Winter Varnishing

[joliette]

The recent cold spell has challenged my ability to varnish the Settimo Velo (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=179427293999). Having tried all of the usual tricks - adding thinners and warming the varnish - I added a drop of Owatrol conditioner and it works a treat!

I've used Owatrol with paint before but hadn't thought of using it with varnish. Another coat went on beautifully this morning with the temperature in the shed around 8 centigrade, working just above the 5 degree limit recommended by Hempel for their Favourite Varnish.

 

[ccscott49]

Owatrol in varnish has been used for ages, uts great for holding a wet edge.

 

[dur]

Isn't it illegal to varnish without Owatrol?

 

[xtiffer]

Must admit I only use Owatrol in hot weather as a flow agent
to maintain my wet edge.
Brush Thinner in Epifanes normally does the trick.
Can't see why there is a problem in cool weather but maybe 5C is a bit cold. Not a problem I encounter here in Turkey.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[burgundyben]

Go steady varnishing in the cold, I had one coat bloom to a milky white colour when I applied it too cold.

I thought it was illegal to use any varnish other than Epifanes.

 

[ccscott49]

Go steady varnishing in the cold, I had one coat bloom to a milky white colour when I applied it too cold.

I thought it was illegal to use any varnish other than Epifanes.

Gone off epifanes, use sicomion and/or awlspar HS now for external work.
Although will use up my stock of epifanes for the interior.

 

[joliette]

Isn't it illegal to varnish without Owatrol?

I've tried quite a few varnishes now and haven't come across one that recommends adding Owatrol, they all say add nothing but thinners! If adding Owatrol is common practice (and I'm not suggesting it isn't) then it would be great if the varnish durability tests carried out by Classic Boat reflected this fact. I, for one, would be most interested to know if the addition of Owatrol has any impact on the durability of a varnish, if it improves or degrades it, or makes no difference at all.

As the discussion has turned to favourite varnishes I can reveal that my current favourite is Hempel Favourite! It has demonstrated excellent durability on a tender I built and I just love the fact that you do not have to rub down between coats, providing you overcoat within the prescribed time. Also, 4 full coats produce a good high build finish with a nice deep gloss!

My favourite varnish before Favourite was Woolworths Marine Varnish, which was cheap at only £3 per 750ml tin (when it was reduced from £6 full price), and had brilliant durability!

I have to say that Epifanes is one of my least favourite varnishes on the grounds of
a) extreme cost (reflected in the price of a tin and the time required to apply it)
b) the number of coats required to produce a high build finish
c) time taken to apply it i.e. using abrasive between each coat and therefore taking a load of it off!
d) it burns off pretty quick (in my experience) when exposed to UV .... well, at least as quick as a £3 tin of Woolworths varnish did

 

[dur]

I've tried quite a few varnishes now and haven't come across one that recommends adding Owatrol, they all say add nothing but thinners! If adding Owatrol is common practice (and I'm not suggesting it isn't) then it would be great if the varnish durability tests carried out by Classic Boat reflected this fact. I, for one, would be most interested to know if the addition of Owatrol has any impact on the durability of a varnish, if it improves or degrades it, or makes no difference at all.

It would be interesting to see if it affects durability but I am not convinced that the CB tests would tell you much. They seem to be skewed towards proving that varnish isn't as good as Sikkens which it isn't if you can live with how it looks.

 

[Seanick]

It would be interesting to see if it affects durability but I am not convinced that the CB tests would tell you much. They seem to be skewed towards proving that varnish isn't as good as Sikkens which it isn't if you can live with how it looks.

Now now, your not suggesting that those articles are at all biased are you??? ;-)

I have been adding owatrol since about '88. It does knock the gloss off a little earlier. We now try not to add it to the last coat.

The biggest risk when varnishing in the cold is your breath condensing on the work. As you varnish over it its possible to trap a layer of moisture, which does not help with adhesion, even though it may look fine. Either hold your breath or wear a mask!

Internation Original is our fave. It dries for the next day, even in this weather. In our side by side real life tests it has shown the same gloss retention and durability (resistance to foot traffic)as Epiphanes, but better UV resistance, ie, the timber was less bleached by the sun.

Sikkens? save it for your shed (one of those triple keeled ones) he he

 

[matthew73]

I've tried quite a few varnishes now and haven't come across one that recommends adding Owatrol, they all say add nothing but thinners! If adding Owatrol is common practice (and I'm not suggesting it isn't) then it would be great if the varnish durability tests carried out by Classic Boat reflected this fact. I, for one, would be most interested to know if the addition of Owatrol has any impact on the durability of a varnish, if it improves or degrades it, or makes no difference at all.

As the discussion has turned to favourite varnishes I can reveal that my current favourite is Hempel Favourite! It has demonstrated excellent durability on a tender I built and I just love the fact that you do not have to rub down between coats, providing you overcoat within the prescribed time. Also, 4 full coats produce a good high build finish with a nice deep gloss!

My favourite varnish before Favourite was Woolworths Marine Varnish, which was cheap at only £3 per 750ml tin (when it was reduced from £6 full price), and had brilliant durability!

I have to say that Epifanes is one of my least favourite varnishes on the grounds of
a) extreme cost (reflected in the price of a tin and the time required to apply it)
b) the number of coats required to produce a high build finish
c) time taken to apply it i.e. using abrasive between each coat and therefore taking a load of it off!
d) it burns off pretty quick (in my experience) when exposed to UV .... well, at least as quick as a £3 tin of Woolworths varnish did

you should chek out epifanes wood finish.ive never encountered any problems with this product.