For anyone interested ; I discovered through a Dupont retiring chemist that the amount of UV protector added to varnish and paints in general amounts to possibly 10% of required. He told me there was two reasons for this - Firstly, if the right amount was added no one would be having to buy more varnish or paint - secondly that if the factory puts in the required amount, the shelf life in a gallon on store shelves would be possibly 6 months or less. He directed me to Fibre-Tek Industries of which I now purchase case lots of UV powder and add sufficient to each varnish or paint that I apply to sculptures. I haven't had Sun deterioration problems since.( 5 years) You can find UV white powders in your area or check internet under Fibre-Tek. A Large cottage Cheese type container in size costs me about $4.00 US and does two gallons. You'll find your neighbors when painting their homes, boats or decks, will be pleasantly pleased with your discovery also < Smiles >
That is the information I have been looking for, I will look into this and see if it works here near the Gulf of Mexico. Helping each other is a good thing, and that is what this forum is all about.
Cheers,
Bill Plant
i've had folks ask me about the uv protectant in some coatings and i didn't know what to tell them other than i thought it was better to have it then not.
WE use "Varithane outdoor spar varnish" as a third coat on many of our sculptures. Because it is the first protective barrier from the sun it gets hit pretty hard and ends up breaking down. Are you firmiliar with Varithane and will it work in deck oils also. What did you find was different in the finish quality after adding UV inhibitors?
Thanks for the Insites.
Adam
It is very similar to min-wax spar urethane, it does not absorb into the wood as good as spar.
The more UV protect-ant the more yellow the whites.
I also want to mention that using sanding sealer on woods that go outside can be a mistake, I used to use it but have found that it prevents the varnish from sinking in, Carpenter ants and Termites hate spar varnish if you do not use sanding sealer the spar soaks into the wood forming a deep barrier that some shat prevents them from tunneling deep enough to get to the un protected wood inside. However if you use sanding sealer, it forms a layer that prevents the absorption of the varnish past the surface. That al-owes the little bugs to go though the shallow varnish layer and eat the sculpture from the inside.
That is a real problem in the south USA. just wanted to pass that on.
