Don,

Would using less varnish in early coats allow the mixture to penetrate deeper?

I'm building a pair of norsaqs right now, and used 50:50 linseed oil and turpentine, and was hoping that mixture would penetrate deeply, and then I'll add a bit of varnish for toughness.

I'm going to finish the second one with epoxy and varnish to compare the two for durability. I'm thinking a coat of epoxy thinned with acetone for penetration, then straight epoxy, then several coats of varnish. Final coat hit with steel wool to kill the gloss.

If nothing else, it will be interesting!!

Shawn

: I use a mixture of one part varnish, one part boiled linseed oil, and two
: parts turpentine. Mix up about a half-quart, and slosh it on liberally two
: or three times until the wood soaks up as much as it will.

: Then refinish once every couple days for several coats, rubbing with 0000
: steelwool between coats. Greg Stamer, and many others, recommend less and
: less varnish in the mix as subsequent coats build up.