Aging Spar Varnish - Rod Building & Tackle Tinkering - Active Discussions - fiberglassflyrodders - Message Board - Yuku

photo by

Loudog99

Rod Building Banner

RSS
Email

0 Kudo

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Aging Spar Varnish

Author	Comment
pearow	Aging Spar Varnish	Lead	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 1615 (05/27/09 12:26:25) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I discovered something that might help the newbie rodbuilders. I take my half pint ace spar varnish and dip/pour it out into very small screw top glass bottles and store it in a dark place where the sun never shines(I know what youre thinking but NO, not there). Anyway, I have only enough bottles to save about half the can. Well, when you take 1/2 the contents out of the can, the spar really accelerates the aging process. It goes bad in a hurry. So, if you do that, save it all because the rest will turn thick in just a couple of weeks. My guess is the air in the void left by the spar that has been removed is the culprit. And....forget trying to use it once it gets thick and lumpy. Its more trouble than its worth. It causes much distress. Yes, I learned the hard way.
gypsy		#1	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 497 (05/27/09 12:58:41) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	pearow wrote: . Its more trouble than its worth. It causes much distress. Yes, I learned the hard way. That's a good one -p-. I think anybody who has dealt with spar has their tricks in how to keep it from going bad. I got a bunch of Gerber baby food jars from a neighbor and store the spar in those. I'll add a marble when needed to keep the spar up near the top of the jar and oxygen out. Something else that I found extremely helpful, especially with spar urethane, is to cover the top of the jar with a plastic sandwich bag and screw the top over that. Makes it much much easier to unscrew the cap later on. I suppose that's fairly obvious but it took me awhile to figure that out. Gypsy Rod Works
flyfishing4goldentrout		#2	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 2267 (05/27/09 17:53:54) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Hi Pearow, Well sense I live in the Peoples Republic of California and they are always deciding whats good for me and my best interests including how they should spend my money, I have taken to buying what I think I will need for the rest of my life in such as Varnish, etc. Now its no good to set with a gallon can of everything around because as you said, as soon as its exposed to Air it starts going bad. Well I have two sourses of both Cans (I like cans for volumes of 3 oz or larger) and bottles (I love 1 once bottles for daily use), These are the links, you gotta buy a case either mixed sizes etc, but while its an outlay you can recycle the cans over as you decant them down into the little bottles which are much cheaper. Anyway you are correct, so far whats its worth, these companies at least sell the correct cans and bottles. "http://www.thecarycompany.com/Main.html" this is their home page, you need to go into their paint cans. "http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp" this is their home page, again you need to to find the right bottles for your needs. However believe me a case of mixed can sizes and small bottles will last alot of years if your buying your finishes in large cans. As soon as you open the can decant it down to smaller ones that are free of air pockets. They will last a long time if stored in a cool dark area. Richard
eastprong		#3	[-]
Sport Posts: 64 (05/27/09 19:02:26) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	One word solution: Bloxygen Expensive but worth it. If you can work out a homemade inert gas "blanket" to lay on top of your varnish, that's great too. --Rich
Zenkoanhead.clarksclassicfl...		#4	[-]
Guide Posts: 103 (05/27/09 19:02:43) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	The only thing that has worked for me is to spray some Blox into the original can. It stays fresh that way, even if half empty. I only put enough finish into the little screw jars for the project at hand, finding no effective way to keep them from aging. You can turn the entire can upside down, so the scrim of varnish end up on the bottom when you turn it rightside up to open it. Wipe on varnishes, like Arm-R-Seal, have a much longer can life than spar due to the solvents in them. Don
whrlpool		#5	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 841 (05/31/09 17:34:37) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Another way: dip out what you need for a project--enough for all the planned coats, and seal tightly in small bottles. The pry top has now been off the can for about 30 seonds. Drop in enough marbles to bring the level back to full. Immediately reseal the can tightly and turn it upside down for storage. You can open and close a can a number of times this way. I've done a few recent touch-up jobs out of the large can shown below with rods finished from the same can in the late '70s. The rods on top done with Cosmo Spar in the late '70s. The bottom blue-gray graphite and the wrap on the carbide guide above it were done from the same can just a few years ago.
thousandstar.clarksclassicfl...	Tricks for keeping Spar	#6	[-]
Sport Posts: 25 (06/02/09 16:31:27) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I keep it in large baby food jars. I pour a small amount of turpentine on the top and cover the top with plastic wrap and then screw the lid on. This will keep for a LONG time.

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Quick Reply