Straining (after the gentle heating) did seem to reduce the dust problem but not eliminate it. The problem is that the fewer specks thera are the more noticable the individual ones become...

> What seems strange to me is that at the first stroke of the brush
> (foam or otherwise), if I look at the surface in reflected light,
> I see dust specks instantly. I've gone great lengths (well, some lengths)
> to ensure a low-dust environment: clean plastic tent over the entire
> boat, water on the floor, tack cloth the surface. I didn't strain
> the varnish, but this was a fresh can. Is this where I went wrong?
> It's not horrible, but like you Pete, I'll probably end up having
> to do the asymptotic sanding. Thanks for the tip on the 3M product;
> I'll look into it.

> Ross