when refinishing a bamboo blank is it best to use a dip tube or just paint the varnish on with a brush, or is there another way.

You can get good results with the brush. A dip tube is good if your going to do more than one , once in a while. You can hand apply a tung oil, or even Tru-Oil is a nice finish on bamboo. The point is really to apply a finish, let it dry, lightly sand, re-apply, dry, sand, etc...... til you get what you want.. (not necessarily what someone else wants)sp?

Tight lines

Art
mrparramoure@yahoo.com

Why brush when you can dip? Dipping is far superior. Doesn't need to be elaborate. PVC pipe is fine. You don't need a lot of varnish either. A simple string and single pulley attached above the tube will work. Trick is withdrawal rate. Varies with varnishes. Just go slow and steady. I salvaged a motor and gear reduction unit out of a copier and it works just fine.