You may wish to apply a glossy (or satin) finish to your pysanka once it is completed. Varnishing has two principle reasons: aesthetic and protective.  Most people find eggs with a shiny or satin finish to be more attractive.  The varnish will protect the eggs from water damage (the dyes will run if the pysanka shell becomes damp or any droplets of water fall on it) and strengthen the shell

I use clear gloss urethane, a synthetic varnish, and have a small card table I use as a drying table.  It is covered with a cheap plastic table cover to protect it from the varnish.  Here you see the eggs from my Ukrainian school class ready for dyeing:

I use medium vinyl gloves (men should wear a large), and dip my finger into the varnish to get a bit into the palm of my hand

Gloves aren’t absolutely necessary, but getting varnish off of your hands can be brutally difficult.  I then pick up an egg, and roll it around in the palm of my hand.  I generally use one hand for picking up and placing in the rack (my right) , and the other for rolling around.  You should wear gloves on both hands if you do this.  

Once the egg is evenly–but not thickly-coated, I place it on he drying rack.  Remember, it is better to do a second coat because the first was too thin, than to have an egg on which the varnish was too thickly applied and has formed bumps and drips!

It usually takes at least 24 hours for the varnish to dry completely–longer if the air is damp, as in the summer, but often much more quickly when the air is dry, as in the winter.  Leave the eggs onthe rack until they are  NO LONGER STICKY.  If you remove them too soon, and place them in an egg carton, they may stick to the carton.

Once you have varnished your pysanka, you must decide whether to leave the egg intact, or empty out its contents. The varnish seals the egg’s shell, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the egg to dry out as it would normally.  Eggs which have not been emptied may, if they have small cracks, leak or, if they don’t, explode.  Neither is pleasant, and can be downright disgusting. 

If you don’t wish to empty the eggs, you probably should not varnish them, to decrease the probability of explosion.  The inside will dry up over time. 

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