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I am going to be putting varnish on a mahogany piece I have just finished. I have used gel finish before and loved it, but is their a better (i.e. tougher) finish that I should be using. Thanks for any help.
-Robert
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Replies
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I'd try a nice spar varnish - the amber color of the varnish looks good on Mahogany. Always try a finish on scrap first - and that means your complete finishing routine. Better safe than sorry.
Good luck.
*Spar varnish is not a good idea except on outdoor furniture. The reason is that it dries "soft", (to provide the flexibility needed for outdoor applications). This makes it very difficult to rub out, a necessity with varnish on furniture. You can find short-oil (spar is long-oil) varnish that also has the dark ambering that looks good on mahogany. Look for one with phenolic resin in it, it is darker than alkyd resin.
*Just a difference of opinion. My experience is in refinishing old to antique furniture and I use marine spar varnish in the 50/50 application exclusively. I do not have a need to rub it out, using satin in the first place. It gives a durable, waterproof, alcoholproof finish that stands up to wear and tear partly because of its flexibility.
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