Varnish Yacht Brightwork Like A Pro - Part 1
If you are an old traditionalist like me pleasure, a yacht is not a real boat unless there is some outside light work (varnished teak) on the boat. But the trend of manufacturers today is teak boats or no feasible. The modern consumer does not want to be bothered by such routine tasks as maintaining teak.
How sad. I even hear buyers say "if there is a teak outdoor, I do not want this boat." For me, the high gloss brightwork give a character yacht.
The key brightwork is to perform annual maintenance before it really necessary .. Do not let it begins to crack and peel, you waited too long. But for the sake of discussion let's say you're looking for a trawler more you plan to buy from me. The owner left his brilliant work go and it needs revitalization. Would it just be better to avoid this boat? No, not at all, but lets talk about how we can get her back in shape.
The first thing to consider is whether we should just sand the existing varnish or strip to bare wood.
If we need to get the old varnish completely we must go to our favorite hardware store and get a heat gun and a putty knife metal 2-3 inches, look in the department of painting. This method is preferable to the use of chemicals. Do not even think of using a sander! Using the heat gun at full power air, hold about 4 inches from the surface at an angle, you will see the polish and soften with a little help from your putty knife, he immediately comes to long thin sheets . Do not get too close or you blaze teak. When you have removed the varnish, sand with sandpaper 120 and 220 to obtain a smooth surface.
So how varnish that does not need to remove but needs maintenance? I made my annual maintenance last weekend and here's the summary. My 94 foot trawler teak handrail to give you an idea of what we have done and how long it took.
My choice of finish is Sikkens Cetol. It is a product made for teak by Awlgrip factory.
Grocery List
· Hot air gun (if you're taking off the old varnish)
· Sandpaper 120/220 grit
Strip · 7 days blue painter
· Mineral spirits
· Tack rags
· Soap
Step 1 - Clean the teak
The first thing you want to do is get a little soapy water and really clean dirt your teak. Get the dirt and grime off. Wipe and let it dry. Then, very important here, moisten a cloth with mineral spirits and wipe the teak again. The solvent will remove any wax or silicon that could raise your nail later sanding with these substances left on it will force them to the surface that will lift you arrive later.
Time - 30 minutes
Step 2 -
After the brightwork is clean, we must roughen part to make the new paint adhere. Using sandpaper, medium grain, 220 grain, we gently scrapes the surface of the finish. Not enough to go through the wood mind you, but just to bring down the shine and flatten the surface. Using a tack rag, remove all dust. Then tape up any metal adjacent to keep varnish away from these areas that you do not need to varnish. If you spend a little time with the tape 7 days blue painter to hide these places, it will save a lot of time later you.
Preparation time - 2 hours. In our next article, we will start the nail polish.
Mike Dickens, the author is a trawler owner, cruise ship and broker / owner of Paradise Yachts ......
If you are an old traditionalist like me pleasure, a yacht is not a real boat unless there is some outside light work (varnished teak) on the boat. But the trend of manufacturers today is teak boats or no feasible. The modern consumer does not want to be bothered by such routine tasks as maintaining teak.
How sad. I even hear buyers say "if there is a teak outdoor, I do not want this boat." For me, the high gloss brightwork give a character yacht.
The key brightwork is to perform annual maintenance before it really necessary .. Do not let it begins to crack and peel, you waited too long. But for the sake of discussion let's say you're looking for a trawler more you plan to buy from me. The owner left his brilliant work go and it needs revitalization. Would it just be better to avoid this boat? No, not at all, but lets talk about how we can get her back in shape.
The first thing to consider is whether we should just sand the existing varnish or strip to bare wood.
If we need to get the old varnish completely we must go to our favorite hardware store and get a heat gun and a putty knife metal 2-3 inches, look in the department of painting. This method is preferable to the use of chemicals. Do not even think of using a sander! Using the heat gun at full power air, hold about 4 inches from the surface at an angle, you will see the polish and soften with a little help from your putty knife, he immediately comes to long thin sheets . Do not get too close or you blaze teak. When you have removed the varnish, sand with sandpaper 120 and 220 to obtain a smooth surface.
So how varnish that does not need to remove but needs maintenance? I made my annual maintenance last weekend and here's the summary. My 94 foot trawler teak handrail to give you an idea of what we have done and how long it took.
My choice of finish is Sikkens Cetol. It is a product made for teak by Awlgrip factory.
Grocery List
· Hot air gun (if you're taking off the old varnish)
· Sandpaper 120/220 grit
Strip · 7 days blue painter
· Mineral spirits
· Tack rags
· Soap
Step 1 - Clean the teak
The first thing you want to do is get a little soapy water and really clean dirt your teak. Get the dirt and grime off. Wipe and let it dry. Then, very important here, moisten a cloth with mineral spirits and wipe the teak again. The solvent will remove any wax or silicon that could raise your nail later sanding with these substances left on it will force them to the surface that will lift you arrive later.
Time - 30 minutes
Step 2 -
After the brightwork is clean, we must roughen part to make the new paint adhere. Using sandpaper, medium grain, 220 grain, we gently scrapes the surface of the finish. Not enough to go through the wood mind you, but just to bring down the shine and flatten the surface. Using a tack rag, remove all dust. Then tape up any metal adjacent to keep varnish away from these areas that you do not need to varnish. If you spend a little time with the tape 7 days blue painter to hide these places, it will save a lot of time later you.
Preparation time - 2 hours. In our next article, we will start the nail polish.
Mike Dickens, the author is a trawler owner, cruise ship and broker / owner of Paradise Yachts ......