3 coats of varnish have been applied to the many parts of the boat with light sanding in between. I'm using Interlux Original Spar varnish. It levels nicely and dries within a 12 hour cycle. Over my bare sanded Epoxy coated transom the varnish has worked very well. On the mast/boom/gaff it looks awesome. If anything i'm more proud of the mast work than the boat. I've never attempted to build a mast before and it looks like anything I'd see in a book. Whether it's strong enough time will tell.
Regarding the type of brush I use for my varnishing... some craftsman and "boat builders" may choke at this, but I'm using cheap brushes bought on sale by the 5 pack. so I pay about $1 per brush. 1" and 2" for gunwales and other parts, and 2 1/2" - 3" for transom, mast, boom and gaff. The reason is simple. An expensive $10 brush in which i'd need 2 sizes would need a thorough cleaning after each use. Then there's the possibility that it could be stiffened up by the time I use it again. My time is valuable to me, so I buy bulk and dispose of the brush at the end of the job. Every evening I put on an additional coat i'm using a fresh brush. and I can't complain about the results. The odd hair come from the brush but I pull it out when I see it hanging, no big deal.
Time: 6 hr (2 hr per coat)
Perry -- I'm with you on the "cheap" brushes. I've had great luck with foam brushes for varnish. My boatbuilder grandfather even taught me to tear up an old foam pillow and use pieces of that. It worked!
ReplyDeleteI think what's even more important than the brush is preparation -- lots of sanding and care with removing dust.
In the end I think varnished mast is going to be pretty even if you used a squirrel to apply the varnish.