LuckyLuca wrote:Cheers Wal. I ended up sticking with Ronseal outdoor wood varnish in the end. Not quite what I'd intended but pleasing and well protected.
I do like BFs idea of layering oil. I have some heavy duty 6'lendths of cane from some old beach casters I picked up. If I get around to making another net handle I may just give it a go.
They would make great handles. Let us know how you get on.
Living in a small space (a boat) I had to come up with a product that dries very quickly without smelling me out like Yacht varnish would. I'm just at the experimental stage on old cane and I'm very optamistic given some rod manfactures apparently used this method albeit with Tung oil! Danish oil is essentially tung oil mixed with other natural oils and varnish chemicals, and should build up a flexible hard oily coat. I'll let you know! But the good thing is this oil can also be used to prime wood before Yacht varnish, so if it's not so good I can varnish over in the summer.
I went for the one with uv protection!
"....he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy"
In my experience which is not as extensive as some, some cheap varnishes don't dry properly *ever* I had this in float making, and ditched it early on.
That's why Danish oil is worth a try, each coat which one wipes on with a cloth, dries fully within 5 hours, and it can be applied very quickly. The downside is you need a min. of 4 coats, but because each coat is fully dry before applying the next, the coats can be built up quickly. However, after the last coat one is still looking at 2 weeks to fully cure. Compared to yacht varnish that takes months to fully cure and requires rod turners to avoid ripples, this product must be worth a trial at least!
"....he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy"
Having applied 6 coats of Danish oil to an odd piece of cane( 1 coat per min. 5h) I am left with what appears to be avery dry shiny varnish that is scratch proof (finger nail test) so this product looks like it might be worth using on rods as an alternative to yacht varnish (smelly stuff that takes months to cure). So I'm going to use it on a rod I'm making from odd bits of old cane! Will run a seasons test and see how it fairs! Although one has to recoat annualy to maintain max protection.
"....he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy"
One of the best wood protection finishes I have tried is OWATROL DEKS OLJE. I think it's Swedish and made principally for yachts, but can be used successfully on most wood surfaces in outdoor situations.
It was recommended to me many years ago by someone I knew who owned a very special, very old, blue water yacht and although it is far from cheap to buy and does take a fair while to cure out, it gives a great, silky finish and is fully waterproof.
I have only used this on a few rods and found that they are best treated before any tyings are put on, because of the curing out time and also, you need to thoroughly polish up the surface first to get the smooth, lustrous finish.
It used to be available in 1 litre tins but have no idea if you can buy it in small quantities today.
wm+
"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? Yet one of them shall not fall without your Father knoweth" ..Jesus of Nazareth, King James AV
