Varnish puddle

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mjabbott
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2015 7:26 pm

Varnish puddle

Post by mjabbott »

I just put on the first coat of varnish on the inside of the canoe and I have two varnish puddles, one in the bow and stern, probably about 12" long, 1" wide, so i'm guessing they are 1/16" or so deep.

Right now the varnish is dry to the touch on the sides, but the puddles are soft and tacky - not completely dry on the surface, but starting to dry.

I'm guessing I just need to let it dry, then scrap / sand ... I've read elsewhere this could take up to two weeks.

Does anyone have any other ideas (other than the fact I should have been more careful!)?

I was thinking about wetting a cloth with mineral spirits and trying to wipe it down, but I'm worried that will just make things worse.

Any thoughts are welcome. Thank you,

Mike
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Patricks Dad
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Re: Varnish puddle

Post by Patricks Dad »

I would try to scrape/wipe it up now. It will make a bit of a mess but if you are careful you will be able to create a smooth surface (which will dry much faster than waiting). Once dry, you should be able to sand out the area to eliminate any remaining marks and then recoat while feathering out the varnish into the surrounding area.

Alternatively, if they are really 1/16" thick you might be able to simply let them dry (it will take awhile). If they begin to wrinkle, you should clean up as noted above.
Randy Pfeifer
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Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
mjabbott
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2015 7:26 pm

Re: Varnish puddle

Post by mjabbott »

Thanks Randy ...

That was a huge help. I just removed puddle tonight. I'm glad I caught it fast and acted quickly.

The varnish had been on for about 24 hours. First, I scrapped it off using the same scrapper I used to level the cedar strips on the inside of the canoe.

Then I took a rag with mineral spirits and used it to clean up the area. Here is what it looked like before:
20150624_200741_resized_2.jpg
And after:
20150624_202246_resized_2.jpg
I think what may have contributed to the issue was my thinning of the varnish by 15% or so. I'm guessing since I was going over very cured epoxy I shouldn't have thinned it at all.

I'll feather the edges tomorrow, but I think I'm ok now. Thank you again for the quick response - have a feeling it saved me a lot of pain.

Mike
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