Coverage for print varnishes?

[PeterAit]

Any idea how many sq inches of canvas I should be able to cover per gallon of Breathing Color's Timeless varnish? THey don't give an estimate on their web site.

[Dan Berg]

Not sure what the answer is with Timeless but spraying just several prints will give you the answer.
Measure 6 oz. of material into your gun and spray a larger print. 24" x 36" = 6 sq. ft.
You want to keep track of how many coats as each coat is considered 6 square feet of coverage.
See how much you use and do the math.

I did a test with Clearstar 2000 and used about 1 oz. of material for (3 light coats)for a 1 sq. ft. Print.
$12 per 12 oz. can = $1.00 per square ft of print. Pretty expensive!

[bill t.]

With GlamourII I've lately been putting down about 12ml of 1:1 solution per square foot, spread over three thin coats of about 4ml each.  6ml of that total amount is concentrate.  Have been experimenting with this for several months.  That amount seems enough to provide very robust protection from typical abrasion swipes, while still maintaining good clarity. 

That's for glossy canvas.  You may need about half that again for matte.

Less than that will leave the canvas texture peaks vulnerable.  That's with a good HVLP gun and carefully measured 4" swatches, done to the beat of a metronome, weighing of the gun after each coat.  If you're just sort of spraying randomly, you'll need more.  And it takes at least twice that amount to do a good job with a roller.

An important caution with Timeless is that it tends to create bubbles with anything except very thin coats.  GlamourII does not have that issue and in every way is an easier to use product.

I agree with Dan that a safe number for estimates is about 1 oz per square foot.  Remember that for best results you need to put down a certain amount of solution off to the sides of the image, which adds up to a significant percentage of the total when you are doing small prints.

Bottom line is that the water based coating is one of the smaller costs involved in making a canvas print, if you consider materials costs only.  But those solvent spray cans can add up fast, especially if you consider the cost of institutional care for solvent induced brain damage later on in life.  Have a nice day.

[PeterAit]

Thanks, Dan. I am rolling, not spraying. Anyway, I can estimate once I actually get started.

By the way, remember the tryptich on dibond you did for me a while back? It's in a show now and has received a lot of great comments.

[Dan Berg]

Peter,
I am glad to hear it worked out,thanks.

Bill,
Am only using the solvent products sparingly for canvas mounted flat to dibond or gatorboard.
Pretty much the same results as you and much prefer Glamor II.
Sprayed 5 gallons a week of that nasty conversion varnish for 25 years in the cabinetry days.
Am one lucky guy to not have gotten some sort of lung or skin cancer.