Having left the epoxy to cure overnight, I carried out the next part of the test first thing this morning.

The peel ply has been removed.

A close up view of the surface of the test piece shows the epoxy and the pattern in the epoxy surface that the peel ply leave when it is removed.

One coat of varnish has been applied and I'll leave this to dry for 24 hours before putting on a second coat. Additional coats will be applied on subsequent mornings and we shall see what the result looks like orator three or four coats. I think that will be a sufficient number of coats for the test.