: Naughty Kurt,

: Get that yak varnished, man!

Varnish?! I don't need no steenkin' varnish...

Actually, I ran a test piece beforehand to see for myself what the UV deal was gonna be. A BIG test piece, too. A year and a half ago I made a 10-foot by 5-foot sign for a subdivision entrance. It was carved from solid redwood with the border and lettering in relief, painted white; the field was finished natural with straight-up West Systems epoxy. It is a magnificent sign, if I do say so myself, but the neighborhood ass'n screwed me on the pay. So I didn't apply any UV protection, told 'em I would be happy to just as soon as they coughed up the rest of my money.

The sign looks perfectly good today, and I still haven't been paid. I'll varnish my yak next winter if I don't get to it sooner. Right now I'll build a whole new boat before I put my current vessel in drydock for something so silly as varnish. Whee!

Cheers,
Kurt