Supporting thwarts while varnishing

Every time I looked at those thwarts, I felt like a slacker. They were still serviceable, but worn. This week, they made it inside, got sanded, and now sport a fresh coat of varnish.

Here's the question: how do you support thwarts while they are being varnished? I've previously just hung them on a nail, which can result in some running dribbles. I thought I'd try to keep them horizontal this time. I made some little wire towers to hold them up, which worked, but getting that last section of thwart coated was a problem that left me with some varnish-fingers.

With all the thwarts varnished by CTN-ers, somebody must have figured out a better way. Please share.

Darn, I see a little dribble in the photo of the thwart stands!

I hang mine on a wire. No issues if using light coats and I can finish all sides. If starting from bare wood, the first coat gets cut 50% with mineral spirits. Followed by red Scotchbrite between coats and sand with 280 before final coat. Usually 4-5 coats total. I have found good lighting and a quality brush makes a difference. I see no issue with your wires stands.

I like your wire stands too. I never varnish, always oil.

I have hung the thwarts by passing a thin line through the mounting holes and tying on a washer on the underside. They hang horizontally and it is easy to varnish all around by handling on one end, then for the final strokes hold the nearest string.
Jim

Chip said:

Every time I looked at those thwarts, I felt like a slacker. They were still serviceable, but worn. This week, they made it inside, got sanded, and now sport a fresh coat of varnish.

Here's the question: how do you support thwarts while they are being varnished? I've previously just hung them on a nail, which can result in some running dribbles. I thought I'd try to keep them horizontal this time. I made some little wire towers to hold them up, which worked, but getting that last section of thwart coated was a problem that left me with some varnish-fingers.

With all the thwarts varnished by CTN-ers, somebody must have figured out a better way. Please share.

Darn, I see a little dribble in the photo of the thwart stands!
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I use these, obtained in the paint section of the hardware store.

+1 painters pyramids/tripods.

But some drips/runs on bottom still inevitable for me.

I hang brightwork on a nail.

PC280025 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

There are often little drips at the bottom, I just touch them off with the brush as the varnish or urethane sets up. Any drips are almost always on a “hidden” butt end, right where I want decently thick coats.

I do reverse the hanging orientation, down becomes up, between coats, and if some awkward drip blob escapes sand it off before recoating.

The only time I use a horizontal cure is on large pieces where I want a very smooth undrippy finish, rolling & tipping out, or brushing and tipping. I make a “bed of nails”. The point of a finishing nail doesn’t leave much of a mark, and if those pinpoints are on an unseen bottom side, who cares.

I've "clamped" paddles horizontally in between the open drawers of a chest or in between some stacked boxes. Then I varnish or oil the one half or more of the paddle that is protruding, with the unvarnished part of the paddle in the clamp. When dried, I switch the varnished part into the clamp and do the rest of the paddle. This takes twice as long as varnishing the whole paddle all at once, but doesn't require any nails, wires or pyramids, plus I only do it during the off season once a century.

Wait a sec and I'll take of picture of it right now with one of the paddles in my bathroom.



There. And youse guys need a "work shop" to do these complicated projects!!!

Glenn MacGrady said:

I've "clamped" paddles horizontally in between the open drawers of a chest or in between some stacked boxes. Then I varnish or oil the one half or more of the paddle that is protruding, with the unvarnished part of the paddle in the clamp. When dried, I switch the varnished part into the clamp and do the rest of the paddle. This takes twice as long as varnishing the whole paddle all at once, but doesn't require any nails, wires or pyramids, plus I only do it during the off season once a century.

Wait a sec and I'll take of picture of it right now with one of the paddles in my bathroom.

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There. And youse guys need a "work shop" to do these complicated projects!!!

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The only way this would have been better is if you used the seat of the toilet to hold the paddle in place!

Thanks for all the ideas. I like Glen’s approach for simplicity but think it means twice as many brush cleanings, which are the worst part of this task.

if I outlast the varnish on these thwarts, next time I’m gonna try Jim’s string with a washer method. My “thwart stands” are working out okay, but it’s hard coating the last few inches. Third coat about to go on, then back in the boat Tuesday and out on the Patuxent Wednesday!

Chip said:

it means twice as many brush cleanings, which are the worst part of this task.

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If I'm going to be doing successive coats all within a couple days I just wrap the brush in plastic and only clean once at the end.

And to be really honest I've mostly switched to foam brushes just for the throwaway simplicity, which has won out over the shame of throwing more things away. I try to justify it by how much less mineral spirits I use for brush cleaning and by how many of my good brushes have been thrown away because I forgot to clean them in time or didn't clean them good enough.

But I still wrap the foamies with plastic and it seems to be good for at least 2-3 days between coats before they start to harden.

Alan

Chip said:

it means twice as many brush cleanings, which are the worst part of this task.

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Everyone has preferences. Mine are simplicity, speed and minimum tools and stored chemicals, mainly because I have no work shop or work space.

For paddles and gunwales, I use wipe-on oils and/or wipe-on varnishes. No brushes. The rare times I have used brushes for something canoe related they are throw-away foam brushes, which cost less than a Milky Way.

Not recommending my methods for serious builders, repairers or outfitters who do have work shops, but it is fun having . . . let's count . . . 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 . . . paddles in my bedroom. All wood. Except the 5° Al Camp shorty paddle I pictured, which is used to single blade a sea kayak, has foam in the blade.

I never wrap a good brush, some of mine are now over thirty dollars to replace. Varnishing was a big part of my professional income so I needed the best.
I also wrap foam brushes but go the next step and put them in the freezer. Just take them out about an hour before starting.
Jim

Thanks fellas. Good hints.

I'll have to try foam brushes. To me, they always seemed just wrong. Like they'd just be a piece of wet foam flopping around on the end of a stick. Next time...

Alan Gage said:

If I'm going to be doing successive coats all within a couple days I just wrap the brush in plastic and only clean once at the end.

And to be really honest I've mostly switched to foam brushes just for the throwaway simplicity, which has won out over the shame of throwing more things away. I try to justify it by how much less mineral spirits I use for brush cleaning and by how many of my good brushes have been thrown away because I forgot to clean them in time or didn't clean them good enough.

But I still wrap the foamies with plastic and it seems to be good for at least 2-3 days between coats before they start to harden.

Alan

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This is what I have came to do. I buy the cheap chip brushes or foam brushes for this type of work and then toss them. For me I would not have enough, forget or something and end up ruined a good brush.

On the foam brushes, there are good ones and bad ones. Mostly the big box store ones are bad.
Chose ones that are stiff to begin with and have the smallest holes in the foam. I’ll see if I have any to show comparison.
Jim

Here are two 1” brushes I happen to have on hand. Both wooden handles (avoid any that have plastic handles) one in made in USA the other in China. Both have about the same size holes in the foam so I guess that is not a good indicator. The foam on the China one is actually on crooked, I guess that is for getting into corners and along edges,lol.
I used to buy the poly-brush by the box from Jamestown Distributors, but I now live near a reasonable marine store so only buy a couple as I need them. Not even sure how the China one got in the shop.
Jim

Boatman53 said:

Here are two 1” brushes I happen to have on hand. Both wooden handles (avoid any that have plastic handles) one in made in USA the other in China. Both have about the same size holes in the foam so I guess that is not a good indicator. The foam on the China one is actually on crooked, I guess that is for getting into corners and along edges,lol.
I used to buy the poly-brush by the box from Jamestown Distributors, but I now live near a reasonable marine store so only buy a couple as I need them. Not even sure how the China one got in the shop.
Jim
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Interesting that both of those foam brushes state they are not for shellac, which is what I've been using a lot of lately with foam brushes and no problems. I'll have to see if mine have that warning. Best part about shellac is that you can put a used and hardened brush back in the can and in a few minutes it's soft and works like new.

I do know in the past that I've used one brand of foam brush with epoxy and no troubles and that another brand of foam brush swelled and fell apart almost immediately.

Alan

I hang paddles after varnish or urethane, but prefer the feel of an oiled grip, so stop the varnish at the neck and hang the paddle between paired nails or with a zip tie or piece of string around the grip. After the varnish or urethane coats I can oil the grip, and it’s easy enough to occasionally re-oil.

A couple paddles hanging from the grips in the background here. I don’t recall why the Optima was propped up at than angle, some boatwork functional reason no doubt.

DSCF1737 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

The worst object on which to prevent drips are the little wood balls that I use on thwart bungees; almost impossible to prevent drips on a small sphere. In order to thoroughly seal the wood balls I just dip them in varnish, which lays a thick coat inside and out.

DSCF1763 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

“And to be really honest I've mostly switched to foam brushes just for the throwaway simplicity, which has won out over the shame of throwing more things away. I try to justify it by how much less mineral spirits I use for brush cleaning and by how many of my good brushes have been thrown away because I forgot to clean them in time or didn't clean them good enough.

But I still wrap the foamies with plastic and it seems to be good for at least 2-3 days between coats before they start to harden”

Same here, foam brushes and, often, chip brushes. Usually both on the same job. My brush work sucks, and I’m down to one last good quality brush. I use a disposable chip brush (after removing the loose bristles), then, even on paddles, thwarts or yokes, tip out my brush work with a foam brush.

Tipping out everything has made a world of difference in my lousy brushwork, and since I’m applying multiple coats and wrapping the brush & foamie I can get away with one of each for all of the coats before I throw them away.

An off-topic question. When you do use a good brush what do you do with the mineral spirits afterwards? I broadcast it on the dirt driveway in hopes it will kill the grass (we can’t grow grass in the yard, but can’t seem to kill it in the driveway)

When I was in varnishing mode, mostly spring and fall, first I would brush all I could off on a piece of cardboard that would get used over and over. Then a small amount of thinner in one jar and do a first cleaning, then Into a brush spinner spun in a 5 gallon bucket. Then another fresh jar of clean thinner, second cleaning and brush spinning. Finally a third jar of fresh thinner and repeat. All the jars have lids. The next day or whenever the next cleaning happens the middle jar gets added to the first jar, and the third jar becomes the second, and fresh thinner goes into a clean jar. Eventually the first jar gets to be almost as much varnish as thinner so that gets used as thinned out first coats other projects, if nothing comes along in time it often will jell in the jar and I just throw it away.
Jim