word of warning when using oxalic acid ... it _will_ remove galvanizing from a trailer. use lots of water as if you allow the acid to sit for long it can also damage gel coat. go to a hardware store to get oxalic in powder form as it is inexpensive. the 'teak cleaners and brighteners' you see at West Marine (or similar store) are just overpriced oxalic acid. i have small box of dry oxalic ... maybe 8 oz ... it is still 1/4 full after about four years of use. always clean the wood using a pad AGAINST the grain. a toothbush really helps to get into the tight corners. if you go with the grain you remove all the softer wood leaving the hard grain 'standing up'. i've done a lot of work on teak. my family boat when growing up was a Cheoy Lee ... a boat 'infested' with teak. -- :: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com On Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 3:56 PM, Wilson Frye <fryewe@me.com> wrote:
Hot air gun and plastic scraper to remove the old finish. Bleach out the wood with oxalic acid and then neutralize with baking soda solution…use Scotchbrite pad as needed to clean the deeper grain. Sand with 120 grit. Finish with the finish of your choice…
On Aug 22, 2014, at 4:36 PM, Daniel Rich <danielgrich@gmail.com> wrote:
Montypals:
My teak brightwork is looking rather sorry on my M15. I think it had some kind of cetol coating on it. In any event it is quite weathered. I would like to clean it up and finish it if possible. Doesn’t need to look showroom great, but some help here.
So, what is the process? Do I chemical clean it first somehow? And then regarding sanding it, I assume I mask the areas off and hand sand somehow? What is the process there, and what kind of sand paper? Finally, when properly prepped, what would be a simple coating to paint on there? I have never done anything like this before.
By the way, recent short blog post in Kestrel at my usual place. New sails though!
http://danielsailingandcycling.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/sailing-in-my-favori...
Daniel Rich M15 #208 "Kestrel" danielgrich@gmail.com