Re: varnishing

Posted by Jim E on Sep 10, 2006

Bob, I was faced with this problem just today, and I never pour unused varnish back. The skin is caused (I think) because the half empty can has enough air in it to dry a thin surface layer. It's worth taking some trouble to avoid getting any of this skin into the pot you brush from. If it's only been a day, it should not need stirring, so you can just make a hole in the skin and pour, which should keep it intact. Works for me, anyway. I think paint stores sell strainers to deal with this very problem. Towards the end of the can, the varnish will start thickening, so you will also need a dash of thinner to get it back to the right viscosity, or you could just start a new one. Perhaps others have better approaches to this.

In Response to: varnishing by Bob Lippold on Sep 10, 2006

Replies:

• Re: varnishing by Jim Stillman on Sep 10, 2006
  • Re: varnishing by Alan Speakman on Sep 11, 2006
    • there's no reason to stir by Charlie Jones on Sep 11, 2006
      • Re: there's no reason to by Bob Lippold on Sep 11, 2006