Dust free varnishing

[Jeff in Farmington, MI]

Hey folks,
I just added a fourth coat of varnish to my seats and yoke, and as soon as the weather warms up a bit more in Michigan, I intend to varnish the hull. I am almost done!!!

I am very satisfied with the finish on the seats and yoke, except that I could not keep particles of dust from settling on the wet varnish. I varnished the seats and yoke indoors, but the canoe hull will need to be done out in the garage. Unfortunately, it is simply not practicle to make my garage dust free.

I would like to hear any suggestions for producing a dust free finish in less-than-ideal surroundings. Do I need to construct a dust-free plastic tent of somekind, or should I just accept the dust and plan on fine sanding and buffing the final coat?

Thanks!

[Peter Kotowych]

Hi Jeff,

When I was getting ready to varnish my Bob's Special, I purchased several plastic drop sheets and stapled them to the ceilings and walls of my old garage. It did the trick in terms of containing the dust. I also sprayed water on the floor before each coat was applied. I was very satisfied with the overall results.

Good luck
Pete

[Knute]

Jeff,
Dust control is a problem for anyone who works wood.

A couple of tips.

1.) don't sweep, use a vacuum
2.) vacuum everything (including yourself)
3.) Air cleaner. Delta, Jet, Ryobi, Rigid....all make these things. You can build one from a discarded furnace fan/motor and an air filter. Run it while cleaning and for several hours afterwards.
4.) DO NOT use an air hose to "clean up"
5.) Realize you will get some dust in the finish.

I will typically spend 3 days prepping the shop for finishing. Day one,: turn on air cleaner, vacuum everything, wipe down project, leave air cleaner running. Day two: Repeat day one routine but change the air filter. Day three: repeat again. Finishing day: turn off air cleaner, close air vents, wipe down project, disturb nothing but finishing materials, . Reduce air movement as much as possible.

[davidb54321]

I also made a "clean room" in my cellar for varnishing by using plastic sheeting over and around my canoe. It makes a huge difference in keeping the dust down. I didn't get to anal about it all, as sooner or later it is going to be used as a canoe and the first scratch will more than make up for a little dust in the finish!

[Jeff in Farmington, MI]

Thanks for the input, guys.

I will set up a plastic "clean room" in my garage when I varnish the hull. I too understand that this will be a functional boat, and the scratches will soon be far more significant than any specks of dust in the finish. However, a huge part of canoe building (I think) is to push the boundaries our our own abilities. I want to do it the best I can, even if it won't stay perfect for very long.

On my seats and yoke, I was thinking about fine sanding and buffing to remove the dust. Any suggestions or warnings?

Jeff

[loneeagle15]

it's cheap andeasy to make a dust curtain out of pvc pipe and plastic also I read somewhere that if you use fluresant (sorry bout the spelling) lights the tubes create a static charge and hold dust when you turn them off they release the dust into the air