> Rehd, I'm not sure you'd want to put epoxy over any varnish. Be sure to
> test it. I have heard that leaving it out in the sun for a week or so will
> set the color.

Don and anyone who may have read my earlier post: I was in error on the "Washcoat", as we always used [ denatured alcohol and "shellac" in a 7:1 mixture. ] I mistakenly wrote varnish because I was reading other posts on varnishing. My appologies for the error and I hope nobody attempted the previous mixture. Thanks Don for the correction. With the shellac mixture we never had any reaction to any type of finish, however we never did any resin or glass/resin finishes so it would be something you'd want to try-out on a test piece first. The washcoat works by soaking into the softer wood/grains and sealing up the pores that would draw in more of your finish and easily discolor. If you hunt down the White/Shellac (clear) you get little to no discoloring. With standard shellac you may get a slight yellowing in lighter woods like pine.If you can find some shellac in the small cans ( 3 to 5 oz. ? ) you can do some experimenting with it and not be out any big $$. Once the can is opened however, you can't keep it for any length of time as it turns dark as mollasses. One last note on the washcoat: when you are doing an end/grain, you may want to use a 4:1 mixture. End/grain being harder to seal as it draws fluids like a straw. When you sand it lightly to remove the fuzz, you won't even know it's there. Just "FIRST" try it out with the resin finish before using it on a boat. I'd try it out first except my resin and glass is in transit as I speak and not sure when it will arrive. I will test it and get back to you if nobody else has already tried it. On the sun-setting of color in redwood, that is a no-no also. The sun is not a friend of redwood. When I worked in wholesale lumber, we kept all redwood except the roughsawn timbers in sheds. If left out in the sun, it would bleach out in a matter of days. All you'd get is a lighter/dark discoloring of your pieces. Another note on washcoats is that they tend to give your work-piece a sort of 3/D affect. It gives the grain a depth that is quite interesting. Mind you, I've only done it with Pine, Oak, Birch, Alder, Ash, and some Mahogany and don't know if it will do the same with Redwood, but.....??????? Might be worth a test also. Thanks again Don for the correction.

Rehd