Gloss varnish finish

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Rainbow
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Gloss varnish finish

Post by Rainbow »

An existing customer has emailed me about a couple of framing jobs using a woodgrain moulding with gloss varnish finish. I can find a couple of lacquered mouldings from my usual suppliers but most finishes are matt. I don't want to get into wood staining at the moment for various reasons, so I'm wondering if a typical veneer like either of these from Wessex could be successfully gloss varnished, and would the colour be affected? Thanks for any advice.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by prospero »

It's a matter of whether the stuff you put on is going to sit comfortably on top of an existing finish.

Best get a rattle can of spray lacquer from Halfords and try a bit to see how it settles.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by Jamesnkr »

Don't you think shellac might be easier, Prospero? I dread to think of the dribbles using spray paint.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by vintage frames »

If you haven't used shellac before or got a good enough quality brush to apply it, then juat painting on a gloss varnish might be better. The finish on these factory mouldings is cellulose lacquer and would easily take an extra coat of regular varnish - provided you sandpaper the finish first and use say, two thin coats of varnish.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by prospero »

Jamesnkr wrote:Don't you think shellac might be easier, Prospero? I dread to think of the dribbles using spray paint.
Shellac is a completely different animal. (Almost literally :P ) It is made from the secretions of a little insect and therefore organic.
While you can build up a superb shine with shellac, it's not the same as the wet-look gloss of a synthetic varnish. Nicer perhaps, but not
the same. You would also have to apply lots of coats, maybe more than ten. :?

The trick with spraying is not to try and put two coats on at once. Spray lightly, keeping the the can moving, using smooth strokes.
Let it go touch-dry and do another. Repeat until glossy enough. Never hold the can still.

You'll get better results using a small spray gun. You can adjust pressure/mix/spray pattern. Although rattle cans are fine up to a point. :D
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by poliopete »

Hi Rainbow

The method suggested by prospero (spraying) is possibly easier than obtaining a glossy finish with shellac.

However, if you decide to go the shellac route then I have a couple of tips that may help and make it easier. I like shellac (it's old fashioned like me) :lol:

I find a combination of brushing and padding works best on flat surfaces. If you soak the pad and then wrap with muslin you can adjust the flow through the muslin by squeezing the pad. Then long strokes with a soft brush. Shellac dries quickly so applying a few coats does not take long. I use 400 grit sand paper between coats and wipe off the white residue.

You will not need to do this but if you want a less glossy finish like satin, buff lightly with 0000 steel wool and clear wax (not silicon) let dry and as the master often says "a quick polish with a yellow duster" job done :wink:

Good luck whatever you choose to do :yes:

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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by Rainbow »

Thanks for these suggestions and I'll discuss the options with my customer.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by Steve N »

Personally I think high Gloss finish looks :mooning: but you could try Simons http://www.djsimons.co.uk/index.php?rou ... =442340000 , which I think is high gloss

or you could use this, just a couple of light dusting coats should do the trick, it did for me, didn't do much prep, did it in length form, just made sure the moulding was clean and then gave it a couple of light coats, waited until nice and dry, normally the last job I do before I go home, then in the morning ready to cut and join
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by Jamesnkr »

Steve N wrote:then gave it a couple of light coats, waited until nice and dry, normally the last job I do before I go home, then in the morning ready to cut and join[/attachment]
Personally I'd cut and join and then varnish so the finish goes over the corners, but horses for courses.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by Not your average framer »

There's an expression "bodying up" used by french polishers, where mineral oil is mixed with shellac to thicken the finish and add depth to the finish. The problem with this is that it can substantially add to the drying time, but it can result it a much higher gloss than normal. I don't find much demand for gloss, or high gloss finishes and only get asked for something like this once in a blue moon.

I would point out that the normal amount of oil added by a french polisher increases the body of the shellac and leads to something along the lines of a self leveling finish. My favorite varnish which I use most of the time is the polyvine acyrlic wax finish varnish, which I my opinion also has a degree of self leveling. It is available in gloss, satin and dead flat (totally matt) finishes. I prefer the dead flat finish, sadly that is the only one that Lion don't stock.

As I side comment, I mix a much smaller amount of danish oil (about 2 teaspoons) to a 500ml bottle of shellac sanding sealer, which waterproofs the shellac so that I don't need to wax on top of the shellac to prevent the shellac from absorbing atmosperic humidity and developing that misty bloom which is somewhat obvious when the shellac is used over dark finishes. I use this as a very quick and easy "one operation" finish. I usually give the sellac a very quick blast with hot air gun and the job's good to go.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by Not your average framer »

While we are discussing gloss varnishes, I had a delivery of come today which just happens to include a tin of varnish and I just thought that I would mention this particular varnish. The varnish concerned is for varnishing paintings. I stock both spray varnishes and brushable varnishes, I already have tried a tin of the brushable gloss varnish and wanted to try the brushable matt varnish which arrived today.

I liked the brushable gloss varnish, because it dries in almost no time at all, but still does not retain any brush marks. It is quite a high gloss, which perhaps would be good for finishing wood as well and is a mineral spirit based varnish. I did not buy it for use on wood, but for re-varnishing paintings after cleaning them and I wanted to try the matt version, because if it's as good as the gloss, I will also add this to my normal stock.

The varnish comes from Jackson Art Supplies and is Jacksons own brand, it comes in 500ml and 1 litre tins. The gloss seems like a reasonably durable finish, so it might be suitable for other uses.
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Re: Gloss varnish finish

Post by Rainbow »

Many thanks for all these excellent suggestions :)
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