Brightwork question...

[s2sailorlis]

Looking forward to the end of winter in Connecticut...my CD22 needs a major teak makeover.

My hope is to start cleaning/brightening/sanding as early as possible.

Question: let's say I can begin prep work in mid-March...if I cover the sanded/prepped teak (before treating with oil or varnish) will it begin to darken or am I good so long as the teak is covered. Due to some major time commits I sm trying to prep as early as i can..and varnish when the weather warms up a bit...

[Jim Walsh]

I'm sure there are pro's who can advise but this is what I did over the last two years (late fall 2013, early spring 2014). I chose a section which would reasonably allow me to sand, tack, and apply a first coat of my choice of finish, Cetol Marine Light, within two to three days. Biting off small chunks allowed me to witness results before a sense of being overwhelmed by the entirety of the project took hold. As I started sanding the next section I would allow the just completed section to dry for a day or two before applying a second coat. I started with the toerails because they required the most contortion on my part. I like to tackle the tough stuff first. By the time I got to the cockpit coamings it was a walk in the park, and I'd honed my skills sufficiently to be proud of the areas most often subjected to critical inspection by old salts, landlubbers, and such. I followed the guidance provided by Cetol in their application instructions and applied three coats of Cetol Marine Light followed up by two coats of Cetol Marine Gloss.

[jbenagh]

Your refinish schedule sounds pretty familiar. The sun is not so strong in March and April. I think you will find that the bulk removal is the bulk of the removal work. Just prior to the first varnish coat you will sand with about 220 which should take off any grayed teak. The first varnish coat is applied diluted 50% with the recommended thinner and dries very quickly so you can often apply it at the lower limit of recommended temperature. Be careful to allow for the recommended temperature for the full curing time; this can be difficult in early April with overnight temperatures.

Jeff

[gates_cliff]

I talked to a guy that does boat refinishing/detailing for a living. He removes the old varnish by heating it and scraping, claimed it comes right off and much faster than sanding. I assume he does light sanding before applying Cetol or whatever. I've never tried it and am kind of hesitant to use a heat source close to the fiberglass. I suppose he uses a heat gun.

Anyone have experience with this method?

[s2sailorlis]

Guys, thanks for input, but perhaps I was not clear in stating my question (certinaly my wife tells me that at times...ha)

Question: If I sand external teak in early March (think COLD weather in CT), then cover with a tarp to protect from UV, will the teak stay original color or will it gray/darken in color? I am time constrained in April/May timeframe, but want to sand in March, then wait until early May to coat the teak.

Thanks!

[tjr818]

In my limited experience, as long as the teak dos not get wet, you should be okay. One word of caution though our boats are now approaching 40 years old, If previous owners sanded the teak every three or so years that means the teak has been sanded well over a dozen times. How much teak do you think has been lost I have had bungs fall off that were only paper thin. More than half the thickness of my trim above the transom has been lost to some of the PO's orbital sanders. A scraper is far less damaging to the teak. That's my $.02

As Sergeant Esterhaus used to say "Be careful out there."

[David van den Burgh]

I talked to a guy that does boat refinishing/detailing for a living. He removes the old varnish by heating it and scraping, claimed it comes right off and much faster than sanding. I assume he does light sanding before applying Cetol or whatever. I've never tried it and am kind of hesitant to use a heat source close to the fiberglass. I suppose he uses a heat gun.

Anyone have experience with this method?

Yes, and that's the only way I'll remove finish from my teak now. Sanding should be a last resort. A heat gun and quality scraper make the job relatively easy and a whole lot less damaging. Varnish and Cetol will begin to bubble with the application of heat. As soon as the surface begins to bubble, I draw the scraper over the area. It's best to work an area about 6" or so in length at a time. It's certainly possible to scorch the fiberglass, but you'd have to keep the heat on the area for a bit. I think you'd begin smelling the warming gelcoat before you actually scorched it.

[Jim Walsh]

I talked to a guy that does boat refinishing/detailing for a living. He removes the old varnish by heating it and scraping, claimed it comes right off and much faster than sanding. I assume he does light sanding before applying Cetol or whatever. I've never tried it and am kind of hesitant to use a heat source close to the fiberglass. I suppose he uses a heat gun.

Anyone have experience with this method?

Yes, and that's the only way I'll remove finish from my teak now. Sanding should be a last resort. A heat gun and quality scraper make the job relatively easy and a whole lot less damaging. Varnish and Cetol will begin to bubble with the application of heat. As soon as the surface begins to bubble, I draw the scraper over the area. It's best to work an area about 6" or so in length at a time. It's certainly possible to scorch the fiberglass, but you'd have to keep the heat on the area for a bit. I think you'd begin smelling the warming gelcoat before you actually scorched it.

Entirely correct. I watched a pro stripping varnish several years ago in Bristol. I was working as a helper to a pro I'd hired to pull and replace my engine. The britework lady used the heat gun and scraper method (the pro's make it look so easy!) then lightly sanded befor applying her first coats. In my case all the britework was in the final act of "sun stripping" so a heat gun was useless. I sanded very carefully and no more than necessary. I have every intention of never letting my britework get back to such poor condition but we all know the road to **** is paved with good intentions

[gates_cliff]

In my limited experience, as long as the teak dos not get wet, you should be okay. One word of caution though our boats are now approaching 40 years old, If previous owners sanded the teak every three or so years that means the teak has been sanded well over a dozen times. How much teak do you think has been lost I have had bungs fall off that were only paper thin. More than half the thickness of my trim above the transom has been lost to some of the PO's orbital sanders. A scraper is far less damaging to the teak. That's my $.02

As Sergeant Esterhaus used to say "Be careful out there."

The teak on my boat has been sanded quite a bit, since the main hatch slides have become so thin that they are literally falling apart at the very aft end where they tend to get the most abuse. One of my project for this year is to replace them.

[s2sailorlis]

Tim, thanks for being on point and not hijacking the thread!

Re the teak, I don't think it was ever sanded, or if it was done, not very much. Lots of meaty teak left!

Rick

In my limited experience, as long as the teak dos not get wet, you should be okay. One word of caution though our boats are now approaching 40 years old, If previous owners sanded the teak every three or so years that means the teak has been sanded well over a dozen times. How much teak do you think has been lost I have had bungs fall off that were only paper thin. More than half the thickness of my trim above the transom has been lost to some of the PO's orbital sanders. A scraper is far less damaging to the teak. That's my $.02

As Sergeant Esterhaus used to say "Be careful out there."

[Squid]

Well... What many of the others said...
I would "Never" sand or possibly only as a last resort. I use a heat gun and it's easy or not that difficult after you figure it out... I keep it on low, at a distance... After a while you will figure out the correct distance and time to expose... And once loosened the varnish starts to come right up occasionaly in small sheets. Also keep your scrapper clean and the edge sharp, it helps a lot (carful not to gouge).
One caveat, I did and do sand lightly the bare wood but only to get teeth into the wood NOT to clean or level off.

If possible find a safe test spot to train yourself on the process, as you can burn the gelcoat or wood if there is prolonged exposure to the heat gun. I do light sanding between coats of varnish (to get teeth) and then clean with denatured alcohol. One thing to consider is starting with a sealer prior to the first coat of varnish it helps the varnish to grip a bit better. Since you are in the north and cold make sure the wood is NOT damp because if it hold it "WILL" lift next winter when the condensation freezes the moisture.

I have always waiting until the temp is at least 50 with low humidity to do my varnish work. I cheat and get started while it's still wrapped.

If you get mildew (black spots) there are solution to help kill this. I have used vinegar and water with a small touch of bleach. I also use the product sold by "Teak Guard" as a cleaner mildew remover and have had good luck with it. I varnish all the wood on the exterior with the exception of the toe-rail which is the biggest pain for me... I use Teak Guard on the toe rail because I never ever want to strip that area again.

Another thought.... Use that google search machine and you will get some good info as well.
Just some thoughts.

And to answer the original question... Should not be an issue if you keep the cleaned spots dry... !

[Paul D.]

I've done a lot of teak and agree with the heat gun method and very light sanding or cabinet scraper for prep. Nothing is more pleasurable than a sharp cabinet scraper. With the heat gun I use a 1" flat scraper and a red devil scraper sharpening them every couple hours or so.

I think you might need to clean the teak after trapping it for a month or two, good question. I get amazed how dirty the teak gets left unfinished in such a short amount of time. I would at least be prepared with teak cleaner and brightener and enough time to let that dry before finishing.

Good luck,

[Jim Evans]

Hi Rick,

I've been a diehard varnish enthusiast for many years, and it's all I use on my CD33. In your situation, I'd seal the bare wood if I were to leave it without a topcoat - use something like Interlux Inter-Prime (http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?pa ... &id=120516). Not only would this preserve the rich color until you could get to the varnish, it would allow your varnish to build up faster once you start varnishing. I'd give the sealed wood a light sanding before your first coat with thinned varnish. Inter-Prime is good stuff. And of course, I'd keep the wood covered until you could get to the varnish, in order to protect it from the elements.

[Ben Coombs]

Removing the coaming is easy and will allow you to work after dark in a basement with fan (with no fan it will smell like you're varnishing your whole house).

Then the only on site work will be for the toe rail.

Also brightwork in the basement promotes daydreaming about sailing.

[Skeep]

Well, I sanded all of mine. And, I removed all the pieces, as was just stated above, and took them home to my garage where I worked on them at my leisure. Plus, I used Epiphanes ( this is all photographed and described under my Eye Candy posts, i think...that's where I put it all ) and did the additional coats back to back right on schedule. I waited until nice weather to sand and fix my toe and rub rails. I think working in a controlled environment gave me personal satisfaction as I watched the wood come alive with color and a satisfying protection. Ok, ok, I know that sounds rather strange, but these boats have such character LOL.

You probably don't have the issues of a prior owner as much as I did on my little bitty boat. I wanted to make sure I started with "my" baseline appearance. Therefore, I sanded and removed tons of scrapes and problems from previous years of both nurturing care and neglect, which, over time I am sure Baggy Wrinkles had much of both.

And so now I simply hit my varnish in the springtime with a very light hand sanding and a foam brush that coats it again and again....