For many years I have sprayed nitrocellulose lacquer on my guitars,or French polished them.
I decided to varnish the one I am completing now. Sherwin Williams USED TO have a great oil based NON POLYURETHANE varnish that we could thin with mineral spirits,and brush on so smooth you'd think it was sprayed.
I went last week and got a can of their current interior oil base varnish. It is horrible!!! It has a consistency like melted Gummy Bears. I don't know how else to describe it. You CAN't brush it on smooth,nor can you thin it out to do better. It piles up,and does NOT settle out smoothly at all.
I need an oil base varnish that can be RUBBED. you can't rub polyurethanes,because they always "gas" between layers. When you rub through their layers,you get a "topographic" looking map of the layering,called "gassing".
Has anyone had definite experience with a GLOSS varnish that goes on smooth,and can be rubbed out to a piano finish? Now that I've started with varnish,I can't go to lacquer. I hate to keep wasting over $15.00 per can for BAD VARNISH. I don't want to use Spar,as it is too yellow.