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I began refinishing the tiller (Feb.
1) by sanding the weathered finish with 100 grit paper. In this shot, the base has
been sanded as I worked up to the grip end.
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The tiller sanded and ready for the
first coat of varnish.
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After the first coat of Z-Spar Captain's Varnish
(#1015) has been applied.
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Looking closely, a few "dry
spots" and brush marks are visible, but those will fill in and
smooth out after more sanding between building up with further coats of
varnish. Next comes the second
coat and subsequent light wet-sandings with 220 between a few
more.
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I applied another five coats of varnish, wet-sanding with
180 after the first two, 22o after the next two coats, and 320 before
the final coat. (Feb. 10)
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I mixed the final coat of varnish in a small cup and
added a shot of Penetrol to slow drying and allow for more flow.
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Still I wasn't satisfied. There were
numerous specks of hardened dust marring an otherwise perfect surface
that bothered me enough to give the tiller another light wet-sanding
with 320 to remove them. I wiped down the sanded tiller with a cotton
rag dampened with turpentine, then with a tack-cloth, before applying a
seventh coat of varnish, again mixed with Penetrol. This did the
trick: a perfectly smooth like-glass finish at last. (Mar. 7)
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