I have been varnishing spars
had a great time in the garage getting high on the smell of Rustins and watching bad TV
I get on well with varnish as long as it is a flat surface
any sort of slope and inevitably I get some drips
spars are all slope
some people seem to be endowed with a gift for putting varnish on just right
We always start off well., varnish and I, I lay it gently on the spar = thin as you like
I watch for half an hour to see if anything is going to happen - clean, clear drip and fly free
I go into the house, looking back at them shining and perfect. I return two hours later to admire my workmanship
I am always dissapointed - more a hot wax effect than a supersmooth coat.
Then I console myself with the thought that I have at least protected the spar from wet and light and next year I will do better
Dylan
I stopped using varnish several years ago. I hate it when it separates from the underlaying wood if the surface is sratched or dented, whereupon you have to scrape or sand or chemically treat the whole bloody thing in order to start all over…
Nowadays I stick to a product called Owatrol. It’s a two part system, comprising of a penetrating mixture of oil (Marine D1) and a varnish type oil (Marine D2) that you can use if you like a varnished look more than an oiled look. It’s a pain in the ass to use, since you have to apply about 30 layers of the D1 wet-on-wet with about 20 minutes between layers. It takes forever…
The upside is that the oil completely penetrates the wood (well not completely, obviously, but a fair bit of it anyway, and any scratches and dents won’t let water in under the varnish type coating. I’ve got a friend who has been applying a thin coat of D2 on every indoor wooden surface of his boat for 20 years (just a quick wash and then on with it) and it still looks brand new. Myself, I use it for everything ;)
And no, I’m not affiliated with the company, I’m just impressed with the product, and maybe a bit autistic when it comes to treating wood…