71dartswinger

here is my SI3 that i stained now to fine sand and clear coat

gatorich

I like the stain choice. When you clear it a couple times it is really going to give it some depth. Looks great!

71dartswinger

Logan wanted purple but i told him his is purple and mine will be orange
if Lowes had a pint size tintable stain it would have been two colors but they only have QTs 11.00 ea and i barley used any

71dartswinger

first coat of gloss spar varnish on

gatorich

How did it turn out? Any pics?

1QwkSport2.5r

What color did you end up using? Looks like colonial maple or something with a hint of red to it.

Just a recommendation - if you are using a nitro engine on that boat, I'd let the finish set (final coat) for about 21-30 days before getting fuel on it. Varnish and Polyurethane take several weeks to fully cure - in that time some solvents can eat into it and soften/cloud it.

I used minwax duraseal stain on my Kami - Its what we use at work. I used 2pts colonial maple to 1pt fruitwood.

71dartswinger

it isminwax stain tinted orange from lowes it can be tinted just about any color you want
and i have to sand and give at least 3 more coats before it is like glass

1QwkSport2.5r

Did you test the varnish to see if nitro will eat it up or are you going electric on this one? I have some commercial 2-part waterbase polyurethane I was thinking of using on my Hydro I'm building but havent had time to see if the fuel is going to eat the finish or not.

71dartswinger

i did not test but it is high gloss marine spar varnish
i will test this week will put stir stick into fuel and see what happens

1QwkSport2.5r

If you're using low nitro fuel - 5-10% it should be okay but I'd check just in case.. I have to do the same with the finish I want to use.

Dreamin Hemi

I recently built a small table/bench set for my kids. Stained with Minwax water based and coated with three sprayed on layers of automotive 2 part clearcoat. Amazing finish!!! Wish I could afford to finish all my woodcraft with auto clearcoat. So much better in my opinion than standard polyurethane. And you KNOW it's fuel proof!

71dartswinger

if i would have thought of that my son could have cleared mine thanksgiving day or friday while he was here

1QwkSport2.5r

Any 2 component type of finish is going to be harder and more durable (and cure faster) than any single component finish. Automotive clear coat is some tough stuff. With a flex additive it will have a little give. Not much different than Epoxy - very very hard but sometimes brittle if not mixed right. Either of these are great options but you have to use what will "mingle" with the base stain color. If not using stain, it will lay out perfectly fine on raw wood with no problems.

71dartswinger

stuck stir stick with stain and one dip into varnish into 15% fuel and it did not get soft or stickey so i guess fuel will not harm
it is cabott marine high gloss spar varnish from Lowes
two more coats on top and 4 on bottom
final coat will be sanded with my model finishing kit 3600,4000,6000,8000,12,000 then wax

steve

1QwkSport2.5r

If I were you, I wouldn't put wax on it. It can cloud the top coat and create adhesion problems should you ever need to fix it and recoat part/all of it. Wax is better suited for car paints, not wood finish (except shellac)

71dartswinger

one more coat of varnish (makes 4th coat) then reassemble and test run
will take pics before run and video of run