Cetol or Wood Oil

[hellosailor]

Encore-
"hellosailor, not to belabor or argue the point but spontaneous combustion is "the process of catching fire as a result of heat generated by internal chemical action."
Who's arguing the point? Throw a dollop of vaseline in a scuba tank, fill it with oxygen, and yes, the internal chemical reaction IS fierce oxidation, usually mistaken for explosion and fire.<G>

Anything over 40% oxygen is supposed to be a great way to do this, but the oxygen-enriched air mixes typically used (32-36%) apparently can do a nice job as well.

[rebel heart]

I'm removing the previous owner's Cetol which he put over every square inch of the teak decks. So hideous. It makes the boat look like plastic.

The bigger problem, like someone pointed out, is that with Cetol you don't get a chance to see the wood. Honestly the more I learn about boats the more I want access to everything, including the wood. If you can see a problem and access it, it's a million times better than one lurking under a coat of Cetol that you wont discover for a year or two.

Cetol holds moisture in and doesn't let the wood breathe. Also, eventually it gets cracks, so water gets into it, and soaks the wood, only to have the moisture trapped under the Cetol. Bad deal.

[Alan Wheeler]

Yeah I just tried Cetol to some of my outside Teak. I am very disapointed with the finish. It better make up for itself with longevity, cause I am not looking forward to removing it. All the can said was it was a transparant finish. Nup. It has a stain and I didn't want the timber stained. Can't see what is transparant about it. It hides the grain and as rebel just stated, makes the timber look plastic. I am very disapointed. Dang I wished I tried a small test piece of timber first. Flamin expensive the Cetol was too.

[rebel heart]

Alan;

For whatever it's worth, I'm peeling off some really dark stuff right now (taking a break in the cabin). It comes off pretty easy with a heat gun. It's a lot easier than varnish to remove, in fact, because varnish tends to really bond with the wood, as where with Cetol it's more like a film.

My teak is snow white under the dark brown plastic Cetol coloring; I'll take some pictures throughout the day.

[ssullivan]

Cetol does come in a couple of different shades. There is a traditional, orangey look and another lighter color. While the product itself does not stain the wood, it had a large number of suspended coloring inside its protective layer, supposedly designed to keep the sun's rays off the wood.

I've been using Cetol for almost 20 yrs now. I still love it.

4 coats on the bits of teak trim (we have very little of it on the exterior) and it looks bristol even after a whole summer of chartering and being outside all winter. I expect to get at least 3 years from this application.

Also, if we are talking exterior teak, there can't be any hidden damage. Other woods, maybe, but teak? That's why they use real teak. It isn't damaged by water. You can pick up a 200 year old teak log from under water in a swamp in Thailand and cut into it... guess what?? Still perfect wood. The natural oils make it impervious to moisture.

The look certainly isn't for everyone. I don't like the look either. But... I do like the once every 3-4 year maintenance cycle if used on little bits of teak trim. (Don't think it would look so great on teak decks or a beautifull designed all teak area though)

[Benny]

rebel heart - are you sure it isn't that fake woodgrain plastic film you are removing from down below? I used Cetol for almost 30 years and have never seen a dark shade - usually orange and now a lighter shade is available. I do know that some boat builders covered plywood and presswood panels with a thin plastic coating that looks like woodgrain - maybe thats what you have or another stain/varnish or maybe urethane but Cetol has never been dark.

[blahman]

I'm a fan of sealing wood with epoxy, then applying a UV protective coating over that. This way the wood is sealed from any possible staining or dying a varnish might have, while the epoxy provides a very stable substrate for the protective coating, whether it is paint, varnish, Cetol, Bristol, or anything else.

Fair leads,
Aaron N.

[ronbo1]

Cetol has three versions: 'Cetol Marine', although too many coats muddy the grain and makes it look orange; 'Cetol Light', which is reputed to have white pigment added to make it look lighter; and the new 'Cetol Natural Teak' which is advertised to allow the grain to show.
'Cetol Gloss' is the topcoat used over any of the base coats.

[Cruzin4Play]

I'm curious about the long term success of this WD40 wood application. Has anyone seen a post or report of the WD40 use?

Thanks for an update response.

Roger

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

Take Linceed oil and WD40 and mix it 50/50. Apply liberaly to your timber till it absorbs no more. Allow to soak in, over night best, and then a wipe down with a rag to remove any excess Linceed oil.
In a few months if the timber is looking a little light on oil, you simply spray WD40 on the timber. Nothing else.
It's simple and looks great.
I have used many very expensive timber oils now. Deks Olja being one of them, at NZ$50/ltr here. I used the No1 and I got about 3 months out of my hatches. The trick to many of the oils especially Deks Olja is to keep applying till the tmber takes no more. But it takes a lot of oil and it aint cheap. I tried my 50/50 mix 10months ago now, on my boarding platform and it still looks good. My Teak hatches looked very sad after just 3months. So I have sprayed all of those with JUST WD40. They come up real smart and have lasted a month so far. A spray can of WD40 made it a very quick and easy job to do.
I will continue to monitor the situation and report. But I have been so happy with the outcome so far, I have just applied the same to a friends rubrails I have made up for his steel boat. It is Fijian Mahogany and the finish is stunning.
I take some photo's of the hatches and post them in the weekend.