bristol coating instead of varnish

[jklewissf]

I saw an ad in CW for a product called Bristol finish. I went to their web site and was attracted by the claims of durability.

I had maintained the teak on my norsea 27 for 15 years using Goldspar epiglas varnish from New Zealand. It seemed to hold up better than many other varnishes but now I cant find a source.

So, I have two questions; 1. Does anyone have any experience with this bristol finish?
2. Does anyone know a source of Goldspar epiglas..

[agoodman]

I have used bristol on my C&C 35 in the great lakes. What is nice about it is you can apply many coats in short amount of time. We did the outside handrails,dorade boxes and hatchway a couple years ago and it has held up very nicely. THis year we roughed it up a bit and applied a another coat.

[SailorMitch]

Last year (spring 2001) I scraped off the many layers of Cetol on my exterior teak and applied the recommended 6 coats of Bristol Finish. After about 3 months, it started lifting up at the hard edges of the toe rail -- the 90 degree bend where the top and sides meet. I called the outfit for advice, and talked to the owner. He said it won''t stick to hard bends like that, and that I had to round off the edges if I expected the BF to stick. I wasn''t happy because the literature said nothing about that, and the stuff costs $50 a quart.

So this spring I rounded off the edges as he advised using a random orbital sander (just a tad - not too much) and gave it all another 6 coats of BF. It is holding up very well, although there are a couple of spots where I need to do some more sanding to round it off more.

All told, I am pleased with the final result but wish the literature covered this hard edge issue. BF is a hard, tough finish that looks terrific. My hatch boards look terrific and this was their second full season with the original 6 coats. And I think the toe rails will be fine with the edge rounded off some. When I touch up the couple of spots that need it, I''ll put another 3 coats or so on the toe rails just to be safe, and because I should have enough BF left to do that. May as well use it up on the assumption that it should last another 3-4 years here on the Chesapeake, and I''ll buy new down the road.

[Denr]

If you didn''t use so much sailkote on everything the Bristol Finish might stick to the teak!

[awatson]

Wanted to post my experience with Bristol finish. I applied several coats, and then carefully stored the remainder of the unmixed product as directed for a few months, and to my dismay, the catalyst had hardened and was ruined. Since I did exactly what I was supposed to, I contacted the manufacturer, as I had lost a significant quantity. They would NOT stand behind their product, and credit me for the additional catalyst, that I now have to purchase.
The jury is still out on how the finish itself performs, but it really needs to deliver, after this setback, in order to earn my recommendation.