Varnishing a Handrail
Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2022 10:32 pm
I recently fabbed and installed the 8 foot long handrail shown in the attached picture. I used common Home Depot stock material. Good enough.
Varnishing turned out to be a challenge. Handrails are typically long, and every surface is to be varnished with no drips, runs etc. Holding the work became the challenge.
I could have hung the work up vertically, but then the drips/runs would still happen and the work would bounce around like a pendulum during the brushing.
I could not get the drips/runs out of the work. After several coats, steel wool, sanding, I just stopped and stripped everything off.
I then built a holding tool to support the rail horizontally at both ends so that all surfaces were elevated. The tool allowed me to turn the work for varnish application. I also switched to a foam brush instead of bristle. I also periodically turned the work thinking that would cancel out any drip formation.
Still some runs/drips. Really frustrating, especially because these can be felt every time the handrail is grasped. I suppose if I had used a wax or oil finish instead of varnish - but I wanted the finish to match the other woodwork in the stairwell, which is varnished. And I did not want any wax/oil to come off on people's hands.
Has anyone encountered and solved this sort of long-work problem, and what might be the fix? I had thought of fabbing a motorized holding tool something like a rotisserie which would continuously turn the work while the varnish is applied, the idea being that drips could not form if the work is thus turning.
Varnishing turned out to be a challenge. Handrails are typically long, and every surface is to be varnished with no drips, runs etc. Holding the work became the challenge.
I could have hung the work up vertically, but then the drips/runs would still happen and the work would bounce around like a pendulum during the brushing.
I could not get the drips/runs out of the work. After several coats, steel wool, sanding, I just stopped and stripped everything off.
I then built a holding tool to support the rail horizontally at both ends so that all surfaces were elevated. The tool allowed me to turn the work for varnish application. I also switched to a foam brush instead of bristle. I also periodically turned the work thinking that would cancel out any drip formation.
Still some runs/drips. Really frustrating, especially because these can be felt every time the handrail is grasped. I suppose if I had used a wax or oil finish instead of varnish - but I wanted the finish to match the other woodwork in the stairwell, which is varnished. And I did not want any wax/oil to come off on people's hands.
Has anyone encountered and solved this sort of long-work problem, and what might be the fix? I had thought of fabbing a motorized holding tool something like a rotisserie which would continuously turn the work while the varnish is applied, the idea being that drips could not form if the work is thus turning.