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Retrolak® is a durable and flexible varnish that leaves the surface with a beautiful golden finish. When opened the varnish forms a skin in the can/bucket and will gel and thicken if left standing for more than 14 days. Therefore, we recommend ordering quantities so that you start with a fresh can/bucket when applying a new layer.
Varnish is one of the hardest surface treatments that can be made. Therefore, one should not expect it to be made simply from water or linseed oil – stronger agents are required. We do not believe it is responsible to produce a "water-based varnish" that, in addition to a lot of plastic, also contains solvents, preservatives, and sometimes the much-discussed P-FAS (surface tension reducing agent). Instead, we prefer to revive the historical oil-alkyd varnish from the 1930s. Alkyd is an unsaturated fatty acid that has reacted with alcohol, and is therefore quite harmless.
To keep an oil-alkyd varnish liquid during application, it is necessary to add solvents, which, upon evaporation, initiate the varnish's curing process. Therefore, when using this varnish, you must wear a mask with a filter against the solvents. Once the solvents have evaporated, the issue with this varnish is resolved, and you can safely move back into the room. Compared to the "water-based varnish," you avoid living in a room polluted by harsh preservatives, and you do not release microplastics into the environment when sanding the surface or washing brushes and rollers. You can simply sit back and enjoy the much more beautiful finish you get as a kind of bonus by using this type of varnish. We have worked hard to reintroduce the varnish and believe it deserves its own name – we call it Retrolak®