Varnish

[firemandave]

I just put a new coat of varnish on the deck of my Chris Craft. It all looks like orange peel now. Not smooth. Does anyone know what might have caused this?

[S.V. Airlie]

first thought.. ya didn't wipe down the deck.
Second thought.. you mixed the varnish so hard it created air bubbles. Mixing vanrish is not the same as mixing paint.
third thought.. the varnish was too thick when applied.
fourth thought.. too hot....
Fifth thought.. moisture.

Just thoughts.

[Figment]

I'm no expert, but my first thought would be surface contamination.

[davidagage]

When you say orange peel, is it just a rough finish or does it look like aligator skin? I would go with Airlies #1 and #3 if I had to venture a guess.

[Lew Barrett]

If it's truly orange peeled, I would take that to mean you didn't get the flow you'd hoped for. Possibly not thinned enough for conditions or for one reason or another, the surface skinned over too quickly for a good flow to occur.

[S.V. Airlie]

Hard to tell. It could be a number of things to cause this.

Brushes.. forgot about brushes as an example.:eek:

[Noah]

When I did this it was because I put it on too thick. Hot coating before dry.

[katiedobe]

Did you thin out the first coat? Or did you just put the first coat on straight from the can?

[S.V. Airlie]

Well, it appears that most agreed with one or more of my suggestions...I think I listed all I could think of.
Too hard to say.. need more details...from the sponsor of this thread.

[firemandave]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I did wipe down the deck before I applied the varnish. The boat had been in the shop for three weeks so moisture couldn't be a problem. The shop was kept at 68 deg. so I don't think it was to hot. This was the third new coat of varnish over 7 older coats with a 320 grit sanding between coats. My only thought might be that I put it on to thick. I thought the final coat was suppose to go on thick. Just finished sanding, wiping, and recoating thinned at 25% so we will see what happens.

Dave

[katiedobe]

How did it go?

[firemandave]

Latest coat looks much better. Time to sand and try another coat. Any thoughts about how much thinner I should use on the final coat?

Dave

[Vic T]

I am having the same problem on my Friendship Sloop. In an earlier thread I said that I had mixed Interlux 96 Schooner Varnish with 50% mineral spirits (it should have been 10% Interlux Special Thinner #216). Now after the two more coats of varnish (full strength) there are intermittent places with orange peel texture (10-15% of deck) and the rest is smooth.

I have been vacuuming, wiping, and tack clothing meticulously prior to each coat and watching the RH carefully. Temperature ranges from 40 degrees at night to 83 degrees at noon over the last week.

A line of orange peel runs almost continuously along the seam where the deck meets the toe rail support piece. This consistency may be from too much build-up there (I have a heavy hand with a brush sometimes), or it may be the dreaed first coat mixture coming to get me.

Is Neptune telling me (like so many others have wisely pointed out to me already) to paint the decks? It is sounding lot mo' better now, you know.

Vic T

[S.V. Airlie]

Vic.. you may have mentioned this somewhere.. Boat.. outside or in...?
Here on the Eastern Shore we have had some really foggy mornings. High moisture. If there is any on that deck.. the varnish is gonna do that.

As with any boat, sometimes there are things you would like to do to maintain some visual or even mechanical integity. Sometimes it turns out to be more expensive than it is worth.
Run into this.. I threw darts, added up expensies etc. and said to myself. Sorry but to hell with it.
Priorities.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

First thing... don't use anything but the recommended thinner.

Sounds like it was too hot, or too dry. I use Epifanes, and I always have to thin it just a little even under 'ideal conditions.

[donald branscom]

I just put a new coat of varnish on the deck of my Chris Craft. It all looks like orange peel now. Not smooth. Does anyone know what might have caused this?

I think varnish belongs on dining room tables not on the exterior of boats.
Varnish is fine INSIDE of the boat. I would strip everything off and use a product made my Siekens company (CETOL) which is 64% red iron oxide. Varnish , even the most expensive is only 25% effective at blocking UV.
I put CETOL on my dorade boxes and did not have to touch them for 2 years. You can recoat without sanding as long as there is no bare wood. Otherwise you will see the difference between the two surfaces.

[pcford]

I think varnish belongs on dining room tables not on the exterior of boats.
Varnish is fine INSIDE of the boat. I would strip everything off and use a product made my Siekens company (CETOL)


That orange stuff?

[Vic T]

SV Airlie,

Boat is outside but mornings have been clear and dry with low RH and no dew.

I am seeing the light re: your comment about priorities and some work being more than it is worth. I rthink that I need to spend my non-work time learn sailing instead of varnishing.

This seemed like a big problem yesterday until I heard about an acquantance who died of cancer and another friend with heart and toxicity issues. I am very happy to have such a minor problem as a Friendship Sloop whose deck needs to be stripped and painted.

Vic T

[S.V. Airlie]

Vic..please clarify. Isn't the deck in good shape? If so, why not leave it bare wood and not paint it at all?
Now I know, sometimes one has to paint. Airlie's decks are no longer wood. They have to be painted.

[Vic T]

The deck is douglas fir strips with 3M-5200 caulking and was always kept varnished. When I bought it the deck had been stripped and sanded down to the raw wood (with a few spots of clinging varnish). Then I applied 3 coats of varnish to the deck, the first coat had the wrong thinner. The problems started to show up (with the orange-peel effect) after the third coat dried.

I don't want to have oiled fir decks that turn a charcoal color so I am thinking that stripping it back down and painting might be the best bet at this point.

Vic T