How can I get my varnish to dry?

[CaptDave]

I am finally to the stage where I am beginning to varnish some of my woodwork. I am varnishing over epoxy which I have sanded with 220 grit and wiped off with a clean cloth dampened with mineral spirits. I brushed the varnish to a thin layer. After 3 days it is still tacky. I brought the pieces in the house where the humidity was lower but 24 hours later it is still a little tacky. When I begin varnishing pieces attached to the boat I won't have the luxury of bringing it inside.

I have seen references to Japan dryer but don't know anything about it. Any help would be appreciated.

[Jimbob]

I have been spraying all of the varnish on my boat. By spraying, I put on more thin coats which dry faster. For me, it takes overnight before I can sand and apply the next coat. As per the instructions on the can, I dilute as follows:
1st coat 50%, 2nd coat 25%, 3rd coat 15%, last coats 5%. I use Naptha as a thinner, it speeds up the drying time.
I tried the japan dryer but found that the naptha works just fine to speed things up.
Jim

[Roberta]

Certain varnishes applied over epoxy have a reaction and will not dry. I had issues with Epifanes not drying when applied over System Three epoxy.

Roberta

[CaptDave]

When I got home from work today the varnish seemed to be somewhat less tacky, Maybe another day and it will be good and hard. I have used the poxy-shield resin to encapsulate everything. Paint seems to dry well over top of it. I'm definitely going to get some naphtha to thin the varnish with on the next coat and see how it does. Naphtha certainly evaporates quickly so I can see how it would help with drying.
Thanks for the insight!

[chugalug]

I had brushed Epifanes over epoxy-shield and after 2 weeks,it was just the same as when I brushed it on.used a water based zip strip to take it all off.wouldn't touch the epoxy but sure took care of varnish.heard a 2-part finish works better.I was so disappointed that used paint instead.

[vupilot]

What varnish are you using? I had problems with Epifanes drying over certain surfaces.

Ive used Total Boat Lust and Captains varnish since. No problems there.

[Roberta]

Epifanes varnish is great over normal stained and sealed surfaces, but I think it has some nasty stuff in it that reacts with epoxy. I had sealed my dash with System Three epoxy and then varnished it with Epifanes. The epoxy was cured for several months before varnishing. The varnish remained sticky for over a month before I gave up and removed it. I switched to Epifanes two part poly-u.

Roberta

[Jimbob]

I have only used Epifanes varnish over system 3 Silvertip epoxy with no problems. I always sand and wipe down with denatured alcohol between coats.
But then I live in Sacramento where it is dry and hotter than hell.
Jim

[Roberta]

I think I used System Three general purpose resin. That may have made a difference. I had both during the build. Best to test before applying over a large area.

Roberta

[CaptDave]

Thanks Roberta. Good advice. I definitely will get it figured out on some small areas first. I used the Rustoleum brand of marine spar varnish since it is available at the local home improvement store. I have used it for outdoor wood in the past with no problems but this is the first time I ever tried it on epoxy. If I don't get good drying by thinning with Naphtha I will order in Captains or Total Boat Lust. Total Boat Lust must be really good, it is about twice as expensive as anything else. But it would be well worth it if you can really overcoat in 1 hour with no sanding. I would prefer not to use a 2 part poly but will keep that in mind. Of course I am anxious to get the boat in the water as soon as possible. I suppose it wont hurt to wait until after the gathering to put on those extra coats of vanish.

[vupilot]

You really can apply Totalboat lust 2 coats a day an hour apart. It did really well on my rub rails on my latest build but on the flat seats the finish had more orange peel texture than I wanted and was hard to lay down a coat of uniform thickness. I had some Deft outdoor poly new in the can that had been laying around and decided to try it. Its thinner and brushes very nicely with foam brushes and made for a great looking final coat. Its said to be UV protective as well so I hope it holds up at least a couple seasons between freshening up.

[CaptDave]

I thinned the varnish approx 40% with naphtha. It dried to a light tack in 2-hours. and it was dried hard and
I was able to sand and re-coat in 24 hours.

Tiller Console with 3-coats varnish

Thanks guys for the help.

[Milhouse]

Wish I had read this thread earlier!

I just waited 24 hrs after applying Epifanes glossy clear 1 part varnish over West system epoxy and it was still tacky, I tried to lightly sand it and man was that a mistake as it got all gummy.

I took some Epifanes brush thinner and wiped off the gummy spots and then re-coated hoping that it was just me being impatient.

I'll let it dry for a few days and then see where I am at. I would hate to have to take it all they way back down, it was looking so nice with the epoxy encapsulation!

I switched to Epifanes two part poly-u.

Roberta did this work out good for you?

Thanks!

Jim

[Roberta]

I like both the Epifanes varnish and 2 part poly u, but I would never put the varnish over epoxy again. The poly u is fine over epoxy. I actually think the poly u is more durable and buffs real nice too. It is expensive, though.

Roberta

[Milhouse]

I let my vanish dry for another week and it was still a tiny bit tacky so I sanded it all back off again down to the epoxy (this totally sucked since it gummed up a LOT of sand paper).

Since my varnish did dry on two other pieces (which the epoxy that had more time to cure) so I rolled the dice and applied another coat to the dash. If its gummy after awhile then I will switch to 2 part poly urethane.

Update: Its about 18 hours later and the varnish appears to dry and is not tacky at all. This coat of varnish was applied to epoxy which has been curing for 2 weeks.