Never used the Schooner Varnish but I use mineral spirits with their Clear Varnish no problems that I've noticed. Seems to go on just as smooth and last just as long as when I used the Epiphane thinner.
Never tried turpentine, much different stuff and stinks!

 

Why would you take your chances?

 

Unscented mineral spirits smell and seem to act the same as the Epiphanes thinner, really don't think there is an difference at all in terms of performance. Varnish is varnish as long as it has UV inhibitors for outdoor use.
I used to use Minwax Spar Varnish until they discontinued it in favor of some urethane stuff. Worked/looked just as good as Epiphanes for less money.
LOL marketing!

 

According to the MSDS sheet 216 is comprised of 75% xylene, and 25% ethyl benzene. From my research on a few forums, xylene is what others have used. I will be trying it myself this weekend, if I can a hold of it, as I am schooner varnishing myself.

I have used xylene extensively in the past...do not handle it with bare hands, and the stuff will get you higher than a kite...also VERY flammable..with a low flash point...handle accordingly.

Post pictures of your results....I am curious myself.

 

If you're trying to get the varnish to flow better, you can try Penetrol or 333...

 

1+ on 333 .

 

Well unfortunately the weather has turned really cold and I'm going to defer the project a little. In the end I purchased a $7 can of Jasco Oderless Mineral Spirits from Lowes and will try it out on a test piece first. The project is the tiller from our 30 year old sailboat. Now I look at it, its a lot worse than I first thought with what appears to be black mold in several spots. I have sanded it down but the dark spots prevail so now I'm trying to treat them with some diluted bleach and a tooth brush.

Robert

 

Not dark spots , caricature spots . Well at least after you bleach em' down a little .

 

Currently I have been using schooner varnish, and the first couple of coats I used 333 thinned 20%. Here are my observations. In colder temps (68 F at 45% humidity) it takes FOREVER to dry, it was tacky for a good 8 hours, I had to wait overnight for it to completely cure. From the Interlux website, 333 is for a higher ambient temp use, Interlux 216 is for lower temp curing as it flashes off faster, but I have not tried that yet, nor xylene. I will post a picture once I get coat #5 on it this morning.

 

The boundary layer of varnish should be a bit below the actual surface of the wood. If starting over, it's a good idea to get a bit aggressive, by taking more of the bare layer off. This wouldn't be very perceptible to the human eye, but you want fresh wood to get your first new boundary layer to absorb and that probably gets into the mold too. You want your first highly thinned layer of varnish to be able to absorb a bit, so getting the mold and old imperceptible varnish out of the grain is good idea.

 

Just a little off topic, but it concerns schooner varnish. I am getting persistent bubbles. I have been very careful about stirring, and I am on the 6th coat, and still getting them, the first couple of thinned coats I did not get them. The last couple coats I have been using non thinned varnish. Any suggestions???

 

The first thing that comes to mind is that modern varnishes don't flow like they did 20 years ago. I suspect an environmental reason. Perhaps VOCs or additive changes to accommodate environmental rules. Just a guess. My final coats all have 1-3% thinner now. Just a touch really, it still goes on relatively thick.

Other thoughts are that you should let your pot stand for a full 5 minutes, after stirring and before applying. Room temperature is important too. Varnish doesn't apply as well below 70 degrees. Some even run a wide flame torch over the varnish, immediately after applying to remove bubbles. I've never tried it, as I'm certain that requires some practice.

 

For bubbles don't you just breath on it and the carbon dioxide make a them pop? Or is that just epoxy?


Mark

 

For bubbles don't you just breath on it and the carbon dioxide make a them pop? Or is that just epoxy?

Mark

Never heard that one. Sources? Did you try it?

 

Add a touch of thinner, for environmental reasons the had to lower the VOC content, thinner brings it back up to where it used to be.

 

As I suspected, they changed something. A touch of tinner goes a long way to fix this.

Also be sure they are actually air bubbles and not little bits of dust. Doing varnish work free of dust is like pitching a perfect game. Can and is done, not often.

 

I have heard that using a hair dryer helps with bubbles, I will try that, and thinning a bit. I have been heating the thinner on an oil radiator in my shop to around 80 F beforehand, to see if it would brush a little better, but that had no effect.

 

I just did a little of experimentation of one practice door, and here is what I found.

Parameters:
Air: 68F
Hand sanded one side, Ro sanded the other, 320 grit for both
Two new foam brushes, 1" Jen
Strained Schooner 96 into both, into small plastic cups, and covered, let sit 5 minutes.
Cup 1 I thinned 25% or so with 333 brushing liquid.
Cup 2 I thinned 25-30% with Mineral spirits.

I let both cups rest for 5 minutes after a gentle swirling motion.

Findings:
The cup with the 333 thinner actually flowed out nicely, very very few bubbles, like glass. I tried a gentle hair dryer after a minute, and that made things a little worse, and it skinned over, don't do....

The cup with the mineral spirits flowed well, but a couple of bubbles appeared, not many but more than the 333.

Additional suggestion, to me and others that I noticed. Do not press the foam brush into the bottom of the container, as I did the first time, bubbles came out of the foam...bad news... The 333 thinner is a thinner for higher ambient temps, and REALLY slows the curing process when used in cold temps, as it is still tacky for a long while..I have a clean room which helps.

 

Minor point and should be unrelated to the bubbles, but I use 220 sandpaper between coats.

Can't help but wonder if your experience would be better with the manufacturers recommended thinner.

 

I tried the recommended thinner and got about the same bubbling as I did using mineral spirits and generic thinner.

However I did not try the thin and let sit method that SV Siren tried.

 

Odd I get a few bubbles after brushing that go away without doing a thing. Maybe it's a schooner varnish thing. My experience with Epiphanes with mineral spirits has been nothing but positive.
Anybody tried Le Tonkinois? Read good things about it as well.