Hello Folks
Sorry about the delay with this blog as you may have seen, I have been busy paddling and doing paddling blogs.
If I can I always like to set up my canoes for varnishing in such a way that I can put a coat on the inside and outside at the same time. I made up some temporary supports and bolted them to the seat blocks so that once the inside has been coated the hull can be turned over.
The coating of the outside is always easier than the inside. In both cases it is important to keep a wet edge on the varnish as you work. I like to work clockwise starting at one end and working quickly around the hull before it gets too dry. Some like to use rollers for this but after some practice I have got used to using a brush so have stuck with it.
I also like to thin the varnish using just a cap full of pure turps in a pint of varnish. I dip the brush half an inch into the varnish and apply it over an area of about a foot at a time.
Once coated the hull is left to dry overnight and I also gave the seat frames a coat.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers
Alick