best way to clean...

[otherthan]

this teak dragon and give it original look?

opinions pleas

[barnakiel]

Depends on your definition of 'original'.

If you want to restore some golden tones then look up 'teak cleaners'. There are both 1 and 2 components products.

I normally water and brush and it comes back golden before it turns silver. To me the silver look is 'original' ;-)

b.

[delmarrey]

DO NOT pressure wash it! I'll second the teak cleaner.

[senormechanico]

Teak cleaners are oxalic acid.
Look for that in a hardware store.
It's a lot cheaper than a chandlery.

[zeehag]

jobi--donot use chemicals on your teak. it is not a blonde wood.
chemicals hurt the wood over time, as does sanding.. sea water and a 3m pad does the trick. is easy and works perfect. i use that and i use watco.. but for the dragons, first use seawater and 3m pad then tung oil or teak oil --not watco. the sea water is all teak needs--it will keep the teak pretty without causing deterioration of the wood or removing substance from the wood. youhave a lot of teak on htat boat--it would be miserable trying to prevent fiberglass ruination after the chemicals are used. they do not get along with fiberglass. i saw the results when i was apprenticing to a surveyor. please do yourself a favor and just use the sea water and then oil-- you will not be disappointed. i promise.


btw--silver is the powdering of the wood-- means some has deteriorated, and next stage is cracking.--i found this to be true as i watched the teak on this boat deteriorate over 4 yrs--cannot restore wood that is cracked--will always remain cracked.

[otherthan]

A better question...what would you do to this dragon??

wash it, paint it, cetol, varnish, sandblast

[zeehag]

steeve--seawater and oil. wait 3 months. seawater. gold leaf paint for reallly gorgeous effect. is how the ct48 has the dragons-- golden.....

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by zeehag

jobi--donot use chemicals on your teak. it is not a blonde wood.
chemicals hurt the wood over time, as does sanding.. sea water and a 3m pad does the trick. is easy and works perfect. i use that and i use watco.. but for the dragons, first use seawater and 3m pad then tung oil or teak oil --not watco. the sea water is all teak needs--it will keep the teak pretty without causing deterioration of the wood or removing substance from the wood. youhave a lot of teak on htat boat--it would be miserable trying to prevent fiberglass ruination after the chemicals are used. they do not get along with fiberglass. i saw the results when i was apprenticing to a surveyor. please do yourself a favor and just use the sea water and then oil-- you will not be disappointed. i promise.


btw--silver is the powdering of the wood-- means some has deteriorated, and next stage is cracking.--i found this to be true as i watched the teak on this boat deteriorate over 4 yrs--cannot restore wood that is cracked--will always remain cracked.

Thanks zee I havent seen your post befor I posted mine.

rgds

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by zeehag

steeve--seawater and oil. wait 3 months. seawater. gold leaf paint for reallly gorgeous effect. is how the ct48 has the dragons-- golden.....

gold leaf iv done this on furniture ages ago...will look it up

[Aussiesuede]

Oxalic Acid is a good "stain" remover, and better than "wood bleachers", especially when applied to small areas at a time. You use one of those "big toothbrush" sized wire brushes and be careful not too let it sit on fiberglass (or anything else that isn't wood for that matter.). Most people are never instructed to apply a nuetralizer after the acid application, and that's where they run into problems with sealant & stain adhesion afterwards. The acid will leave a "film" that works against the adhesion of stains/sealants and decreases their effectiveness. Here is a link to a very good line of woodcare products - Daly's:

DALY'S : Paint and Decorating / Wood Finishes

A gallon of any of that stuff is literally more than a lifetime supply. Doesn't take much at all to do an effective job.

[otherthan]

oxalic acid is a natural ingredient fund iv various plants...some indians use rhubarb leafs and stem to treat wood.

cheers

[zeehag]

jobi--no stiff brushes--will ruin the beauty of the dragons and ,make the grain exceptionally prominent. stiff brushes remove too much teak. 3m pad and sea water is perfect and the only thing good teak needs for perfection. i used a stiff brush on a forward hatch and i really really regret it. was not the right move.\
rhubarb leaves--no wonder rhubarb leaves are poisonous. i cant see rhubarb leaves hurting wood, bu ti would not go buy oxalic acid for my wood --not on a dare, when less expensive product, sea water, actually nourishes the wood. acid does not nourish the wood.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by jobi

oxalic acid is a natural ingredient fund iv various plants...

Yes. It's found in oxalis sp., commonly called "sorrel," any member of the family oxalidaceae.

Teak loves it.

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by Bash

Yes. It's found in oxalis sp., commonly called "sorrel," any member of the family oxalidaceae.

Teak loves it.

you know I will look into this a little more...we may have natural teak oil with some of these plants???

[James S]

Mine are part of the hull lay-up...thank goodness!
Final finish is "gold" colored paint...
I would take care with the teak cleaning products....my limited experience is that they tend to remove a fair bit of wood.