Heat gun to remove Cetol

[Steve Laume]

When read Ms Wittman's book and her recommendations for foam brushes I was quite surprised. As a professional doing bright work all the time I believe she has a different perspective than I do. If I am going to varnish something, I want the process to be as pleasant as possible. Yes foam brushes will do a respectable job of applying finish without the worry of cleaning a fine brush. The fact is that I really enjoy holding a nice brush and flowing the finish on with nicely tapered bristles. The brush feels great in my hand and it is a joy to look at while it does it's job. Contrast that with a rough dowel handle with an industrial looking foam pad on the end and there is no there is no comparison. For me part of it is about the zen like application of the finish. I have heard people refer to painting as "slap it on" and some jobs look like, just that. Not that I am a master with a brush but at least I find some joy in it if I have to be doing it anyway. Both tools will do the job, I just find a real brush more fun to work with.

One note of caution with O J's sheet rock knife edging. Make sure to wipe the blade clean every time before you set it down again. If you do cut up against it and then just set it back down you can make a bigger mess with the knife than you would have without it.

After all this talk of varnishing, I just got back from Raven this morning and her silver teak is looking pretty fine right now.

Stay warm, Steve.

[Jim Evans]

I've enjoyed this thread on foam vs bristle brushes. As much as I enjoy the feel & control of bristle brushes when applying varnish, as a practical matter I'm using foam on the boat because the clean up of a bristle brush is a hassle when I'm down at the marina. Around the shop at home, bristle brushes are great as I keep several cans of used thinner at home just for cleaning. But when I'm at the boat, either I have to lug my cans of used thinner for cleanup (just more stuff to bring), or wrap up and bring home my nice brushes wet with varnish, hoping they don't dry out before I get them cleaned.

From the anti-foam crowd, I'm interested to hear how you clean your brushes at the marina. I've tried the freezer trick, and I agree it's ok for a day or two.

And thanks to Maine Sail for his tip on using foam brushes (spin the brush to remove the excess finish rather than wipe on the edge of the container); great idea.

[sharkbait]

I keep a closed container of low sulfur diesel fuel on the shelf outside. When I finish work I pour some of the diesel in a old coffee can and manually clean the brush. When I feel the brush is clean I rid it of all excess diesel by shacking it rapidly. I wrap the end of the brush in aluminum foil to maintain its shape. Some of my brushed are over 40 years old now and still work well. Usually I have to throw them away when the bristles get to short.

After cleaning the brush pour the cleaning solution back into the container and put it back on the shelf. All of the solids will settle to the bottom and you can use the solution again and again. Eventually you will have to throw away the container when the solid get to deep in the bottom.

[Ron M.]

Using foam or bristle brushes away from 'home'........simply remove excess finish, wrap in saran wrap or foil , put in plastic zip-lock and deal with it when you get back.
My experience with brushes (or rollers) in the freezer is they will remain pliable and useable for 3 or 4 days, sometimes longer.
Fuel oil is a good medium for cleaning bristle brushes, I use it often as a first step in the process, then thinner and finish with brush cleaner.
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VOLCANO DIGITAL

[KDreese]

I have used the Wittman recommended Jen foam brushes with great results for the last several years. I purchsed them in bulk from the vendor below.

I bought the 48 piece assortment, great for all the different boat areas and it has been enough brushes for years, for $14.75 and it includes the shop display stand... They were very prompt with shipment and I had no problems.


http://www.wholesalecentral.com/mercan0 ... atid=15936

[Ron M.]

My experience is ........be sure you are going to use foam brushes when you buy them in bulk ...........after a couple of years they will denigrate.
I used to get them by the gross, and found this all to apparently.
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Ferrari 250 Gt Drogo History

[Troy Scott]

Ron,

A bit of double entendre there?

[Len]

Sometimes we overlook the obvious. I too have been annoyed with the lack of symmetry between the port/starboard nook between toe rail and bowsprit and the difficulty of varnishing /sanding that area. It never dawned in me to cut / insert a piece of teak to fill in the area and solve that chore every year.
Thanks SurryMark.
Len

[Troy Scott]

I've been wondering what to do about that "impossible" area between the toerails and the bowsprit. Now I know: fill it up with a piece of teak. Thanks!

Now does anybody have a suggestion for getting to the back side of the teak frames under the cockpit locker hatches? It's quite a challenge to get this area varnished well. I once had the "bright" idea of just removing the teak frame for varnishing. Of course it broke apart. Now I have to build a new one. I won't be trying that on the other two.

[Dave Jeffery]

Over on the For Sale side of the board, I've offered my boat two ways: Either I do the spruce-up work such as refinishing the teak or the buyer does. On teak, there are so many ways to be right and so many ways to be wrong. And so many ways to be both. [/b]

[Troy Scott]

Dave,

Are you getting another boat?

[Dave Jeffery]

Troy:

I'm not planning to get another boat. But then my favorite boat name is "Never Again 2."

[Troy Scott]

Dave,

I've been in and of out of boats several times myself. These days definitely in.