Varnishing: a winter project

[brokesailor]

The caprail on my Crealock is in desperate need of some maintenance. Can varnishing be done successfully during the winter outdoors or is this a spring/summer project?

[dvuyxx]

I'm in the same situation. I'm using Cetol. There is definitely a min temperature for curing.

[Minnewaska]

I know that Bristol Finish has an accelerant additive for cold weather. Not sure how cold.

[Mirari]

For one part varnish I believe the absolute minimum temperature for application is 40 degrees F. At low temps the long wet time means increased risk of dirt in the finish and condensation problems. On the other hand long flow times in cold weathear usually means a nice smooth finish.

[MarkSF]

You can add a little solvent to the varnish to speed drying (for pettit varnish the thinner is T10) but there are limits.

The problem comes when night falls and you get condensation, and the varnish is still not dry. The moisture turns the varnish white and cloudy.

I would say 50F is the limit to get it dried out in one afternoon.