varnish

[head clansman]

hi guys

I'm just about to clean up all my old tools and rub down all the handles and knobs.

Now bear in mind i haven't done any varnish work for about 12 yrs or more since i came off my tools and was promoted until 2004 when i had to retire from health reasons .

Any way off i went to b/q bought a tin of Ron-seal varnish high gloss (you know does what it say on the tin stuff) , when i opened it what is this white milky mess that's in the tin, anyway tried it , if that's what they call varnish nowadays what a load of old tosh.

From memory back in the joiners shop in the dockyard we use some cheap old varnish that the government supplied even that was a darn site better than this stuff , but if we were working on something special say something for the admirals or the royal yacht we use something i think it was called PU 15 OR PU 19 Any body familiar with it and know where it can be bought nowadays

 

[newt]

If it is water based then the apperance is normal and it will dry clear.

 

[head clansman]

hi newt

it is water based and it has dried clear , but for a supposedly high gloss finish its pretty poor hence why i was asking about the varnish we used in the dockyards.

 

[Gordon T]

Hi Martin,
last year I made the mistake of using the water based varnish on my banister and spindles.......by did I waste my time! what a load of rubbish. I went back to using yacht varnish from b & q. Bog standard yatch varnish does ther job for me,,,on inside jobs only, but a far superior finish to that milky rubbish. That's my tuppence worth anyway.
GT

 

[Oryxdesign]

I know it sounds funny but try Rustins Plastic Floor coating, it's 2 part, touch dry in 1/2 hour and leaves a really good durable finish. Try it you won't be disappointed.

 

[Bodrighy]

I dodn't know the name of it as it as we used to have 50 gal. drums of the stuff but as an apprentice in the Merchant Navy we used a thick varnish that we had to warm up to thin out and then applied at least three thin coats. It lasted about 6 months which on a ship at sea out east was pretty good going.

Pete

 

[Losos]

when i opened it what is this white milky mess that's in the tin, anyway tried it , if that's what they call varnish nowadays what a load of old tosh.
....................................but if we were working on something special ..................... we use something i think it was called PU 15 OR PU 19 Any body familiar with it and know where it can be bought nowadays

First, yes I agree that sounds like the water based varnish, I have tried it and like you I was severly underwhelmed, so much so that I've vowed to never use water based finishes of any sort from now on.

Second, Can't help with the civvy version of PU15 or PU19 but I must say that 2 part stuff from Rustins looks interesting. I might try that one day.

Third, at the end of the day, I still like the oil finishes, I am experimenting with ways to get a high sheen with oil 'tho I agree that it will never equal a good quality varnish.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Martin,

Furniglas used to make PU15 - fabulous stuff, I used to use it back in the 1970s. Evode (who make Evo Stik) bought up Furniglas and eventually stopped making PU15. The nearest I have been able to find to PU15 is varnish made by Liberon - nice, runny stuff just like PU15 used to be. Try it, I'm sure you will like it if you like the old-fashioned way of doing things - and it's very durable.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[head clansman]

hi Paul

ah ha that's the stuff well done Paul (furniglas) yes it was very runny , we could only get it in tins about 1/2 pints in size , but boy could you get a very very high gloss finish with it thanks Paul at least that points me in the right direction.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I, too, have been disappointed with WB finishes. But the last article in FWW a few issues back claimed that the newer ones are EVEN BETTER than trad lacquers. Now I've not tried any myself, so I can't say, but I also know that Terry Smart (Chestnut) has WB lacquer that he says is good. I'll get him to take a look at this thread, he may be able to comment.

I guess there are WBs and WBs.

Cheers
Steve

 

[RobertMP]

I used a 'Ronseal Ultra tough Hard Glaze' gloss polyurethane to finish my -comp thread link- sideboard and was really impressed with the gloss level. It has proven itself to be pretty tough so far too.

 

[r896neo]

To throw my two pence in I think my dad gave me something similar recently, he called it polyureythane... then some number. I wanted to seal an exposed brick chimney brest and he sat me down and told me about the good old days etc. Anyway he was right about the varnish being better than today's it was like treacle and has a super gloss on bricks!! I only put on one coat to stop the dust and give them a shine but any ronseal product was like dishwater compared to this stuff. I hope whoever buys the house after me likes it causes its never coming off!

Oh and on a seperate note has anyone used any of this floor based diamond hard wax malarky from our good friedns at 'Does what it says on the tin'? Any good?

 

[Losos]

but I also know that Terry Smart (Chestnut) has WB lacquer that he says is good. I'll get him to take a look at this thread, he may be able to comment.

Well if I may be allowed to quote the well known Mandy Rice Davis "He would say that wouldn't he" :lol: :lol: :lol:

On a more serious note I hope you can persuade him to do a post here 'cos it would be interesting to read his views on these WB finishes.

 

[White House Workshop]

You can still get the good old fashioned oil-based varnish - for now. You just have to go to a chandler's and ask for spar varnish. I'm getting a couple of tins to store.

The WB varnishes do work pretty well, but not as good as oil based - you have to work five times as hard to get the same finish. I have to say that Chestnut's Acrylic Lacquer is actually pretty good. The only problem is that it's really hard to sand once it's completely dried and cured - I put on thin coats and sand lightly after about 4 hours. Doesn't always work perfectly but takes all the hard work out of getting a completely smooth finish.

Ronseal Diamond Hard floor varnish is good, but again it doesn't have the depth of shine you get from a good oil based polyurethane....

 

[Pekka Huhta]

Orginally the handles were treated with shellac and if you have still some of it on the handles, other varnishes won't stick that well.

When I restore old tools and service my old, I just apply some shellac on top of them. Still to the 70's all Stanley handles were treated with shellac, same applies to most of the chisels. You can get the old shellac "blendend in" with the new one.

60's and 70's cracking varnish is shellac, you can touch it up by either applying a liberal amount of alcohol and removing the cracked surface or then just applying more after removing the loose stuff.

Water based varnish is (and has always been) shait, polyurethanes are not much better but the real natural oil varnish gives an incredible finish. I have restored old wooden boats and don't like polyurethanes at all.

If you want good old oil varnish, look at the boat supply stores. It's hard to recommend brands as you probably don't have the same as we do here, but french "Le Tonkinois" is brilliant and italian "Rylard" is even better.

Pekka

 

[opener]

What about Mylands no 8 semi-gloss lacquer? I've used it quite a lot in the past. You can put 3 coats on in a day and get a nice satin finish.

http://www.mylands.co.uk/brush.html

Cheers
Malcolm