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Varnish drips on the "other side"...
Hi all,
Yesterday, I managed to get the first coat of varnish on the hull of my Wood Duck 12 and it looks great. Yes, a few (okay, maybe a few more) dust specks but it's only the first coat and I've got a few more tries at resolving that problem.
The question is that when I flipped over the kayak today I noticed a few places where drips had rounded the corner onto the deck a little. Quesitons...
1. Do I need to sand them out before varnishing the deck? I know that the deck coating would probably feather into them fine but thought I'd ask. Also, I know that each coat of varnish gets sanded with 400 wet, which would smooth any drips out between coats, right?
2. If I sand them off a little, do I need to worry about the surface being "perfect", or good enough that the next coat of varnish will fill in the inaccuracies? I think that's okay, but any and all opinions are appreciated!
I guess that my "coats" of varnish need to be a little "thinner/ lighter" so that it doesn't want to wander around the edge onto the deck or the hull?
Thanks!
Rob
5 replies:
RE: Varnish drips on the "other side"...
Thanks Beaker for the reply. I'll sand them off as you suggest before putting the first coat on the other side. Do they need to be perfectly "gone" before I put on the coat or can I get them most of the way and the feather out the surface with the first sanding of the varnish? I'm just a little concerned with how much more sanding I do to the deck surface before putting on varnish - the resin is pretty thin in places and I don't want to go through to the cloth!
Tanks again,
Rob
RE: Varnish drips on the "other side"...
Don't feel bad. What happened to you is almost unavoidable. Use a scraper, slowly and carefully, to remove most of the congealed drip -- which probably will be fairly soft, compared with the varnish on the hull. Then, let the residue of the drips dry and harden completely before sanding. Use a relatively fine grit on a hand sanding block to avoid heat buildup. I've had to do this many times, if it makes you feel better. :-)
Jim
RE: Varnish drips on the "other side"...
Thanks Jim!
Fortunately, the location that I was varnishing was quite cool overnight and the varnish didn't have a chance to fully cure so the razor scraper, used carefully, worked great. Then, after letting it fully cure, and a little sanding, I was able to get it cleaned up well enough. I figured that others might have also run (pun not intended:) ) into this problem as well and your suggestions and support are greatly appreciated!
I was able to get the first coat on the deck last night, and after coating I went around with a paper towel and carefully removed any drips that had tried to "walk" around the edge! Thanks again, and she's looking great.
Now to give much more thought to how to control dust...
Rob
RE: Varnish drips on the "other side"...
When you're varnishing, be sure you never go near the edge with the brush "loaded." Always work some off and hit the edge when it is a little leaner on varnish. Another trick is to tip the edge with a dry brush behind yourself.
Also, if it is cold, the varnish will go on thick and have too much time to drip or sag. Crank up the heat a bit and keep the varnish can in a warm spot in the house so it isn't cold when you start. I usually thin mine a bit too.
Pattern makes a difference also. I'm not sure what others do, but I do crosways strokes first and then without reloading the brush, immediately do lengthwise strokes. This seems to yield pretty even coverage.
2 cents!
RE: Varnish drips on the "other side"...
» Submitted by Beaker - Tue, 11/5/13 » 1:59 AM
Take the drips off. You can sand, or maybe use a cabinet scraper. 400g will give the drips a nice polish, I'd go a bit more heavy duty, then come back finer.