bilgeworthy wrote:
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.

I'm sure you've seen by now that any question about varnish on this
group will bring out enough responses from the "varnish is evil" crowd
to make you want to hang up your brush. ;-)

Of course if you've read Rebecca Wittman, you know to pour from the can
through a filter into a container and then thin and brush from that.
Keep everything clean. Tack rag and wipe with mineral spirits. Yadda,
yadda. If you've done all that you may still be experiencing any one of
several problems.

First, as has been mentioned, be sure to start with one or two very thin
coats to seal the wood.

Second, make sure your varnish is properly thinned. This depends a lot
on temperature and humidity. Knowing what's best comes with practice. I
usually try to get a consistency between whole milk and half & half. See
how it drools off your stir stick. Err on the side of too thin.

Lastly (and I think this may be where your problem is), there's a
technique to brushing. Don't overload or underload your brush. Brush
with the grain of the wood and try to brush away from your "wet edge".
Start brushing for coverage and then go back several times, each time
with less pressure, finishing with strokes so light that you're barely
touching the surface. Once an area is done, don't touch it again until
it's dry. You can get good results with foam brushes, but I think
bristle brushes produce fewer bubbles.

After saying all that, you should know that it will never be perfect and
there's no such thing as a final coat. If all else fails, you can always
invoke the "4 foot rule". Think of varnish as a "zen" exercise and don't
let anyone ruin it for you.

Cindy

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