Hi Dan,

If I could intervene a question directed at your response;

I just talked to the folks at Bristol Finish in Florida today. They make a 2 part urethane coating called Tradtional Amber Urethane. I talked to a tech guy and he said it would be fine to spray Bristol wearing the 3M Organic Particulate respirator cartridge 6001 on a 7500 series half-mask respirator, with the bottom of the garage door cracked open. Would you say this is accurate? I don't want to risk my life for the finish on my wife's boat.

BTW, I brushed and rolled Bristol on my last boat, but did not like the results that offered, that's why I'm thinking about spraying with an HVLP.

Brad

: Having never varnished before you're really jumping in the deep end with both
: feet! Perfection can be tricky to use and is inherently a bit dangerous.
: Personally I'd rather start off with a good one-component traditional
: varnish like Captains and then use Perfection on your next boat. Oh yeah,
: there's always a next boat.

: First the two-component Perfection Varnish is a modern urethane coating. The
: isocyanates and thinners are pretty nasty. Be sure you do it outside with
: plenty of ventilation and use at least a good half-mask filter with new
: organic cartridges. That's the big one.

: Second, you only need 2 or 3 coats for protection: 3 on the hull, two on the
: deck. I will do 3 coats on the deck if I'm going to polish it out. 5 or
: more coats is more typical of traditional 1-component varnishes. I usually
: start with a coat on the hull, flip and coat the deck, then hull, deck and
: finish with a final coat on the hull. Be sure to sand lightly between
: coats. Don't worry about getting a line at the sheer. The grain of the
: wood hides a lot. I feather the edges out about an inch. When your done
: you'll never notice it. If you do get a line you can always wetsand and
: polish it out. BTW The directions on the can are pretty good...

: Perfection is fairly THIN. It's definitely not thick! Being so thin, it's is
: a little tricky to apply without getting a lot of drips and sags. It needs
: to be applied in thin layers. It likes to self level. I usually roll it on
: with a 3/16" mohair roller and then tip it off lightly with a badger
: brush. I work one small section at a time. A good 2" foam brush will
: work but they fall apart pretty quickly. Work the surface as little as
: possible.

: Perfection Varnish is very nice stuff once you get used it. It's water clear,
: very rugged and has a wonderful gloss. It's all my little shop uses now...
: If you decide to go with it, please do it safely!!

: / Dan