wrote in message
...
On Jun 2, 9:49 pm, "Leon" wrote:

A few other oddities about gel varnishes, there is no stirring to mix in
the
matting agent, it stays permanently suspended. Additionally I have yet
to
see a gel varnish that comes in a "gloss".

Check the link below. At the bottom of the referenced page (if the
link works), you will see another link to a pdf labeled "Bartley Gel
Finishes brochure". When you click on the link and open the pdf, you
will see an old standard, Bartley wipe on varnish in satin . While
I have used their satin, I have actually never used their gloss.

I never saw the link but did see the pdf Bartley brochure. I didn't see the
gloss there either. The web site was moving dead slow and I did not look
further.

As a sidebar, while it may be different now, in the ancient old days
of gel finishes, they did want you to gently stir (not mix) the
product before use to make sure the product was "consistent in
application". Maybe long truck rides in hot trucks that distributed
to warehouses were a consideration at one time.
Dunno.

Yeah actually thinking back, I witness a liquid that will form on the top if
it sets for several weeks/months, I'll stir that in. But for daily use
stirring was/is not necessary.

But, the OP was asking about poly.

Yeah I was mostly commenting that you could meld with the gel products.

Is your new favorite a poly or a
varnish? Don't confuse me, as I was telling someone this last weekend
(that can't afford for me to finish his piece of furniture) that you
had come across a finish that you liked a lot, and had great luck in
application.

LOL, let me start off with my definition of a varnish.

A paint containing a solvent and an oxidizing or evaporating binder, used to
coat a surface with a hard, glossy, transparent film.
The smooth coating or gloss resulting from the application of this paint.

I consider any clear finish that adds a top protective layer, a varnish.

Personally I started using Bartley gel "Varnishes" in 1989 and only last
year switched over to the LMF after learning that LMF had acquired the
Bartley line of finishes. I cannot tell any difference between the
resulting clear finish of the Bartley's or the LMF. That said, I switched
only because of the free offer from LMF and stayed with the LMF over the
Bartley varnish because of a more consistent application. Often I got
Bartley varnishes that were inconsistent in viscosity in the can.


If it is a varnish, he will probably try it. If it is a poly, he
won't. It looks like LMF makes the wipe on poly, and Bartley's makes
the wipe on varnish.

That is what it looks like however again I cannot tell the difference and
again I consider polyurethane a varnish as per the definition above.
Neither have the plasticy look after 3 or 4 coats.


Going to the LMF site does no good. When their home page opens it
ONLY describes a polyurethane finish as their wipe on gel.

BUT... when you go to the bottom of that page and load their pdf on
Bartley gel, the can they show in the brochure is clearly marked as
varnish.

I see the same but did not see the Bartley's gloss varnish


So is the LMF poly the product you are using or are you using the
Bartley's varnish?

Currently using LMF, "was" using Bartley's for about 19 years. Now that LMF
manufactures the Bartley's products there may be a more consistent quality
in their product.


Details, please.

I don't see a difference in the two except that the Bartely's seems to add a
bit of a golden tone to the wood, LMF seems to leve the color more natural.



Because gel varnishes go on thin
and yield a finish that gives spraying a run for its money in smoothness,
it
seems like a gloss finish would be a naturally "easy to apply finish"
with a
gel. I'll have to e-mail Lawrence McFadden and find out the skinny on
that.
;~)

If LMF doesn't have a gloss wipe on, don't worry. You can get gloss
wipe on from Minwax (hey don't laugh - it's pretty good!), Cabot,
Valspar, Old Masters, Zar, and a few others.

I'm basically lazy in this respect, I want only to use one product. I
prefer satin to any other finish, however some of my customers prefer gloss.
When I need a gloss finish I use General Finishes Arm-r-Seal gloss. I wipe
on the first sealer coat, wipe off the excess and let dry. I follow that
with a scuff sanding, and a single coat applied with a quality/Wooster
"foam"brush. It goes on heavy with that final coat and you have to apply it
and not work it. Again that finish looks sprayed.



I have used the Old Masters (excellent) and the Minwax (almost as
good) personally, but not the others in gloss wipe on.

Again I use the above mentioned General finishes for a gloss finish but find
that the glossy finish shows wipe marks if the final coat is not applied
with a foam brush. The foam brush holds tons of varnish.


Let me know which finish you are using that you like so much, por
' favor.

In the last 8-9 months it is the LMF Gel Poly , and again I cannot see a
viable difference between it and the Bartley' except for the warmer golden
tone of the Bartley's. Both require thinner/oil based product for clean up.
Oh, one thing I do notice, the LMF gel has a purple'ish tint in the can,
the Bartley's looks more like Vaseline.

Leon