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We are using Epifanes two part polyurethane varnish for the new coating. We are using polyurethane instead of epoxy because it is more flexible and harder wearing. It is also is easier for us to get hold of in Ireland. All of these have powerful fumes, so you need to have a good face mask which genuinely filters the fumes and wear coveralls and gloves. Safety is key!
After cleaning all of the dust off the mast we then had to hang it in the shed with enough space around it to make sure we can see enough to get the coverage. Once it was stable, the next step is to wipe the mast down with Epifanes thinners this gives the final finish for the varnish.
Patience is key particularly when hand varnishing. Epifanes is very good a self levelling but if you don’t get good coverage, the starvation points are obvious. The varnish is thin so getting runs is a danger.
The technique we use is to initially brush a 90 degrees to the longitudinal and then work it up and down the longitudinal with softening strokes. The objective is to get the layer as thin as possible, but get total coverage.
It’s easier to spray, but we aren’t geared up for that, so slow and gentle with a brush. Takes about 90 minutes to do the varnishing.
One of the challenges with doing the second coat, is the first one is so shiny, you can’t see where you have varnished…
You do genuinely loose depth perception, to avoid this, we used a 3M scuff pad to roughen up the surface. Not enough to affect the next layer but enough to allow us to see what we are doing.
With the weather we had to wait for a while before we could do the varnishing, temperature is important, the shed we are using isn’t insulated so we needed the air temperature to rise before we could finish this off. Sadly the temperature happened to coincide with a massive hangover! Two hours of preparation and varnishing in a full face mask and additional gear with a hangover is not recommended!
We are going to leave the mast for a couple of days to let the varnish fully cure. Next steps are a polish to try and remove the surface dust and get the final finish.
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3 Comments on “RS600 – Varnishing The Mast, Takes Time And Patience”
Looking great. Can’t wait to see the finished article on the water!
Hello,
Did you thin the varnish please? I have read it improves flow, but I am worried about runs
For brush varnishing, didn’t thin. Epifanes is quite thin already, it needs thinning for spraying but we haven’t tried that.