Yachting and Boating World forums: Varnish refinishing

To add to the above and with lots more trials and tests completed

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Re Don Casey and cleaning old varnished teak.. to just CLEAN, and not prepare for another coat..
Use the same mixture of bleach, detergent (Washing up liquid) and water.. apply this time with a cloth, an old tea towel is great.. rub well in, leave for 30 mins, then clean with fresh water.. I tried this on some old panels that were not bad enough to re-varnish.. it really is excellent, all the polish, crap, oil, dirt etc etc just goes leaving the natural shine. try it !.

Using oxalic acid - bought in crystal form.. 1 kg here for 10 euros.. mix two table spoons in a coffee jar of similar full of warm water until the crystals dissolve.. use for removing water blackening on wood where the varnish has been removed.. also use on grey teak to bring out the natural colour.. leave until a powder forms on the wood (Apply it btw with a scotch bright pad or similar.. stainless steel wool is good too ) .. then rinse with a borax solution.. sand with 120s outside - 240's inside.. then re-varnish.. luvverly..

Marks behind pictures etc - this is sun lightening of the exposed timber - not a lot you can do.. even stripping and sanding and oxalic will do nothing..
Put a picture back or leave it for a few years to lighten in the sunshine.

As for finish, my personal preference is satin panels with gloss trims / edgings.. with care a mirror finish can be achieved by using a quality brush for the final coat or two.. it is worth paying 10 to 20 quid for a quality brush.. use ONLY for varnish, dont leave in thinners - wash after use with thinners - then when dry, soak in engine oil for a few mins.. tie a couple of pencils to the handle with laggy bands so the bristles dont squash on the bottom of the container.. wrap in cling film and stow either flat or hand up..
Wash in thinners before use.
Before the final coat, sand with 400 wet n dry to achieve a totally smooth surface. Have two tins, one for varnish from the main tin (Never dip the brush in the main tine - decant some to a clean container for use and reseal the original) the second tin is the wiping the brush after use and loading with varnish.
The finish I have managed to achieve is super, really nice.
A tip - learnt by doing it !!!.. if it says on the tin 24 hours between coats - wait 24 hours.. just cos it feels dry - DONT try to recoat - it needs time to flash off and dry.. if you do not wait, it will look fine, but the varnish will NOT dry properly and will be soft.. even a week later a small dint will damage the varnish.. let it dry as per the instructions.
AND keep the dust down !.

DOnt sand old varnished panels to remove varnish - strip them then sand by hand with 120's or 240's.. dont use a power tool as it may leave too smooth a surface - the varnish needs to be able to adhere.. you can thin the first coat on bare wood with 50% thinners for the varnish in use.
To see what the wood will look like prior to varnishing - wipe it with thinners or turps.. now is the time to look for marks in the wood or sanding marks.. if they are there - remove them otherwise you will have them for ever lol..

Hope that helps somebody out there.. it works for me. Patience is the key, and of course PREPARATION.

Its not the varnish, the brush, the sand paper etc.. although they all play a part .. it is a methodical and patient approach that gives the results.

Joe

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PM me for info re SSB's etc. Bought, sold, repaired, fitted and optimised.

Edited by Captainslarty (03/05/2008 14:53)