Pre-varnish prep question

Okay, so I've read that you need to sand away all shiny spots prior to varnishing or else the varnish will...? What? Not look as good? Is it that bad?

 I'm working right now on the fillets and skids on the bottom of my boat. Do I really need to sand them perfectly prior to varnishing? Isn't it enough to make sure they are roughed so that the varnish adheres? It's an awful lot of work to eliminate all shiny spots AND not sand through to the wood, and as the recipient of multiple lumbar herniations I am looking for short-cuts!


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RE: Pre-varnish prep question

The "shiny spots" represent dips in the surface that your sandpaper hasn't reached yet. A uniformly dull "waxed paper" appearance indicates that the surface is sanded level. That's what "skim" coats of epoxy do. It may seem like a waste of time to apply expensive epoxy only to sand it off, but these coats level the surface. You COULD just rough up the shiny spots, the varnish will adhere, but the varnish won't hide anything-on the contrary, it seems to actually highlight imperfections.

RE: Pre-varnish prep question

The "shiny spots" represent dips in the surface that your sandpaper hasn't reached yet. A uniformly dull "waxed paper" appearance indicates that the surface is sanded level. That's what "skim" coats of epoxy do. It may seem like a waste of time to apply expensive epoxy only to sand it off, but these coats level the surface. You COULD just rough up the shiny spots, the varnish will adhere, but the varnish won't hide anything-on the contrary, it seems to actually highlight imperfections.

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