Heat gun to remove Cetol

[Sea Hunt]

I am reading an excellent book on finishing wood - Brightwork The Art of Finishing Wood by Rebecca Wittman.

She recommends using a heat gun and scraper to remove varnish. Ms. Wittman does not discuss Cetol, at least not that I have read so far.

Can a heat gun be used to help remove Cetol from teak When reading about other suggestions in her book can I safely substitute the word "Cetol" for "varnish" That is, can the methods and procedures she recommends for varnish be generally applied to Cetol?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions, recommendations, etc.

[Jerry Hammernik]

Sea Hunt,
I used a heat gun and scraper to remove Cetol. Worked just fine.

Good Luck!

[sharkbait]

I helped my dock neighbor remove the Cetol from his teak with a heat gun and a putty knife; it worked fine. I used a glove on the working hand and kept most of the heat concentrated on the blade of the putty knife. Two of us stripped a 37 foot Endeavour in one day.

[frankfurder]

I have used a heat gun twice to remove cetol and it works fine with a pull scraper (4 edges kind). you do have to be careful not to stay too long on one spot as it can burn the teak. Then it is difficult to sand down to remove the dark spot.
I typically use the heat gun first, removing as much cetol as possible, then a finishing sander with 100 grit paper. I then scrub the teak with a TSP solution to lift out the dirt and finish with hand sanding the final stubborn finish.

Good luck!

[jbenagh]

Rebecca's book is excellent. To prevent damaging the wood pay special heed to her advice to always pull a scraper. With a putty knife you must push it and can easily gouge the wood. The safest thing to use is a cabinet scraper but they are very difficult to hold along with the heat gun and dull quickly. You can use a paint scraper also -- the ones with replaceable carbide tips cut nicely and last a long time.

Jeff

[Anthony P. Jeske]

Hi:
I too, use a heat gun to soften the Cetol before scraping. I use a Pro Prep scraper and am very pleased with it. It'll need to be sharpened from time to time, but is easily done with a file.
Here's a look at one: http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11211
Between coats, I roughen with a non-metallic abrasive pad then wipe with a tack cloth.
Regards,
Tony Jeske

[Dalton]

After 12 years of maintaining, patching and feathering the Armada finish it's time. I'm considering a Milwaukee heat gun. I assumed I'd be pushing a putty knife for most of it. Thanks for the heads up. I'll try both for sure now. I'm leaning towards varnish this time and maybe a compromise with Armada on the rails and bowsprit and varnish inboard.

Greg

[Gary M]

Aqua Strip is biodegradable, and contains no caustic chemicals.

I used it to strip off the Cetol on my CD22 a couple of years back and was very pleased with the results.

I found it available on the web with no problems.

Gary

[John Danicic]

After 12 years of maintaining, patching and feathering the Armada finish it's time. I'm considering a Milwaukee heat gun. I assumed I'd be pushing a putty knife for most of it. Thanks for the heads up. I'll try both for sure now. I'm leaning towards varnish this time and maybe a compromise with Armada on the rails and bowsprit and varnish inboard.

Greg

The Milwaukee heat gun is a very good tool. I highly recommend it. Last fall, I used my Milwaukee to strip off the Cetol on the toe rails of Mariah after she was hauled for winter. What with moving ladders and planks, it took me two long mornings to get both sides off. I used a one inch carbide scraper but would also recommend a small kitchen parring knife with a very sharp flat tip to get at the spots around the stays and the genny track. The heat gun gives you dry flakes of Cetol that is easy to vacuum up. Keep it moving and scrape with the grain. You should be fine.

This Spring I will be applying Honey Teak to the rails after a good scrubbing and a sanding. I would prefer varnish but our weather is too uncertain to get the necessary number of coats on with the proper conditions. Honey Teak goes on quickly and has lasted well for others in my marina. I am looking forward to not stripping the toes ever again. http://www.signaturefinish.com/

But I have been told that I am living in a fools paradise. So be it.

Sail on.

John Danicic
CD36 - Mariah #124
Lake Superior

[Sea Hunt]

For what it may be worth, I just bought the Milwaukee Heat Gun Model No. 750 at Home Depot for $60. I have only opened the box and read the manual (very short).

I have not used this heat gun yet (Monday will be a test day). However, in handling it, etc., it seems well made, comfortable, not too heavy (not too light or flimsy either).

The make/model suggested by Ms. Wittman is not sold in any hardware store website I could find. I was unsuccessful in reaching the company referenced in her book that sells them.

I have a scraper that I have used on a friend's O'Day 33. It worked well (without a heat gun) and I will use the scraper with the heat gun Monday and report back on it's effectiveness.

P.S. Some may ask why I am not doing the work today or tomorrow. Today I was racing - Harbor 20s. Great weather - 80 degrees, jet blue sky, 8-10 kts easterly. I again categorically deny I am trying to "rub it in" for those northerners stuck in -10 degrees, 6'-8' snow, 30 mph snowstorms, etc. Know that you are in my thoughts as I sit by the pool sipping a Margarita, listening too jazz, and making sure I do not get too sunburned Well, alright, maybe I am rubbing it in just a little.

Tomorrow is "GAME DAY". The entire morning is allocated to "pre-game prep time" - organizing the beer, pretzels, nachos, dip, etc. requires my full attention. Game time is 1300 hours.

My sweetheart (S/V Tadpole) will have to be patient until Monday morning.

[Russell]

Heat gun will work on Cetol. I used a heat gun to remove the Armada that was on my boat when I bought it (similar to cetol, a company started by chemists who left Sikkens to compete with Cetol). It does not come off as easy as varnish and you have to be much more careful about overheating, you can actually heat it to the point it actually becomes harder to remove.

The milwaukee heat gun is the best out there. I am not aware if there is more then one model, I dont think so, in which case you did great at $60, I think I paid over $100 for mine. Its the only variable heat model out there that really works well. You will take some time to find your "zone", some may prefer more heat furthur away, some less but closer. Your main concern is not burning the wood, but with practice and starting off easy, you will be fine and find your groove and the cetol will be coming off with ease. When you get the right groove its pretty fun.

As for scrapers, avoid the disposible ones, awful, if it has a press shaped blade with a blade that is meant to be replaced, do not use it. West Marine recently started selling a proper scraper, with heavy SS blades (two shapes), this is a good start. Even better is a scraper with several head shapes, this is a nice one: http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... se+Scraper Even better if you invest in some of the blade kits with various shapes and sizes to get into the odd spots and irregular shaped areas, there is about 10 available shapes.

With a real scraper a good sharpener is important, kept at hand while you strip, a few quick swipes on the sharpener between scrapes makes a huge difference. You want the same kind of sharpener you use for your chisels, a brick shape with different grits on each side. For a pro a diamond sharpener is worth it, I do not own one, but have used one and it really makes a huge difference. I use your typical $10 block sharpener for my scrapers, chisels and planes.

[Russell]

Aqua Strip is biodegradable, and contains no caustic chemicals.

I used it to strip off the Cetol on my CD22 a couple of years back and was very pleased with the results.

I found it available on the web with no problems.

Gary

Stripper works well with any wood finish, but I wanted to add that you should not use a chemical stripper if your decks or hull are painted. No matter how well you mask, you will get a drip here or there, or it will penetrate the tape, and you will have a lot of work to restore your finish. If you have origonal gel coat though, you are okay with it, but do not let the stripper linger, it can dull you gel coat finish (though at most CDs age, it wont be noticable).

[Sea Hunt]

Home Depot actually sells seven (7) different Milwaukee heat guns ranging in price from $20 to $143. I bought the Model 750 for the regular list price of $60. It received good reviews in a few different home repair websites.

I am sure it does not have all the "bells and whistles" of the higher priced models, but hopefully it will do for the small job I have at this time. What I found interesting (or peculiar) was that the heat gun does not have the name "Milwaukee" anywhere on the unit. Strange. It does say "Made in China" so I guess I will test for lead deposits.

I think this is the website for Home Depot that lists the Milwaukee heat guns available either in store or on line.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... &langId=-1

[John Danicic]

P.S. Some may ask why I am not doing the work today or tomorrow. Today I was racing - Harbor 20s. Great weather - 80 degrees, jet blue sky, 8-10 kts easterly. I again categorically deny I am trying to "rub it in" for those northerners stuck in -10 degrees, 6'-8' snow, 30 mph snowstorms, etc. Know that you are in my thoughts as I sit by the pool sipping a Margarita, listening too jazz, and making sure I do not get too sunburned Well, alright, maybe I am rubbing it in just a little.

Tomorrow is "GAME DAY". The entire morning is allocated to "pre-game prep time" - organizing the beer, pretzels, nachos, dip, etc. requires my full attention. Game time is 1300 hours.

My sweetheart (S/V Tadpole) will have to be patient until Monday morning.

Yes rub it in. It will create heat which our diamond clear, zero degree days up here need. You will be working up a sweat down there. I find that 30 to 45 degrees is about perfect for scraping teak. The heat gun warms your hands and keeps you face toasty as well.

I forgot to mention my trusty scraper and since I could not find any identifying marks I took a photo of it. I am sure that they are cheep and a quick touch up with a fine file is all you need to get it sharp. At 7/8 inch wide it seems to be the right size for most of the teak trim.

Sail on

John Danicic
CD 36 Mariah #124
Lake Superior

[SurryMark]

I'd like to know if the response that I've gotten to Cetol is common among CDers. I looked at Cape Dorys, Pearsons, Bristols, and a few non-Alberg boats on the way to landing my new 27. Many of the boats I looked at - including my new baby -had Cetol brightwork. I looked with my sweetie and several deep boat people. To a person, every one of them said "ugg, Cetol!" The assumption was that I'd be taking the stuff off and doing something else to the wood.

I'm said to be fairly good with colors and finishes. It's been a big part of my life. To me, Cetol just looks like thin reddish-brown paint, the sort of thing you'd find perfectly acceptable on a well-kept work boat, for example. It's not my first choice for a look, but when I look at varnish all I see is pain. When I think of using oil on a grf boat I see hard-to-clean drips. I like paint well enough, though I'm yet to see a CD with painted trim. Bare teak washed to gray with salt water is a go-sailing look.

I'd like to hear some aesthetic or other responses on the issue. A group so informed on locked or free-wheeling props must have some good insights. I don't want to kiss off the looks issue with "good enough for a work boat" because a boat is public as well as a private pleasure. When we say we like to turn heads, we hope we're not turning them away, right?