L
LarryMac
I am newbie and I am looking for thoughts, suggestions and maybe some of you might even have some real life practical experience. I restore antique wooden race boats. These boats are essentially finely crafted pieces of mahogany furniture floating on water and constantly exposed to the adverse effects of the outside elements, especially UV light. The time-honored method of protection is the application of multiple coats of marine varnishes.—usually 8-10 or more.
Marine varnishes are especially problematic in that they are slow drying allowing only one application a day and the slow dry promotes serious contamination of the finish by dust and other particulate matter. he process is slow, labor intensive and usually has to be repeated every 4-6 years.
I believe there must be a better way to protect these mahogany treasures and automotive finishes seem to be a logical place to start. They are easier to apply, rapidly allowing multiple coats each day and they seem to provide increased level of protection. Whether those characteristics will transfer to wood, I do not know.
Some questions for starters:
a. Does anyone have any experience with using automotive clears on wooden boats or similar projects.
b. Do clears provide a level of protection which exceed the varnishes? I am especially concerned with UV blocking qualities.
c. Does anyone have experience in applying clears over varnish?
d. A problem expressed by the purists is that the clears are too clear. Varnishes are noted for the soft aged amber color it imparts to the surface of what it is applied. Are there tints that can be added to clears to mimic this aged quality?
I obviously have many more questions, but I will stop here to see if anyone in this forum’s audience has any experience or knowledge they can share on this subject.
Thank you.
Marine varnishes are especially problematic in that they are slow drying allowing only one application a day and the slow dry promotes serious contamination of the finish by dust and other particulate matter. he process is slow, labor intensive and usually has to be repeated every 4-6 years.
I believe there must be a better way to protect these mahogany treasures and automotive finishes seem to be a logical place to start. They are easier to apply, rapidly allowing multiple coats each day and they seem to provide increased level of protection. Whether those characteristics will transfer to wood, I do not know.
Some questions for starters:
a. Does anyone have any experience with using automotive clears on wooden boats or similar projects.
b. Do clears provide a level of protection which exceed the varnishes? I am especially concerned with UV blocking qualities.
c. Does anyone have experience in applying clears over varnish?
d. A problem expressed by the purists is that the clears are too clear. Varnishes are noted for the soft aged amber color it imparts to the surface of what it is applied. Are there tints that can be added to clears to mimic this aged quality?
I obviously have many more questions, but I will stop here to see if anyone in this forum’s audience has any experience or knowledge they can share on this subject.
Thank you.
