Old dog, new tricks

[Alan S. Glos]

I have been varnishing boat gear (rudders, tillers, daggerboards etc.) for the better part of 60 years, and the drill had always been the same: sand, shape, repair dings, and hand varnish with either a bristle or foam brush, then fine sand/steelwool and re-coat x 3 or 4. This year I had an inventory of 12 items to varnish. I happened to watch a YouTube video on using the "roll and tip" method of varnishing a large hatch cover and it looked like a promising method. So today I tried it. I used Interlux Traditional marine varnish applied with a 4.5" wide roller and a 3" wide "tip" foam brush. Application was fast, even with no runs or curtains. The cost was a littler higher owing to a little wasted varnish and the cost of disposable rollers and brushes, but the savings in time and the quality of the job more than made up for it. I knew how well this technique worked well for paint but it seems to work equally well for varnish.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY

 

[leob1]

How did it work on the round parts, tiller and hiking stick? I can see how it would be good for the flat parts, rudder and daggerboard.

 

[Alan S. Glos]

The small roller works fine on the rounded parts but the tip brush can get into smaller areas without a problem. The main advantage was speed and getting a more even coat without runs or sags.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY