The bubbles that form during curing are usually caused from varnishing
during rising temperature. . As cold wood warms the air in the pores
expands. I try to lay the first couple of coats late in the afternoon while
the wood is warm. As it cools the air contracts and sucks a bit more
varnish into the pores.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"bilgeworthy" wrote in message
...
Hi, new varnisher here. When I brush it on carefully, I can see tiny
gas bubbles forming in the wake of the brushstroke. Most of them pop
but some do not and others seem to form during the drying process. The
more I try and brush it out the worse it gets. The unhappy result is a
beautiful piece of wood with assorted pimples strewn about the finish.
I have tried expensive brushes and foam brushes with the same result.
I have tried straight varnish, thinner, cheap and dear and 216
(xylene) as brushing agents. I follow the routine from the Brightwork
Companion as well as I can. Not shaking or redipping from the can.
I'm working indoors with everything at room temp. I have used brand
new Schooner Varnish, some old junk in a can and a custom artists
mixture of Danar (Damar?) and magic emollients etc. They all act the
same. It's less noticeable on 25 year old teak than on newly made
woodwork but it's the same result even after 8 coats. I sand out the
flaws between coats. I am definitely open to suggestion at this point.
Gosh, the old teak just takes your breath away. If I can just take
care of this complexion problem.
Thank you.