On Aug 7, 11:17*am, canuck_bob wrote:

I found Veeduber's thread on flying on the cheap and am looking into
earlier practices of using varnish. *I am going to locate some fabric
samples and experiment. *I'm thinking a guy should be able to tint a
good exterior varnish with silver tint (aluminum paste ?) for UV
protection.
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Dear Bob,

I think it would be wise to take any of my earlier posts with a grain
of salt and to proceed as you've outlined above.

All finishes shrink to some degree. It will take some experimentation
to confirm the practicality of any particular product.

Personally, I've been experimenting with water-based varnish. I only
have about 18 months of data but its characteristics are a virtual
match to your stated requirements (availability, low-cost, etc.) The
points about which I can not comment have to do with its durability
after long-term exposure to sunlight. Right now I have a test panel
on the roof of my garage and another inside of it. I would like to
gather five years of data before determining its usefulness but
there's a high probability I may not live that long.

I've not done any experiments with colored water-based varnish but I'm
confident that artist's colors as used for watercoloring and other
water-based use... possibly some screen-printing inks?.... should
prove acceptable.

-R.S.Hover