Varnishing Advice

[FuzzyDuck]

Have had serious lifting of the varnish in avery limited area on the decks around the shrouds.  This I have removed and I now have an area approx. 6" square of bare wood whilst the rest of the deck is an absolutley perfect finish.

How can I repair this area to blend it in with the rest of the decks?

Should I coat with west epoxy first (as the decks were done with before by the previous owner) or should I build up with varnish in this area first before recoating the whole deck.

Any advice would be gratefully recieved as I am loath to strip the decks completely.

Simon
3230

[Dave Croft]

Hi Simon,

If you use epoxy you have to be sure the cause of the original lifting has been resolved. Epoxy will bloom if there's any damp and will seal in any moisture. The other problem is epoxy has no UV protection and so it needs several coats of varnish or it will go a muddy colour. If you want to see how the area will look varnished wipe the area with some thiners, that will give a good indication of the colour you will get when varnished. If the deck has seen a few seasons of sun then it will be bleached and where you have gone back to the wood it will be darker, if you don't like this there's no alternative but to go back to the base wood all over and then rub that down but be careful not to go throuight the veneer.

With older boats you are better of using a traditional varnish like Epiphanes. I would avoid epoxy and two-pack unless you are certain the base is 100% sound and moisture free.

Recently I restored an old Cadet for my dughters, it was a real pain getting the old varnish off the decks but I was rewarded with a beatuiful sapeele mahogany that had been bleached yellow over many years, it made the whole exercise worthwhile.

Dave C

[Jimbo41]

Hi Simon!

I did Nuttyshell's transom this season, reliming the hull to the bottom of the transom with araldite and sash clamps, and then finishing off the outside with 5 coats of Blake's Classic Varnish. It's a lovely light honey yellow and has the advantage of being flexible due to the tung oil it contains. Stinks like bug**ry though! The secret is to apply the first two coats 2:1 diluted with Terps substitute firstly Blake's : substitute 1:2 then 2:1 and then 3:1 Blakes : terps then 4:1 B:T with a final coat of neat Blakes. The first two layers lightly sand with grade 180 sand paper. The rest just very slowly and gently. Looks like the top of one of those light mahogony wood Riva speedboats....Lots of depth of colour... MMMMMM...

Cheers!

Jim N3130 and N3470 (Wood - graded grain - made for finer sailing)

[Alex D]

I've been playing with oxalic acid... This really brings out the original colour from the grey sun bleached wood where the old varnish has lifted and also those black water marks. It doesn't work as well where the varnish is better attached.

My best results at old varnish removal are from the combined use of a heat gun and nitromors.
I have been trying things out on an old Mirror dinghy.

I have used UPC, Goldspar and then Blakes with a roller and a decent brush to smooth out any bubbles and uneven coverage. This also works well with the yacht enamel.

[Jimbo41]

Alex,

"I have been trying things out on an old Mirror dinghy."

Sounds very much like animal experimentation... Watch out for the anti-vivisectionists!!!!

Interesting re. the oxalic acid. Could get some from old rhubarb cooked up. (No joke intended...)

Cheers!  

Jim N3130 and 3470 (Wood - a source of inspiration)

[John 3232 (Guest)]

Had a few similair areas on Rising Damp. Carefully stripped with cabinet scraper, universal clear primer and two pack international varnish. Hard to spot the join after 4 months. Paint pads give a very even coating and eliminate runs.