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How long for varnish to fully cure?
I'm using Petit Captain's Gloss varnish on a cedar strip Puddle Duck canoe. I've done four coats, 2-3 days between coats, with light sanding between coats. I just finished the 4th coat. My question is: how long should I wait for the varnish to cure before the initial launch? I don't want to rush it, but winter's coming and I'm itching to try it before putting it away for the season.
1 reply:
RE: How long for varnish to fully cure?
» Submitted by hspira - Mon, 10/12/20 » 7:32 PM
a lot depends on temperature and if you have been good at applying thin layers on low humidity days....the hotter and thinner the layers and the lower humidity...the shorter the wait.
fwiw, for me, i usually wait a week after my last coat of varnish before splashing...but i have done shorter.
the reason for me is it does make a difference between the varnish being apparently dry/cured vs really hard. when i go too fast, i find the varnish is easily dented even if it appeared cured to the touch. i have noticed in the past if i was too quick, i can see the indentation on the surface of the varnish of the straps i use to secure the boat to the rack.
a good little trick is to push your fingernail into the varnish. if you can't dent the finish, you are definitely ready to go. if you can, you should wait a bit.
h