Varnish Begins

Yeah....after weeks of sanding, then applying epoxy and repeating this procedure over and over, I am so glad to move on and put the epoxy (and dust) behind me.  I cleaned everything up and began the process of varnishing the boat.  I know from my experience with my kayak that I will also be happy when the varnishing is done because the finish line is near.  Last night I mixed up the varnish with brush thinner and thinned it to 50/50.  I used brush thinner because I read that it helps to keep the varnish wet longer giving you time to spread it out.  I really had to work fast so I did not have any dry spots along the way.   I am expecting to put on between 4-6 coats of varnish.  Each time I will mix the varnish with less and less thinner.  The varnish will need to be sanded between each coat and should take 2-4 days to dry between coats.

I was very happy with this product.  I used Captains Varnish when I did my Kayak and that product gave me all kinds of problems with the biggest one being....orange peel.  I see no signs of that issue..yet. That's a good thing.

I sanded or filled with clear epoxy almost every day for 1-6 hours and this went on for weeks.  I am glad I did not keep track of my time.  I think all the hard work and time really paid off.  The boat finish is not as good as a professional would do but I am very happy with my work.

Here is a photo of the Kayak that I built several years ago.