Why won't the varnish I applied on my slingshot harden.
Its can is labeled with 'decorative pigmented varnish'.It scratches very easily.I waited for days!!

What's wrong.It's quite expensive ,though.

hmmm, should probably have gone for a tough polyurethane varnish suitable for outside application. That would dry faster, be tougher and be waterproof.

Why are you varnishing a sling ?

No,not sling,it's slingshot(beanflipper)

SLINGSHOT!!!! :o
[glb]TRAITOR[/glb]

Just kidding, really

Sorry I can't be of anyhelp.
But I do think an outside varnish would be more proper.

any wood finshes will sctrach. did you buy the right varnish for the type of wood you have?

The problem is it scracthes TOO easily.A slight press with my thumb-nail will leave a deep mark.I applied it in the right way, too.It is labled 'for interior and exterior use'.

When I compare it to the varnish applied to the handles of some commercial tools like brush,hammer, they are much harder than my varnish.

I have been spending the whole month working on my slingshot.!!!!Can I apply polyurethane over the old varnish??Is urethane suitable for wood?Anyway thanks alot.

yep polyurethane varnish is suitable for most things - get a ship grade one if you can or just a general purpose outdoor brand. Varnishes for ships decks have to be resistant to wear and tear and salt water so will tend to be tougher than ordinary varnish.
You would probably be better cleaning the other varnish off first and allow the new tougher stuff to bind directly to the wood.
Basically any polyurethane varnish suitable for outdoor furniture should do the trick, but ships varnish if you can get it.

'decorative & pigmented' aren't words I would generally associate with a tough outdoor varnish. Go for words like: 'scratch resistant, tough, exterior grade, weather resistant etc'.
You want HARD varnish, varnish that can crack walnuts with it's biceps - that kind of thing :-) A picture of a big hammer on the tin is also a good idea :-)

What's a bean flipper ? My idea of a slingshot is a y shaped bit of wood with a big elastic band. I can't imagine varnishing one so what you've got is probably different :-)

I always coat my atlatls with a polyurethane coat after they've been varnished.  Forget being primitive about things,  I want the piece of primitive weaponry that I worked hard on to last!

I use the word beanflipper because some people may get confused with the sling and the slingshot. :)

I want to varnish it because it took a great effort to make.The wood I use has a weakness.When it touches water,its grain will raise like hell. :-/

Perhaps my 'masterpiece' will last forever. ;D

The varnish I used is quite beautiful.I don't want to remove it. :-/

I love the golden pine colour of the pigmented varnish.The wood I use has no beautiful colour.I have to beautify it. ;)

I also subjected it to high temperature in my car,still it remains soft.

I also have problems in purchasing these items.The seller in the hardware doesn't know English.He said that the varnish I picked is shellac!!How come?It's labled  'varnish' on the can.

I asked him if it's hard after curing , he doesn't know!I'm sure he won't know what is stain and polyurethane. :( :(
I can't get these items.

shellac is not hard - Most of the finishis/polishes I use for wood turning are shellac based.
It's fairly soft but will burnish to a good shine.

Go read my previous post :-) for what you should be buying.