Re: Another varnish question...
If Rolfe Gerhardt uses it, it should be a good product. It confuses me that it seems to be both oil and water based, though. I guess anything is possible with advanced chemistry. Stew Mac carries General Finishes High Performance water based topcoat, which they claim is the best water based finish they ever used. Probably it is much like KTM-9. Just like KTM-9 it is suggested that it should be sprayed, but if you brush use a foam brush. I have never used it but if Stew Max carries it it should be good. Other low odor finishes that are good for musical instruments include Danish Oil (in reality a wiping varnish), Tru Oil (a self polymerizing oil including linseed and others), and of course the violin varnishes mentioned above. One big downside of the violin varnishes is that there is a big learning curve with those. Oil violin varnish requires a couple of months to complete a finishing schedule due to the long curing time between coats before you cans uff it and put on your next coat. It’s also easy to end up with witness lines. Spirit varnish dries more quickly but has its own learning curve. Behlen Master Gel is is a wipe on varnish that is virtually goof proof. It doesn’t run because of its gel consistency, is low odor, and cures quickly. It’s easy to make your own wiping varnish. I have done this with great success. Just mix your favorite oil based varnish with equal parts of mineral spirits and pure tune oil. You can substitute boiled linseed oil for the tung oil if you wish, it will work well too.
Don
2016 Weber Custom Bitterroot F
2011 Weber Bitterroot A
1974 Martin Style A
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