My advice is don't try to thin it, get a fresh batch. I know people try to save things and not let things go to waste, but in this case you are running up against something that has run its chemical course. I use varnish mostly for bamboo rod making, but once it starts to set I get a fresh batch. What is happening is the polymers are cross linking and forming a bond. You really can't reverse that without consequences. If you are using it to bond to the thread and hold things together, thinning it, especially after it has started to set or gel will weaken the final cured product. If you want to thin it when it is fresh, just remember that less is better.
Lacquers and Varnishes pretty much use two different thinners. You can use Acetone based thinners for lacquer, but don't use that for varnish it just destroys it. For most varnishes you should look at the MSDS and see what the thinning component used is. Turpentine is my personal preference, but mineral spirits work too. Naptha is another thinner for varnishes. Use the same thinner the manufacturer used and you should be all right. It does make a difference. The Dettes only used varnish on their flies and they bought it in bulk from the hardware store. I personally prefer the Ace Hardware Spar varnish. There is a difference between spar varnish and poly varnishes. Poly will dry and cure faster for flies, but the bottle will probably go bad faster as well. You can buy a small 4 ounce can from most hardware stores for just a few dollars, and some high quality stuff at artist supply stores. Get some smaller bottles and divide it up. Fill them to the top. Oxygen is your worst enemy and the greater volume of air in the bottle and the greater surface area of the top of the varnish, the faster things are going to work against you. Regards, Scott On Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 11:24 AM, Neville Gosling <nev.gosl...@shaw.ca>wrote: > > > I use lacquer thinners. Works for me. > > Neville (Nev) Gosling > > > On 2012-03-12, at 7:10 AM, Bob Hendry wrote: > > 'Mornin Folks, > > Can someone please tell me what I should use to thin Veniard's Cellire > Varnish? Mine is starting to thicken-up a bit to the point where I don't > believe that it can soak through a thread head. I know that Veniard's > markets a proprietary thinner, but I'd like to avoid laying out another $5 > or $6 to buy it. > > Thanks. > > ** > > *Bob <%2f%2...@majbob.com> Hendry > <%2f%2...@majbob.com>* > ** > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" > group. > > To post to this group, send email to vfb-mail@googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > vfb-mail-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en > > VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" group. To post to this group, send email to vfb-mail@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to vfb-mail-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com
