any tips on spraying varnish?

I am preparing to re-varnish all of my interior mahogany trim on a 1968 Marinette Cabin cruiser. Seems like if I could spray the coats rather than brush I would cut down on some time. Any tips on doing this?<br /><br />Thanks.

Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

I have used spray before on a table with good results, but I am confused about how you plan to use spray for "trim". Maybe it is really easy to tape off?

Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

all (600'ish board feet) has been removed from the boat, and prepped for being varnished. What kind of gun did you use and at what cfm did you spray?<br /><br />Thanks,

Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

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Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

tg, if you have the woodwork removed you can easily spray with a conventional spray gun(gravity feed, or siphon feed) as long as you use clean dry air and thin the varnish to a very thin viscosity. Spray with as low a psi as possible and do thin coats. Gravity feed might work best for this. Sand in between coats and keep the workplace warm so all will dry. If you have a decent spray gun you should be able to set the compressor somewhere between 12-25psi.

Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

Look into hot varnishing,it's by far superior to shooting a cold finish.If your new to this type of thing id suggest you go down to your nearest paint only store and see if they rent airless sprayers. If you use one make sure it has not been put away wet (junk).Ask them advise on what type of tips to use and if they respond intelligently stay with them. Putting on a air finish is by far easier and far superior than one might guess, just never stop the gun when your fanning a peiece always finsh the stroke. With a little practice you will see how much your applying in one swipe,notice if there are any sags or is it to thin, then adjust accordingly(speed of the fanning) until you get the desired application. When you have that down time for the real thing.

Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

when you say hot varnish vs. cold varnish is this temp. related or something else entirely?<br /><br />Thanks for the replies!

Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

Only mentioned it because it produces the finest results that can be obtained. You will need the support of a local paint store ie sherwin williams or a like company. If you cannot find one in your area it ok heres a link that will let you take a indirect route with almost the same results. http://www.greenval.com/FAQvarnishing.html <br /><br /> Just google the topic and see what you can find.

Re: any tips on spraying varnish?

If you thin varnish with thinner the varnish will lose it's shine prematurely, also it is not a time saver as it will take many more coats to get a build up the easiest way for build up is warm varnish with a foam roller and foam brush 1 guy rolling and 1 srikeing with the brush. If you must spray, heat the varnish in a pan of water to 185 to 195 degrees you will need a dripless can for your gun