divedog
LOVES Wooden Canoes
I’m working away on my first restoration, a 17’ Morris, and have been experimenting with finishes. I really could use some advice!
Attached are pictures of the finish it had and its more current state. I know it had been attacked with a rotary sander and refinished at some time, and I believe a shellac layer was present, due to the gummy stuff encountered during stripping the hull.
I liked the dark color the ribs and planking had, but I haven’t had any real luck matching it on the various test pieces of old and new materials I have. I did note the Spruce gunwales were much lighter than the hull, and am not sure if that was original or not.
I mixed up a batch of the Morris formula posted on the forum and tried it on several test pieces. It looks much darker than my original finish, and it turned out very splotchy on the new rib material, especially the flat sawn pieces. I have seen a dark Morris that Kathy Klos has, and it’s not splotchy at all. What is the secret to avoiding all the splotchiness? Any opinions as to whether the before picture shows an original Morris color scheme?
I did some other experiments, too. I bought some Man O’ War satin varnish and tried adding a little transtint brown dye. I didn’t really like the look, which seemed like it was dirty or something. Also, it was hard to make the color look even.
I tried a couple sealer coats of amber shellac on some test pieces and really like the way it looks, but the can of Man O’ War satin varnish specifically says not to use over shellac. I usually follow directions from manufacturers, but I have also read that it is a myth that varnish won’t stick to shellac… The world also seems ripe with blanket disclaimers. Has anyone successfully used the Bullseye amber shellac under Man O’ War varnish? Am I just asking for trouble?
I am open to going with a natural finish, and came up with a couple of stain mixes that I can make the new ribs and scarfed section of inwale match the old pretty well. Straight varnish will be an option if I can avoid splotches. But, would that be heresy with a Morris?
Finally, the Man O’ War satin varnish can specifically says not to thin it, but most of the posts here mention thinning the first couple of coats. Any advice there?
Sorry for all the rambling… As a newbie, I’m trying to be cautious. Thanks for any advice you can give me!
Mike Wootton
Attached are pictures of the finish it had and its more current state. I know it had been attacked with a rotary sander and refinished at some time, and I believe a shellac layer was present, due to the gummy stuff encountered during stripping the hull.
I liked the dark color the ribs and planking had, but I haven’t had any real luck matching it on the various test pieces of old and new materials I have. I did note the Spruce gunwales were much lighter than the hull, and am not sure if that was original or not.
I mixed up a batch of the Morris formula posted on the forum and tried it on several test pieces. It looks much darker than my original finish, and it turned out very splotchy on the new rib material, especially the flat sawn pieces. I have seen a dark Morris that Kathy Klos has, and it’s not splotchy at all. What is the secret to avoiding all the splotchiness? Any opinions as to whether the before picture shows an original Morris color scheme?
I did some other experiments, too. I bought some Man O’ War satin varnish and tried adding a little transtint brown dye. I didn’t really like the look, which seemed like it was dirty or something. Also, it was hard to make the color look even.
I tried a couple sealer coats of amber shellac on some test pieces and really like the way it looks, but the can of Man O’ War satin varnish specifically says not to use over shellac. I usually follow directions from manufacturers, but I have also read that it is a myth that varnish won’t stick to shellac… The world also seems ripe with blanket disclaimers. Has anyone successfully used the Bullseye amber shellac under Man O’ War varnish? Am I just asking for trouble?
I am open to going with a natural finish, and came up with a couple of stain mixes that I can make the new ribs and scarfed section of inwale match the old pretty well. Straight varnish will be an option if I can avoid splotches. But, would that be heresy with a Morris?
Finally, the Man O’ War satin varnish can specifically says not to thin it, but most of the posts here mention thinning the first couple of coats. Any advice there?
Sorry for all the rambling… As a newbie, I’m trying to be cautious. Thanks for any advice you can give me!
Mike Wootton