Reddit reviews Epifanes Clear Varnish
We found 9 Reddit comments about Epifanes Clear Varnish. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
World famous, highest quality traditional tung oil marine spar varnish.Formulated with tung oil, phenolic and alkyd resins resulting in a finish that has superior flow, gloss, durability, and exceptional longevity.UV filters for superior protection with an ultra high gloss finishUsed in many applications, both exterior and interior, household or marine, brushed, sprayed, or rolled and tipped.Use on new wood or restoring old wood to a deep clear finish, softwood or hardwood, marine or household applications.
Nope, although you might get away with it depending on your goals.
Finishing wood for outdoors is really difficult, largely because of the UV exposure. Almost any finish breaks down over time and needs reapplied every so often, but if the finish isn't UV-stabilized specifically for outdoor use, that process takes days or weeks instead of years.
The most protection you can give wood is paint, or a semi-opaque deck stain, which is pretty much the same thing. If you don't want to obscure the grain that much, you need to look at marine varnishes, since they're typically formulated for serious long-term exposure. Epifanes Classic is widely regarded as one of the best options, but any boat supply place will have other options. Follow the directions exactly, no matter how complex the coating schedule. "Spar urethane" from a hardware store, like Minwax Helmsman, is plenty waterproof and can handle a bit of sunlight, but it can't handle long-term daily exposure like the better finishes. Unfortunately, even those better finishes will eventually break down and need recoated.
Another option is to skip the finish entirely. Trees spend quite a lot of time outdoors, and perhaps unsurprisingly some species are quite good at it even once you strip off the bark. Ipe, osage orange, black locust, and teak are some of the best choices, and white oak, western red cedar, and black walnut are pretty decent as well. Those woods, with no finish at all, will survive longer than most wood finishes.
If you happened to make your marker out of a resilient wood, the Danish oil won't help much but also won't hurt. You could stick it outside now and likely be fine for a decade or two. If it's not one of those woods, spend some time putting a high-end marine varnish on. It'll still need touched up occasionally, but that'll give it a shot.
Ultimately, I hope you're not expecting a century of service out of this. Wood is great, but tombstones are usually granite for a reason.
I would use spar varnish with UV blockers, like a marine finish meant for boats, for example this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Epifanes-ECVSA-Clear-Varnish/dp/B005ADWQ9U?th=1&psc=1
Water based poly wont stand up for long if it's left outside. If you want to refinish it every year it will work. Oil based poly will last a little longer but spar urethane will last longer outside and marine varnish (something like Epifanes Marine Varnish will last for years exposed to the elements. It's not the cheapest option though.
Poly will. You can mess around with spar/long oil varnishes, or you can just do it right the first time and stop fucking around
If I were you, I would use 2 x 12" joist material. Laminate two lengths of the material together such that it becomes a 4 x 12". Then, you will want to have a support as /u/wbgraphic suggests out of the same 4 x 12 material. Since this will be outside (from the sounds of it), you will want to use titebond III and then finish the entire assembly in marine varnish for durability (epifanes http://www.amazon.com/Epifanes-ECVSA-Clear-Varnish/dp/B005ADWQ9U is some hardcore shit). I would also suggest that the entire support structure should be attached not just by lagging to one side of the pole, but via a complete wrap around the pole either with steel cable or some other such structure.
100lbs isn't that much weight, but if you're going to use it as a heavy bag for martial arts, there are quite a few lateral forces to contend with and not just static load. Research how heavy signs are hung from buildings using a boom arm and you'll have a better idea.
Epifanes varnish. Use the Wood Finish Gloss to build up a smooth surface without sanding between each coat. Sand after a few coats and apply the Clear varnish for a stunning finish. It will give you the rich color you're after and the clear super smooth high gloss finish you want. Plus it has super UV and water resistance.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005ADX4N2/ref=pd_aw_sims_1?pi=SY115&simLd=1&dpPl=1&dpID=51QTN7uDRlL._SY200_QL15_&slTrans=0&ref=nsDpPl
http://www.amazon.com/Epifanes-ECVSA-Clear-Varnish/dp/B005ADWQ9U
Epoxy is a decent idea, but I'd add a couple of coats of good spar varnish on top of that. At that point, it doesn't much matter what type of wood you use.
I would stain first, and then use a high quality spar varnish like Epifanes to seal, waterproof, and UV protect the final product.
The best clear finish for wood, bar none, is this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Epifanes-ECVSA-Clear-Varnish/dp/B005ADWQ9U
Highly recommend. Goes on smooth, and extremely durable. Also great customer support. You can contact the mfg if you have questions about application.