Mason 1960 Mahogany varnish blisters and stain matching

[gstewart]

I have a 1960 Mason mahogany boat that has a finish that is generally in good condition given that it havs been varnished every year and kept out of the sun. However, in recent years I have a few spots develop where the varnish has formed a blister - for reasons tht I don't understand. The blisters are about 1.5 inches and very high. The blisters form in seemingly random places and typically only one or two each year. In repairing the blister I have been stripping the finish dow to bare wood in the area of the damage and then using filler stain before rebuilding the varnish. That rocess seems to have fixed the blister problem in that area but I found that the stain is much lighter than the original. I live in Canada and the availability of stains here is very limited. The stain that I am using is Interlux "#42 Brown Mahogany". Does anyone know of a way to tint this filler stain so that I can get a better match? What would I use for the tinting and is there a recommended process to get the best match?

 

[BWT]

Re: Mason 1960 Mahogany varnish blisters and stain matching

Hard to say what stain to recommend without knowing the color you're trying to blend in with. But if it's a color similar to the classics like chris craft, hacker craft, etc. the stain I use for these projects is made by Pettit / Z-Spar. It's their 1081 Red Mahogany filler / stain. When you're doing spot repairs like this it's difficult to make it blend as the stain and varnish change over time. A trick I've done over the years for something like this is to thin this filler roughly 75% and lightly brush onto the bare wood spot that you are repairing. Being thinned down this much it is light, but you can keep adding thin coats until it becomes as dark as the surrounding wood. When doing this the stain coat needs to "flash" before the next application can be done (usually 15-20 min). When the color looks right let sit overnight and start varnishing.

Also a small amount of this filler/thinner mix can be added to the first couple coats of varnish to further help with the blending. Final coats should just be straight varnish.

Is the color you're trying to match anything like the ones in this link? http://www.millerboatworks.com/?110900000000

I used the 1081 stain for this project.

 

[gstewart]

Re: Mason 1960 Mahogany varnish blisters and stain matching

View attachment 115392View attachment 115395
Thanks BWT. That is very helpful. There is obviously a great deal about refinishing that I don't know. I have found after varnishing my boat repeatedly and the sanding if off again that the varnish will not flow straight from the can regardless of the brush I use or the technique that I apply. . After applying and removing the last coat of varnish at least half a dozen times I found that the varnish needs to be thinned down substantially to avoid dry streaking, I wonder if the earlier attempts with the thicker varnish is the reason for the blisters forming.

I have attached two pictures of the boat to give some idea of the color- one is a close up of the blisters but it gives a fair sense of the color. It is very dark. The Interlux stain #42 is too light although I have not tried your approach of multiple thinned layers. I thought the point was to apply a thick layer and then rub off. Am I right that with the method you suggest I just apply the stain filler like paint and just leave it without wiping ?

Pettit makes the stain in three shades but I have found no color charts to to get any idea of the shade. I was wondering about getting the "Dark Mahogany" filler stain from Pettit and if it is too dark mixing it with the lighter Interlux that I already have - if in fact, they can be mixed.

Hard to say what stain to recommend without knowing the color you're trying to blend in with. But if it's a color similar to the classics like chris craft, hacker craft, etc. the stain I use for these projects is made by Pettit / Z-Spar. It's their 1081 Red Mahogany filler / stain. When you're doing spot repairs like this it's difficult to make it blend as the stain and varnish change over time. A trick I've done over the years for something like this is to thin this filler roughly 75% and lightly brush onto the bare wood spot that you are repairing. Being thinned down this much it is light, but you can keep adding thin coats until it becomes as dark as the surrounding wood. When doing this the stain coat needs to "flash" before the next application can be done (usually 15-20 min). When the color looks right let sit overnight and start varnishing.

Also a small amount of this filler/thinner mix can be added to the first couple coats of varnish to further help with the blending. Final coats should just be straight varnish.

Is the color you're trying to match anything like the ones in this link? http://www.millerboatworks.com/?110900000000

I used the 1081 stain for this project.

 

[BWT]

Re: Mason 1960 Mahogany varnish blisters and stain matching

I have attached two pictures of the boat to give some idea of the color- one is a close up of the blisters but it gives a fair sense of the color. It is very dark. The Interlux stain #42 is too light although I have not tried your approach of multiple thinned layers. I thought the point was to apply a thick layer and then rub off. Am I right that with the method you suggest I just apply the stain filler like paint and just leave it without wiping ?

You will need to wipe the stain back down to remove that "painted" look, but the intent of doing the multiple thin layers is to gradually creep up to the shade that you're looking for. Once you get it close then one more layer and rub out. I like to use burlap (an old Basmati rice bag works perfect). In the next few weeks I am planning to do a tutorial on staining techniques on mahogany; It will probably be the end of October. As far as the varnish not flowing, what brand are you using and what kind of brush? With the way I do my varnishing now, I very rarely thin it even for large areas. If you're interested I already have a couple varnishing vids out; link to them is in my signature below.

Also, the pics you posted didn't come through. If you look up Woodonglass (user) he has a description in his signature that outlines how to post pics here..

Good luck!

~BWT

 

[gstewart]

Re: Mason 1960 Mahogany varnish blisters and stain matching

You will need to wipe the stain back down to remove that "painted" look, but the intent of doing the multiple thin layers is to gradually creep up to the shade that you're looking for. Once you get it close then one more layer and rub out. I like to use burlap (an old Basmati rice bag works perfect). In the next few weeks I am planning to do a tutorial on staining techniques on mahogany; It will probably be the end of October. As far as the varnish not flowing, what brand are you using and what kind of brush? With the way I do my varnishing now, I very rarely thin it even for large areas. If you're interested I already have a couple varnishing vids out; link to them is in my signature below.

Also, the pics you posted didn't come through. If you look up Woodonglass (user) he has a description in his signature that outlines how to post pics here..

Good luck!

~BWT

Hi BTW:

I just saw your latest reply. I thought they were being forwarded to my email address but apparantly not. Thanks again for responding. The stain on my boat is dark with noticiable red hue. The picture you referred me to is similar but much lighter. (Whay a beautiful finish!). When I click on the attachment button, the pictures I posted are displayed.

I am getting ready to make some repairs and have been playing with various stains thrying to get the right color. The closest I can get is a mix of water stains by Samon but this is intended for interior use only. I have received contradictory advice as to whether once coated in marine varnish such stains will be protected from fading. I had a local paint shop make up some stain that can be used on the exterior but, again, the color is wrong when applied to the wood I use.

I tried the multiple coats of stain as you suggested but I can not see any significant change between the first and subsequent coats.

You referred to the satin you used as "1081". Can you tell me the brand and whether they make other stains? Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks again,
Graham