When you have a video that’s not too exciting, there are a couple ways to make it interesting. You can have a cute silly animal in it, or speed it up to make it look like an old silent comedy. Let’s just say I didn’t have any animals available. Here’s two hours of painting in about half a minute:
I’m at the finish work stage of the 12 1/2 restoration. That always seems like the time when the end is near. Then I remember how much work is involved in painting and varnishing. The actual application of the finish is pretty quick, but for every hour of application, you might have 2 to 4 hours of preparation. So, for new wood, you’re looking at 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of topcoat. Or, for varnish, maybe 4 to 6 coats depending on the level of quality you’re looking for. And remember, you have to sand before each coat if you want the stuff to last… we do. When you already have a sound layer of finish on the wood, you can sometimes get away with cleaning, scuffing, and topcoating. Either way, there is usually some filling to do. With big blemishes on raw wood, I’ll typically use filled epoxy to make an easily sanded fairing compound. For small stuff, you can use a 1-part putty that dries quickly and sands easily. Although the prep work can be arduous and time consuming, it’s all for naught if you can’t apply the finish properly. Most people have painted a room in their house, or some such, and assume they know how to paint. I thought the same thing when I first started. Man, was I wrong! It honestly took me around 4 or 5 years of professional practice to feel like I was getting a consistently high quality finish job. It all boils down to that final coat. If it’s not good enough, you have to sand it and do it again. It’s all worth it when you see that smooth mirror gloss finish that looks like glass. Until that first bump into the dock. Ouch.