painting without leaving brush strokes

vic33004

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Jul 10, 2007
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does anyone know where to find detailed instructions on the techniques used to paint without leaving brush marks. i know it can be done in a way that looks like its been sprayed using penetrol to keep it wet longer. there must be more to it than that.
 
Do a search for "roll and tip" method. I've done it, and it works, but I have not done it enough to teach another yet.
 
Back when I was 20 I brushed a old Mariner I owned. at the time interlux had a 2 part exopie interthane plus I bought red and wasnt too happy with the brush marks showing when i was painting but as it dried te paint flowed out and layted out smooth as glass there as a brushing liquid invloed in the directions.

I had the boat 12 years and the pait held up great to the day i sold it.
 
Roll and tip, but not on a hot day. You want some time for the paint to flow out. Get a friend to roll while you tip. Or the other way around, and blame everything on him.
 
A friend recently showed me how to roll-and-tip, and I must say I was impressed; even when I did it myself. I'd recommend doing a small project first though.
 
Use a good quality natural hair brush (or top end foam brush), nothing from Home Repo or Lowes't. A small amount of Penetrol goes a long way, but it helps greatly. Don't load up the brush, just dip the tip into paint. Always move the brush in the same direction, no back and forth. Work from dry to wet and always keep a wet edge.
 
I've used the method many times. For paint I've used everything from ox hair bristle to fine synthetic split-end type brushes. I prefer the synthetic bristle for painting hull sides because stiffness helps force the paint into channels and joins on wooden boats. For smaller jobs I like natural bristle brushes.

The paint will go on flat if you finish brushing it before it starts to thicken. Surface tension on top of the paint provides the gloss. When doing large areas like hull sides its important to move quickly in order to maintain the wet edge. As long as the surface is dry I start at the crack of dawn for cool air and surface temperatures. That extends the wet edge time. I use considerable pressure on the brush for the first passes. The last pass is feather light with the tip edge of the brush. Overlap the wet edge by a couple of inches. Do the sunny side of the boat first before it heats up and then the other side. Heat building later in the day speeds drying.

I never used thin a new can of fresh paint because thinning can sometimes effect gloss. However, oil-based paints and varnishes have changed during the past couple of years. Newer VOC regulations mean most of these coatings are thicker then they used to be and I now find myself adding a little brushing thinner most of the time. I just use the brushing thinner recommended by the manufacturer.

Don't paint late in the day unless you like bugs in the finish.

If you move fast enough you won't need to put paint on the brush after the first wetting.
 
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