Halcyon Water-based Marine Varnish

[peter halle]

If you like a water clear or want an amber water-based finish you might want to look into Totalboat's Halcyon.  It comes in a plastic pouch / slouch bottle that allows you to squeeze out excess air and dries very quickly - for me it was < 45 minutes to recoat at 66 degrees F.  The clear doesn't have the slight blue tint.  Sanding between coats is not needed unless you exceed 12 hours between coats.  Sanding the next day produced powder almost like shellac does.  I used a foam brush on some drawer fronts then ended up sanding and spraying using my LVLP gun thinned by 10%.

You can get it thru Woodcraft and Totalboat.com plus probably other places (I purchased mine fromWoodcraft.)

I know that there are lots of Minwax waterborne users out there and this might fit the bill for someone who wants to get 5 to 6 coats down in a day.

Peter

 

[rmhinden]

I have used this finish on several projects, some boat related and some not.  I am very pleased with it for the reasons you mention. 

I recommend it.   

Bob

 

[leakyroof]

I've seen mixed reviews on it for outdoor exposure compared to Oil Based Varnishes, but haven't bought any to try myself.  The multiple coats in a day factor is always a plus with Water Based Finishes if it's possible.... [not worthy]
I CAN SAY that I've had really good UV protection from Old Master's Water Based Spar Varnish. I finished some window casings in our house that see a fair amount of sunlight, a few years ago,  with it for the same reasons, no odor, fast drying, multiple coats. The Varnish went over a combo dye and stain finish for UV protection against fading.
It's held up against Sunlight very well, matching what I see from Epifanes Varnish.
My previous venture into Water Based Exterior Finish was with General Finishes if I remember right, that didn't end well at all... [embarassed] [embarassed]
  Thanks for posting about this, it's probably going to get harder and harder to keep getting Oil Based Finishes with the way VOC regs keep changing things.  Great to have new high performance options that are Water Based.

 

[Packard]

I know nothing about this product, but I do wonder if companies that are named “Halcyon”, or who name their product “Halcyon” really know what the word means.

It does not seem to fit here. It means “peace and calm” but usually relates the the past or distant past.  So how does that fit?

It does sound cool—even cooler when used appropriately.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have seen it promoted by several Youtube woodworkers, but never tried it myself.
I've had good results with Minwax water-based poly, but it does have that blue/white to it. That's fine in certain circumstances, like keeping Maple from yellowing, but it looks pretty dead on Walnut.

It just seems like an odd product from a company that specializes on epoxy?

 

[Packard]

Minwax’ products seem to be widely shunned by serious woodworkers.  But I have found them to be uniformly very good, and if you read the reviews in magazines, they usually come in 2nd place or tied for second place.  So very good.

I did try a few of the General Finishes products and they were all very good too, but not exceptional, except for their “milk paint”.  Their “milk paint” is actually a modern acrylic interior/exterior finish formulated to look like milk paint.  If you use it with a foam brush, the end product will not show any brush strokes.  A very nice look. 

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=74278]Packard[/member] that's what I like about it. Just like a lot of spray lacquer finishes, it looks bad for several minutes after you apply it, but it lays down nice. All of the reclaimed wood projects I have built for myself lately have it, for the reasons I stated. It doesn't "enrich" the colors of the wood.
I haven't used the gloss version, but have considered getting some for a base coat or two. Too many coats of satin/matte/flat coatings start to get cloudy looking, but if you save it for the final coat, that gives the final look.

 

[Packard]

I painted a low shelving unit with the General Fiinishes “milk” paint.  It looked great, but the matte finish scuffs easily.  I wanted to top coat it with a clear, but I did not want to get the high gloss look.

When I tested Minwax’s matte finish and semi-gloss finish, the deglossing agents (mica?) that are in suspension in the finish made the black finish look gray.  A very bad look.

So I settled on GF “milk” paint with gloss oil based poly from Minwax.  To de-gloss it, I applied butchers’ wax with 0000 steel wool.  It gave me the look I was looking for, plus it left a finish that was tactilely luxurious.  The downside:  Re-finishing will be difficult because of the wax. 

They sell a product called “wool-oil”, and that might give a similar effect.  But I’m not at all sure that the oil would be easier to remove than the wax. 

 

[peter halle]

I have seen it promoted by several Youtube woodworkers, but never tried it myself.
I've had good results with Minwax water-based poly, but it does have that blue/white to it. That's fine in certain circumstances, like keeping Maple from yellowing, but it looks pretty dead on Walnut.

It just seems like an odd product from a company that specializes on epoxy?

I can see your point, but Totalboat has a wide range of the products and the Hacylon is designed for Marine use.  The Totalboat epoxy influencers are numerous and effective aren't they?  [big grin].

Peter

 

[leakyroof]

I have seen it promoted by several Youtube woodworkers, but never tried it myself.
I've had good results with Minwax water-based poly, but it does have that blue/white to it. That's fine in certain circumstances, like keeping Maple from yellowing, but it looks pretty dead on Walnut.

It just seems like an odd product from a company that specializes on epoxy?

I can see your point, but Totalboat has a wide range of the products and the Hacylon is designed for Marine use.  The Totalboat epoxy influencers are numerous and effective aren't they?  [big grin].

Peter

Am I correct in that Jamestown Distributors created the TotalBoat line of products?  I thought that's where it all started.  [unsure]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Yeah, [member=74278]Packard[/member] the flattening paste in those finishes will always give you that cloudy/milky look. The darker the color, the more noticeable it will be.
That was the point of my comment about applying a couple of coats of gloss first. It will give you some build-up/protection. Then the last coat of satin will look softer, without being muddy.

 

[peter halle]

I have seen it promoted by several Youtube woodworkers, but never tried it myself.
I've had good results with Minwax water-based poly, but it does have that blue/white to it. That's fine in certain circumstances, like keeping Maple from yellowing, but it looks pretty dead on Walnut.

It just seems like an odd product from a company that specializes on epoxy?

I can see your point, but Totalboat has a wide range of the products and the Hacylon is designed for Marine use.  The Totalboat epoxy influencers are numerous and effective aren't they?  [big grin].

Peter

Am I correct in that Jamestown Distributors created the TotalBoat line of products?  I thought that's where it all started.  [unsure]

Checking their websites it would seem that you are correct, or that they are at least very closely related.  TotalBoat was started by Mike Mills while he was President of Jamestown Distributors.  He is still President of Jamestown Distributors.

Peter