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What should you use to varnish your eggs?

Updated: 10/27/2022
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Lisacooney

Lvl 1
15y ago

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There are many different kinds of varnish that are suitable for pysanky. They range from inexpensive everyday varnishes to high end specialty varnishes. In choosing one for your pysanky, you should consider the type of finish you would like (satin versus glossy), how many eggs you will need to varnish, and how much you have to spend. Traditional Ukrainian pysanky were not varnished–to make them shiny, the pysanka-maker might rub a bit of goose or pork fat over the completed shell. While this may look OK in the short term, in the long term dust and grime accumulate and mar the finish. The insides of a pysanka dry up over time–the gases that build up inside pass through the permeable egg shell. If a full egg is varnished, the gases may build up and cause cracking, leaking and explosions (and quite smelly ones at that). If you plan to varnish your pysanky, you should either work on emptied egg shells, or empty the eggs either before or after varnishing. Most importantly, make sure that any varnish you use is OIL-BASED, not water-based. (Ask at the store if you are not certain; many brands sell both water and oil based varnishes under the same name.) Using a water-based varnish like shellac will wash the dyes off of the shell of the egg, ruining your pysanka.

=EVERYDAY VARNISHES= Polyurethane varnish This varnish has been around for a long time, and is used by many pysanka artists. It is clear, relatively inexpensive (a small jar goes a very long way), and dries to a nice, clear satin or gloss finish overnight. Brand names include Varathane and Minwax. A disadvantage of polyurethane varnishes is that they yellow slightly with age, and do not have UV protection. Since these varnishes were meant for wood product (furniture), the slight yellowing is considered a good thing by the makers. Different polyurethane varnishes have different degrees of yellowing; it is best to ask at your hardware store for a recommendation. AVOID marine spar varnish–it yellows A LOT! These varnishes are very easy to apply: put a few drops of varnish in the palm of your hand (using a vinyl glove makes clean-up much easier), and roll the egg around until it is evenly coated. It is best to apply it lightly, to avoid drips and thick spots. The newly varnished egg shoud be dried on a drying rack, either a fancy wooden one, or simply three thumbtacks pushed through a bit of cardboard (pointed ends against the egg shell). If the egg is already emptied, it can be dried by placing it on an upright skewer or thicker floral wire to dry (through the hole used for emptying). Eggs will dry in a few hours in dry conditions (e.g. my house in winter), and make take a day or longer in humid conditions (e.g. my house in summer). When buying varnish, purchase the smallest jar available, as it really lasts. Opening and closing the top of the can repeatedly dents it, breaking the seal and allowing air in. The varnish then thickens, crusts over and gets yellower, and will NOT look nice on an egg. DO NOT use thickened, yellowed varnish, unless you are applying it to a brown egg pysanka.

=SPECIALTY VARNISHES= Golden MSA Hard with UVLS This product can be purchased through retailers of fine art supplies, who often have to special-order it. It cannot be shipped, so you can't buy it online. Be sure to get the kind that says "Hard" otherwise you will find the varnish will not dry! Be sure to get the kinds that says UVLS (which stands for ultraviolet light spectrum) otherwise you will find that the dyes fade in natural light over time.

Finally, you must ignore the manufacturer's instructions. This product was designed to be thinned with mineral spirits and sprayed onto paintings. When the varnish ages, it can be removed with mineral spirits without damaging the art work and reapplied. Also, it is perfectly clear, and provides UVLS protection. Pysanky artists are using the product in a way that the manufacturer never intended or expected. (It works beautifully, though!) This is why you will not find detailed instructions on how to use MSA for pysanky elsewhere. After you dip an egg in MSA and invert it to dry, you have to watch it for a

while as the MSA slowly drains off the egg. Small drips of MSA will form at the base of the egg near the wire on which it is balanced, and you have to remove these with a paintbrush dipped in mineral spirits. The paintbrush should be fairly dry, though, because you don't want to thin the MSA - the only purpose of the mineral spirits is to keep the paintbrush from getting hard and stiff and unusable. Keep the brush in a small jar of MSA, and dab it on a paper towel before wiping the drips. It is difficult to apply MSA with your hands (gloved, of course) because the gloves interact chemically with the MSA. The varnish does not apply smoothly and does not self-level when applied with your hands. Also, a lot of varnish is wasted using that method, because so much of it ends up on the gloves

and gets discarded.

You can spray MSA, but to do so you have to thin it a lot with mineral spirits, which then requires multiple applications to get the hard glossy finish pysanky artists strive for. Also, you have to deal with ventilation issues - breathing in the spray is quite bad for your lungs! Do not thin the MSA because the varnish will not dry and the egg will remain tacky.

Ginny Barkman provided the following commentary: In the case of MSA, there are two drying processes that must happen for the film to be totally dry. Evaporative drying (where all the solvent in the liquid varnish must evaporate out of the finish), and

oxidative drying, where oxygen actually changes the state of the varnish molecules. Evaporative drying happens fairly quickly and is not really finished, as long as one detects an odor coming off the finish. Oxidative drying requires exposure to oxygen and takes a long time to happen, possibly as much as 6 months to a year, (as it does with paint on an oil painting). You can recoat before the oxidative drying is complete, but the longer time waited between coats means higher success in achieving that perfect finish. You can recoat before the evaporative process is totally achieved as well, but the success rate goes down as the impatience goes up. Do not expect your finish to be really-really "dry" for a long time. Basically it boils down to a few simple things when using MSA. How patient are you? How willing are you to do a really good job on cleaning your egg before varnishing it? If you intend to use a solvent, are you willing to use the proper solvent or are you going to substitute something else and expect things to work out perfect? If you use MSA un-diluted by solvent, are you willing to tend it until it no longer sheets or drips? This might mean a half hour or an hour of your undivided attention. A lot of people complain that MSA doesn't work for them. Even in fairly humid conditions, it seems to work. If many coats are applied, and one allows sufficient drying between coats, it will be very glossy and deep in appearance. Many coats will take a long time and greater skill in tending to the process. One might ask, how long? The answer is: "As long as you are able to tolerate the wait, and then some". A few key points... you must have good ventilation during the varnishing, so the evaporative process can take place. You must also have plenty of air around the egg later, so that it is in contact with oxygen allowing the oxidative drying to continue. This means, do not wrap it in plastic bubble wrap, use uncoated paper tissue. Do not use Kleenex or other soft fiber papers, as this invites the sticking of fibres to the varnish. Do not set the egg on plastic or waxed Easter grass, as this acts like a plastic wrap around the egg. Do not store eggs in styrofoam cartons. This also encloses it far too much to allow proper airflow for continued oxidative drying. When shipping an egg, use only paper cartons and paper tissue to

pack, not styrofoam peanuts. Cushion by using loose papers and successive inner cartons, not tightly packed single boxed materials. Avoid using excessive plastic tape on the outer carton, as this makes

it more airtight.
Soluvar Gloss Varnish Soluvar Gloss Varnish made by Liquitex is an archival removable varnish made for acrylic and oil paintings. It works well with eggs because it is colorless and non-yellowing and contains UV light stabilizers. It is thin and can be applied manually. Because of the thin consistency it dries quickly. The can recommends 3-5 days for drying time of paintings. Eggs seem to be dry overnight, but I have found some tackiness when applying a second or third coat too soon. The finish is shiny, but not glassy like an epoxy. The product comes in a small can with an inside protective metal cap that needs to be removed. The metal cap can be removed easily with an exacto knife.

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