OxiClean Frustration

[SDcondogirl]

Trying to refinish my disgusting drop boards since I can not find OEM boards ANYWHERE. Well, I dutifully stripped the damn things with a heat gun. Now I apply a layer of oxicrap after everyone swears by its bleaching ability.
The only one swearing is me!
Nothing happened. Still black as hell in the cracks. What will work??? Not playing around.

[slug]

Sodium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide is the classic wood treatment
I think I spelled correctly
Normally the two components are sold at hardware stores packaged as wood bleach or some marketing name


I assume you can still buy the stuff. Modern environmental rules have eliminated many traditional
Products


Oxalic acid is only good for water marks and rust stains

[Calif.Ted]

Oxalic acid is the usual bleach employed on teak for stain removal, widely available as "wood bleach" in a little plastic tub of powder you add to water.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by slug

Sodium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide is the classic wood treatment
I think I spelled correctly
Normally the two components are sold at hardware stores packaged as wood bleach or some marketing name

I do not know what you are thinking of, but hydrogen peroxide in any strength you could buy would do nothing to wood, and sodium hydroxide (lye) will dissolve wood fibers. Neither is a good choice and together they would be worthless.

[mickt243]

sodium percarbonate might work *EDIT* oxyclean is sodium percarbonate...... so maybe not!*


as may calcium oxychloride


or sodium hyperchlorite




they may also damage the wood itself - especially in higher concentrations.


you mention the colour you need to bleach out is in cracks, this might also be an issue, any chemical you apply may not be able to get into the crack to do its job.

[thinwater]

SD:Either you remember incorrectly or someone posted wrong. They meant oxalic acid, not Oxiclean. An easy mistake for a non-chemistry person.

Google teak cleaner MSDSs and you will see that most are based on oxalic acid. Follow up with a borax scrub to neutralize the acid and keep mildew away.


https://www.practical-sailor.com/boa...-penny-pincher

[Spot]

Hi SDCG,
Which boat?


-Maybe try rinsing them, then drying them out, and then sanding them, in case there is still some trace amount of finish impeding the cleaners.
-Also consider using the old ones to make patterns for new ones.

[slug]

Wood bleach

https://www.dalyswoodfinishes.com/PDF/Bleaching%20Wood%202.pdf

[JPA Cate]

SDcondogirl,

Here's the old fashioned way, and it assumes the duck boards are solid teak. If they are plywood, you will have to be very careful to not sand off the veneer.

Get yourself a block and a selection of sand paper. Start with 100 grit, and work down to around 240. Ignore any black soft grain left. Wipe the whole job down with a tack cloth, and then with turpentine and a clean rag or paper towel. All edges, every bit of timber on all the boards. Mix your first coat of varnish with a lot of turps, almost half. Apply the first coat, this is basically a sealer. You probably already know this, but varnish with the grain, and work from wet edge--don't go back over it. When dry, do the other side and the edges. Let dry. It needs to be warm and dry to get the best drying, and you need good light, so you can see how smoothly the varnish is going on.

Sand lightly using the 240 grit, to give tooth for the varnish, tack, and wash, and then apply the varnish full strength. Some varnishes have short drying times, others longer. Do let it dry enough to be able to sand between coats, and if there are any sags, and it gums, you need to wait, really let it dry, and then sand to a white glaze, that will give enough tooth. Plan on 10-12 coats. [I personally never could get myself to a dozen coats, not OCD enough, I guess. I would quit at 6. As a result, I had to re-do every 2-3 yrs. If you do it right, you only have to sand and one coat per year, if you've built up the whole 12 coats. They will look superb.]

Fwiw, if you have access to an airless sprayer, you can spray them, and some varnishes you can manage 2 coats per day. Usually comes out very nice, once you've figured out how to avoid sags. There is a learning curve, and if you've never done it, now may not be the time to learn. But the nicest varnish I've ever seen was clear 2 pack polyurethane that was sprayed on. If you get sags in your final coat, you're allowed to cuss a lot, then, sand it and clean it, and give it another "final coat".

If you use a brush, use a good brush, not a $1 one. And between coats, you can store it in a jar of tap water. When you go to give it another coat, just dry out all the water and varnish in the brush on old newspaper, it saves some time. After the for real final coat, then clean it thoroughly with turps, then wash in dishwashing soap, like Joy, rinse thoroughly, and then wrap it in a paper towel to dry, encouraging it to keep its shape.

Enjoy the project. It's kind of meditative.

[Simi 60]

On laminated tillers instead of 12 coats of varnish I'd do a couple of coats of epoxy resin to get thickness, then a couple of coats of varnish for uv protection

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, condogirl.