best way to clean...

[GordMay]

Oxalic acid is available in crystalline form, but many household cleaners, such as Bar Keepers Friend, contain oxalic acid.

After cleaning/bleaching the wood, neutralize the acid bleach by wiping the wood surface with diluted ammonia (1:1 with water) or baking soda solution (one scoop to a quart of water) using a clean sponge. If you don’t neutralize the bleach, it will lighten any stain you apply later. Water is a mild neutralizer.

FWIW: The greasy feeling film that acid cleaners leave on a surface is just your skin dissolving.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by GordMay

FWIW: The greasy feeling film that acid cleaners leave on a surface is just your skin dissolving.

And if your old, will dry the skin out. Gloves available at the hardware store.

[zeehag]

why spend money when sea water does better by not removing wood from the teak ???? only makes sense......andye donthave to wear gloves or use special removers and such with seawater--is free and easy. has worked for centuries. why change a good thing????

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by zeehag

why spend money when sea water does better by not removing wood from the teak ???? only makes sense......andye donthave to wear gloves or use special removers and such with seawater--is free and easy. has worked for centuries. why change a good thing????

zee sea water would be my first option...but for now I am on the st laurence river.
an old timer here uses Tide to wash his teak deck?

[Bloodhound]

If you're on fresh water, how about making your own sea water? Marine aquarists do it all the time. Fresh water plus salt (or maybe salt from an aquarium store if you want real authenticity???) and Bob's your uncle, you've got sea water. Often when leaving our boat after a sail on this fresh water lake, I'll just sprinkle the deck with sea salt and hope it rains a bit. Seems to work until I can get to it every couple of months with salt water, a little bleach, and a plastic pad (get a lot of mold in fresh water around here, which is readily killed with very dilute bleach). Result: wet deck is a dark teak, dry deck a nice tawny silver --- lovely and clean either way.

[cabo_sailor]

I'm not familiar with gold leaf paint, but I did try using gold colored enamel on the trailer boards of my cabo. DON'T! The gold enamel looked great for a little while and then turned muddy brown. Right now I'm using yellow paint. If I ever decide to gold leaf it, that will be the base.

The picture was taken two years after the painting. Not great but not bad IMO.

Rich

[Jim Cate]

FWIW:

Oxalic acid in the concentrations used to bleach or clean teak will NOT harm gel coat/polyester resin. It is the principle ingredient in many of the proprietary f/g hull cleaners and stain removers.

It will, however (as several have said) tend to remove the softer portions of any wood, leaving a raised grain, so use with great care if at all.

Cheers,

Jim

[zeehag]

jobi--make salt water with rock salt and wAter---will do ye well. use on y0ur teak decks also. is the proper treatment for teakwood decking-- daily salt water flooding--keeps the wood from drying out and cracking.i found much of the deterioration of my own teakwood was corrected with sea / salt water and gentle 3m pad rub. even the addition of the salt water made the wood appear less cracked. i added the oil after the surface of the wood was dry-- didnt wait overnite-- dont have to. i donot oil decking when i have that--this boat has no teak decking. i clean house teak with salt water also, then oil.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by zeehag

jobi--make salt water with rock salt and wAter---will do ye well. use on y0ur teak decks also. is the proper treatment for teakwood decking-- daily salt water flooding--keeps the wood from drying out and cracking.i found much of the deterioration of my own teakwood was corrected with sea / salt water and gentle 3m pad rub. even the addition of the salt water made the wood appear less cracked. i added the oil after the surface of the wood was dry-- didnt wait overnite-- dont have to. i donot oil decking when i have that--this boat has no teak decking. i clean house teak with salt water also, then oil.

Is why you see pic's of old salts honing decks with stone and buckets...
El Pirata knows her stuff... bin the techy ****...

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by zeehag

jobi--make salt water with rock salt and wAter---will do ye well. use on y0ur teak decks also. is the proper treatment for teakwood decking-- daily salt water flooding--keeps the wood from drying out and cracking.i found much of the deterioration of my own teakwood was corrected with sea / salt water and gentle 3m pad rub. even the addition of the salt water made the wood appear less cracked. i added the oil after the surface of the wood was dry-- didnt wait overnite-- dont have to. i donot oil decking when i have that--this boat has no teak decking. i clean house teak with salt water also, then oil.

will do that zee...what oil do you use?
herd olive oil was good?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by jobi

will do that zee...what oil do you use?
herd olive oil was good?

Jobi...Olive Oil with a drop of Ylang Ylang for the GF.... warmed to skin temp and applied gently starting at the shouilders....
Teak oil for the wood....

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Jobi...Olive Oil with a drop of Ylang Ylang for the GF.... warmed to skin temp and applied gently starting at the shouilders....
Teak oil for the wood....

hahaha dang I got confused

I knew olive oil was good for something

[zeehag]

rofl...what boatman said.....