According the their web site (excerpts below), Le Tonkinois
is the best thing ever, much better than any other varnish.

A question to those who have used it:
Is it just great, or just snake oil?

I am looking for the best treatment for teak trim on a plastic boat.

Thanks!


Le Tonkinois frequently asked questions.

What is it and how is it better than my normal brand?
Le Tonkinois is an environmentally friendly natural oil based varnish that actually does what the other brands claim to do.

Is it any good for boats?
Far better than most, on boats in fresh water sea or sludge, Le Tonkinois is an old traditional marine varnish, used long before they invented the stuff that falls off.

What about Ultra Violet?
Le Tonkinois is highly resistant to Ultra Violet. Its natural materials protect both the varnish and the wood below. We have no reported problems in our 10 years experience with Le Tonkinois. However a sample exposed untouched for 10 years has shown an increasing yellowing. Where we added an extra coat every 3 years no deterioration is visible.

What about using it on Teak?
Ideal for teak, mahogany, oak etc. Modern varnishes do not adhere to woods which contain a lot of natural oils and flake off very quickly. Le Tonkinois bonds well to these woods including Teak, Iroko, Pitch pine and similar if the surface is "degreased" first to allow the necessary penetration of the first coat. It also copes brilliantly with Oak, which is notorious for its own special problems.

What about impact damage?
It has a tough durable coat which withstands abrasion and impacts. It doesn't peel or crack. Areas subject to severe abrasive pressure are easily repaired without affecting surrounding areas.

How long does it last?
Le Tonkinois provides long lasting protection. It does not need regular stripping and re-varnishing, simply add another coat every few years to extend the life.

Does it allow wood to breathe?
Wood expands and contracts through temperature and atmospheric changes, a process timber experts refer to as breathing. The flexibility of Le Tonkinois allows for this where others fail.

Chris wrote:
According the their web site (excerpts below), Le Tonkinois
is the best thing ever, much better than any other varnish.

A question to those who have used it:
Is it just great, or just snake oil?

I am looking for the best treatment for teak trim on a plastic boat.

Thanks!


Le Tonkinois frequently asked questions.

What is it and how is it better than my normal brand?
Le Tonkinois is an environmentally friendly natural oil based
varnish that actually does what the other brands claim to do.

Is it any good for boats?
Far better than most, on boats in fresh water sea or sludge, Le
Tonkinois is an old traditional marine varnish, used long before
they invented the stuff that falls off.

What about Ultra Violet?
Le Tonkinois is highly resistant to Ultra Violet. Its natural
materials protect both the varnish and the wood below. We have no
reported problems in our 10 years experience with Le Tonkinois.
However a sample exposed untouched for 10 years has shown an
increasing yellowing. Where we added an extra coat every 3 years no
deterioration is visible.

What about using it on Teak?
Ideal for teak, mahogany, oak etc. Modern varnishes do not adhere
to woods which contain a lot of natural oils and flake off very
quickly. Le Tonkinois bonds well to these woods including Teak,
Iroko, Pitch pine and similar if the surface is "degreased" first to
allow the necessary penetration of the first coat. It also copes
brilliantly with Oak, which is notorious for its own special
problems.

What about impact damage?
It has a tough durable coat which withstands abrasion and impacts.
It doesn't peel or crack. Areas subject to severe abrasive pressure
are easily repaired without affecting surrounding areas.

How long does it last?
Le Tonkinois provides long lasting protection. It does not need
regular stripping and re-varnishing, simply add another coat every
few years to extend the life.

Does it allow wood to breathe?
Wood expands and contracts through temperature and atmospheric
changes, a process timber experts refer to as breathing. The
flexibility of Le Tonkinois allows for this where others fail.

There are quite a few of these on the market. I use Sikken's Cetol Marine.

Chris writes:

I am looking for the best treatment for teak trim on a plastic boat.

Go to paint store for a can of boiled linseed oil. Rub in 2 coats.

Or go to the boat store and pay 10X the price for the same thing diluted
with mineral spirits.

Richard J Kinch wrote:
Chris writes:


I am looking for the best treatment for teak trim on a plastic boat.


Go to paint store for a can of boiled linseed oil. Rub in 2 coats.

Or go to the boat store and pay 10X the price for the same thing diluted
with mineral spirits.


Somebody once recommended I use boiled linseed oil on my beautiful new
Cape Cod style house shingles.
Within a couple of years they were filthy black.
I had to uise a solid stain to cover over.

Chris wrote:
According the their web site (excerpts below), Le Tonkinois
is the best thing ever, much better than any other varnish.

It also says it is made with linseed and tung oils...just like other
varnishes. yawn

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

dadiOH wrote:

People seem to ascribe nearly mystical properties to various finishes.
Truth is, it is all about chemistry. Here are a couple of links to some
interesting info about modern varnishes.
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00063.asp
http://www.woodfinishingsupplies.com/varnish.htm

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

I can speak for Desk Oldie. I used it on decking that was out in the
sun/rain for 5 years and the wood stayed new looking. After 5 years, I
dutifully buffed up the wood and recoated, but it really didn't need it.

Brian


"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...
According the their web site (excerpts below), Le Tonkinois
is the best thing ever, much better than any other varnish.

A question to those who have used it:
Is it just great, or just snake oil?

I am looking for the best treatment for teak trim on a plastic boat.

Thanks!


Le Tonkinois frequently asked questions.

What is it and how is it better than my normal brand?
Le Tonkinois is an environmentally friendly natural oil based varnish
that actually does what the other brands claim to do.

Is it any good for boats?
Far better than most, on boats in fresh water sea or sludge, Le Tonkinois
is an old traditional marine varnish, used long before they invented the
stuff that falls off.

What about Ultra Violet?
Le Tonkinois is highly resistant to Ultra Violet. Its natural materials
protect both the varnish and the wood below. We have no reported problems
in our 10 years experience with Le Tonkinois. However a sample exposed
untouched for 10 years has shown an increasing yellowing. Where we added
an extra coat every 3 years no deterioration is visible.

What about using it on Teak?
Ideal for teak, mahogany, oak etc. Modern varnishes do not adhere to
woods which contain a lot of natural oils and flake off very quickly. Le
Tonkinois bonds well to these woods including Teak, Iroko, Pitch pine and
similar if the surface is "degreased" first to allow the necessary
penetration of the first coat. It also copes brilliantly with Oak, which
is notorious for its own special problems.

What about impact damage?
It has a tough durable coat which withstands abrasion and impacts. It
doesn't peel or crack. Areas subject to severe abrasive pressure are
easily repaired without affecting surrounding areas.

How long does it last?
Le Tonkinois provides long lasting protection. It does not need regular
stripping and re-varnishing, simply add another coat every few years to
extend the life.

Does it allow wood to breathe?
Wood expands and contracts through temperature and atmospheric changes, a
process timber experts refer to as breathing. The flexibility of Le
Tonkinois allows for this where others fail.

So is it silly to use marine varnish? It sounds like a good exterior
varnish from the hardware store would do just as well and half the
price.

I've used the super durable, very fast drying, polyurethane varnish
left over from re-doing our hardwood floors for a number of non-boat
projects. It's great. I put six coats on a mahogany base for a model
in one day and it looks like I spend weeks on it. The marine varnish
I've been using takes 24 hours before I can sand it easily and put
another coat on and doesn't look any better.

If I was sure about the UV aspect, I'd use that floor varnish on my
(already varnished) exterior teak. It sure would be nice to have it
dry in an hour and be working on another coat instead of worrying
about whether the guy next to me was going to be sanding his white
paint.

Just how important is the UV, Interior/Exterior business anyway? The
marine varnish I put on some of my exterior trim pretty much
disappeared over the season anyway.

--

Roger Long

Don White writes:

Within a couple of years they were filthy black.

Not from the oil.

I know lineseed oil, I use it for interior wood. It will not build
up a layer on the surface of the wood like varnish does, but
soak into the wood surface.
It won't chip or peel, but is this enough for teak in sun and
weather?