Hi,

It seems now almost any film finish I run across gets termed "varnish" quite a bit. But when I was a young-un (70s) there was a specific type of finish called varnish. It had a pretty foul odor, and was usually a dark brown, transparent-ish finish.

Does anyone know the finish I speak of, and if I can find it these days?

Thank you.

As a kid, I used some that my Grandfather had. Haven't seen any since then. 

Everything we need to know about varnish.

 

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/21569543/what-is-varnish

38 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

Everything we need to know about varnish.

 

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/21569543/what-is-varnish

 

Thanks, Dan!

 

Varnish is a mixture of resin and oil, heated to become a different substance.  Think adding yeast, flour, and water and baking it.  It is no longer yeast, flour, and water but bread.  Your choice of flour will determine what the result is, e.g., wheat, rye, whole wheat, some combo.  Then is thinned with a solvent like mineral spirits.  A smaller amount of solvent and you have a brushing varnish, more and you have a wiping varnish.  More oil and you have what is called a "long oil" varnish, or spar varnish.  It's made to be softer and more flexible.  Generally designed for outdoor use, it will have some UV protection.

 

The most common mixture is the ubiquitous polyurethane, made from urethane resin and linseed oil.

 

Waterlox Original is another type, made from phenolic resin and tung oil.  Their web page used to say tung oil this and tung oil that, and way down on one remote page, they said that "what we make is a varnish."   They have since expanded their product line.

 

A third variant is from alkyd resin and might have either linseed or soy oil.  Sherwin Williams (used to?) make one of these that was just called varnish without the polyurethane name on it.  There were a couple of other brands like Pratt & Lambert #38, Behlen Rockhard, and another that I used a few years ago, but I'm not sure they're still around.

 

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misleading naming and descriptions out there that makes things difficult to understand.  Things like "Tung Oil Finish" that is really a thinned varnish, etc.

Edited October 16, 20241 yr by kmealy

18 minutes ago, kmealy said:

A third variant is from alkyd resin and might have either linseed or soy oil.  Sherwin Williams (used to?) make one of these that was just called varnish without the polyurethane name on it. 

 It's still made and sold, but under the Minwax brand. I just picked some for my stash a month ago or so when they had a 40% (?) off sale. AFAIK, the Fast Dry Oil Varnish is only sold in the SW stores.

Edited October 16, 20241 yr by Fred W. Hargis Jr

Many thanks, gentlemen.

HandyDan and kmealy, much appreciate the information.