Hard as Nails

[chavender]

ok ,hard as nails should be ok to use ,i know lots of people who use it as a hard coat for their pole floats (it helps stop line cutting in) and as a repair coating ,as it does as it says on the label. it sets hard & clear and if you only want to do a few floats its ideal .there is a but though like any varnish it can react to some paints .so test it first

[Phone]

Rudd,

 

Varnish is a solution of shellac in alcohol. Shellac is a natural product. (material safety data sheet for "varnish") Hard as Nails is an acrylate polymer belongs to a group of polymers which could be referred to generally as plastics. The carrier is ether. (material safety data sheet attached to my daughters bottle).

 

I recommend the hot pink with glitter.

 

Phone

[Vagabond]

In the past I have used yacht varnish on wagglers but have found it to be a bit to thick.

 

There is a substance called "Yacht Varnish" sold by DIY stores.

 

Although it might be OK for indoor use, it is quite useless for anglers (and presumably yachtmen), as it is not even waterproof !! Although to be fair, they do tell you this on the tin.

 

What I use, is MARINE VARNISH - high quality stuff you can get from ship's chandlers. I use it for split-bamboo rods, and floats. If you want a thin coat, mix some with a little (very little) white spirit before applying (it will take longer to dry though).

 

I have found it goes over dry paint without reacting with it.

 

Because it is designed to be proof against salt water, I think floats coated with it will last, if not for ever, at least until you lose them.

[RUDD]

There is a substance called "Yacht Varnish" sold by DIY stores.

 

Although it might be OK for indoor use, it is quite useless for anglers (and presumably yachtmen), as it is not even waterproof !! Although to be fair, they do tell you this on the tin.

 

What I use, is MARINE VARNISH - high quality stuff you can get from ship's chandlers. I use it for split-bamboo rods, and floats. If you want a thin coat, mix some with a little (very little) white spirit before applying (it will take longer to dry though).

 

I have found it goes over dry paint without reacting with it.

 

Because it is designed to be proof against salt water, I think floats coated with it will last, if not for ever, at least until you lose them.

 

Thats the stuff I used in the past - got in from a mate working at Levington marina in an unmarked container - he just told me it was yacht varnish of the type used on a yacht - definatly waterproof as the wagglers done quite a few years ago are still fine.

Just found it to be a bit to thick.

[Phone]

Rudd,

 

Very well, no hot pink with glitter? I understand.

 

Marine Yacht Varnish is Varnish. Been successfully used for perhaps a hundred years.

 

See this MSDS http://www.finepaintsofeurope.com/pdf/marine_yacht_varnish.pdf

 

I'd be the first to bring Vagabond into the 21st century with "Hard as Nails" if I were you. Marine Varnish is $40.00 a US quart.

 

Phone

[Phone]

Rudd,

 

I did notice and like this comment.

 

""""TO COMPLETE YOUR VARNISH JOB AND BRING THE FINISH TO ABSOLUTE PERFECTION, PLEASE QUICKLY, GENTLY AND LIGHTLY BUFF YOUR VARNISH WORK TWENTY FOUR HOURS AFTER THE APPLICATION OF THE FINAL COAT WITH 0000 STEEL WOOL. THIS WILL MAKE THE FINISH UNIFORM AND REMOVE SLIGHT IMPERFECTIONS RESULTING FROM AIRBORNE DUST.""""

 

I never knew that.

 

Phone

[Vagabond]

I'd be the first to bring Vagabond into the 21st century with "Hard as Nails" if I were you. Marine Varnish is $40.00 a US quart.

No, a thousand times, NO. 20th century marine varnish (a misture of phenolic resins and oils such as tung oil BTW, not just shellac) is designed for wood - ie planked hulls and spars. Both of these flex under load.

 

The main point is that marine varnish will FLEX WITH THE WOOD, and not crack. That makes it very suitable for use on wooden rods that flex. The flexing is less important when used on floats, but the anti-cracking property is still important. Cracking means a varnish is no longer waterproof. Natural resinous varnish is also very resistant to UV light - unlike 21st century polyurethane resins which are prone to cracking when exposed to UV light.

 

I am still using rods I varnished 50 years ago. Good varnish will long outlast the rings - it is the necessity for ring replacement that triggers rod refurbishment in my nineteenth and twentieth century rods, not the deteriation of varnish. I also have split-bamboo rods commercially built in the 1960s, and originally varnished with polyurethane varnishes, having picked them up cheap because the varnish was cracked and tatty. Stripping down, refurbishing, and proper varnishing with marine varnish, means they will outlast their owner.

 

"Progress" does not necessarily mean improvement - in varnishes as in other things.

 

Lady's nail varnish on floats - pah - you will be wanting high heels on your waders next.

 

....and BTW Marine Varnish at $40.00 a US quart is cheap at the price - how much do you think a quart of lady's nail varnish would be ?

[Phone]

Vagabond,

 

HA HA

 

I defer to your wisdom. I've never touched up a float (bobber) in my life (but if I did it would be hot pink glitter). Besides, I'm not sure but what lady's nail varnish might not have a breathing property thus not exactly waterproof.

 

I think my hex rods are way to old to contain urathane or any other plastic. Wonder what is/was used on porcupine quill tips. I went out and looked. Can't tell, but it's very flexable.

 

Phone

[Jeffwill]

For making the float body waterproof bog standard clear nail varnish (pound shop) will do the job -comes in a handy little pot with brush the type girlies use and keep in their handbags. Fits nicely in the draw of my pole seat box.

 

In an emergency on the bank use superglue for spot repairs (broken eyes) and varnish for the body, leave a few minutes to dry and ready to go.

 

IMHO no need for a big pot of special expensive varnish that you cant keep in your fishing bag / box...

Edited January 13, 2013 by Jeffwill

[RUDD]

So there I am today in the cosmetics isle of a local supwrmarket.

A nice young lady asks if I need assistance. I tell her I need some hard as nails varnish. She takes me to correct section where there are many hard as nails products. Which one she asks, clear please, oh we are out of stock - we have other brands, will they be any good for painting pole floats.

I received a very odd stare. After explaining my needs she said the hard as nails stuff contains Nylon, she didnt think any others did as they contain acrylic.

Would this be why hard as nails is the stuff people use? Whats the difference?