems to repel water and the algae stuff too. I also used to paint my Wayfarer hull where it worked exactly as described with no brushmarks.


ianat182