Cetol

[rappareems]

I have been working on my brightwork... three coats of cetol light put on followed by two coats of clear... Everything was fine after the first coat of clear.  After the second coat of clear I went to the boat the next day and some of the "flat" surfaces were a bit "milky" and I could detect some tiny bubbles... I am thinking the finish was still tacky when a heavy dew settled on the surfaces.  Also we are under a lot of trees and the pollen is a bit brutal this season... Any suggestions?

Mark

[Exodus]

Light sand and apply another coat.  Repeat as necessary.

[Clay Greene]

I agree with light sand and apply another coat to see if it was just some issue with the last coat that was the problem.  But Cetol is not varnish - you don't have to apply a half-dozen coats to protect the wood and to get a good finish.  I found that too many made the finish look like plastic and obscured the grain of the wood.  I used three coats of the marine natural light and one coat of gloss.  Each year I would do a scrub with a 3M pad, vacuum and wipe, and put on one additional coat of gloss to keep it looking shiny. 

In my experience, following the instructions on the side of the paint/finish can generally results in overkill.  Bottom paint is the worst in that regard.  A wise old sailor warned me once that the people writing the instructions work for the company that makes money when you buy more paint.  And then they sell you the stripping materials when you have to take it all off.