Hi fellow modellers.
Firstly, this Blog is solely for those people who are thinking about or intending using LeTonkinois varnish, as it has some unique properties that need to be understood before going ahead and using it. Also, I have no intentions of telling anyone what to do, wouldn't dream of it, but rather, only how I did it and arrived at a point where when finished I decided that it was the very best hand finished boat I could have ever hoped for, i.e. The Amati series one Riva Aquarama. It took many, many hours of varnishing test pieces, choosing brushes and even which White Spirit to use and no, they are not all the same! I had many failures, before I got it right. The main reason for turning to LeTonkinios was due to that fact that I couldn't get the original Italian varnish that Riva used. This was Stoppani and was applied using 4 inch brushes by the factory. Stoppani still exist but ceased making the one pack varnishes in favour of more modern 2 pack synthetic types which have to be applied by spraying, Riva then changed also to spraying their hulls and buffing to get the same perfect results as before.
I have been most fortunate, in that I was shown over then invited by the owner to take the helm of an original Aquarama, down along the Grand Canal in Venice and out into the lagoon. That's when I decided that I had just been in the most beautiful boat in the world, not having £700.000, instead, I decided to build my own, unfortunately only a little one, the Amati kit to be precise.
Before I continue with this Blog I would like to know if it would be of any help to anyone, as I don't want to waste your time as well as my time and the resources of MBM.
Mike.