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“Wetted out”
Hi Dan, when tipping out rolled on varnish you referred to having the brush “wetted out” prior to the tipping. What do you use to wet out the brush …. the same Epifanes varnish or brush thinner or something else? How wet is wet? Thanks in advance.
This is a good question, something that is second nature to me but not so obvious to someone starting out. The idea here is to "get the brush started" tipping with it dry will leave a more bristled or lined finish initially and then it will get better as the brush picks up varnish and starts to bed in a bit. Of course the aim of tipping is not really to pick up or deposit any varnish but just to flatten out what's there. Wetting it out first will ensure even results from the first tip.
What you want to do is get the brush loaded up, dipped to say 1/3rd to 1/2 of the bristle length a few times then brushed out a few times back and forth on a roller tray or the edge of the mixing cup. Then, remove as much varnish as you can from the brush by drawing it out against the edge of the cup. This should mean the bristles are wetted out but not really holding any volume of varnish.
Hope that helps 👍