Is this Cabin Sole Fixable?

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by mike37909

First two pics are while stripping. The other pics are after bleaching twice. The boards are in the sun so the pics may look different but they are much lighter. Darker areas can still be seen around the outer edges of the boards but not near as much.

Mike... These look great!

I do bet that you can lighten the stains a little more to blend with the larger portion.... What bleaching concoction did you use??? Not time to go crazy harsh yet... But maybe try the next level up... Even if you end up brightening the entire pieces, you always have the option of darkening them up to your taste....

[Cheechako]

Once stripped, if your boards look good, one solution is to just oil them and forget finishing... to make them look new again just wipe the dirt and re oil them. Not slippery like a gloss finish. The dirt does get a little more into the wood though... so might depend on your climate and how yyou use your boat. Be careful using epoxy.. it's a final comittment... if the sun/uv or moisture from under gets to a particular spot long enough and causes finish problems... the answer to your original question "Is this Cabin Sole Fixable?" would be NO!

[foggysail]

GOOD JOB MIKE!!! You're a PRO now!

[mike37909]

Thanks all! I used oxalic acid I got from ace hardware. I scrubbed it on the entire board with extra attention and scrubbing to the bad areas. You mix it with water. I mixed it the first time according to instructions and the second time i really made it strong. Probably triple strength. I scrubbed it with a stiff brush. I was afraid to leave it too long. 10 minutes only. To me it looks like it is overlightened but I still see the dark spots. Bottom line is it will look better than it did originally. I will prob have to bleach all my other boards so I hope they match.

I am interested in epoxying the boards since I was planning to do the edges and backs anyways. I have 4 more boards to do. I pulled them out Saturday. I also ordered a heat gun with an adjustable temp to strip with.

I will put up more pics as I go if anyone is interested.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by mike37909

I also ordered a heat gun with an adjustable temp to strip with.

I will put up more pics as I go if anyone is interested.

My bad... should have given you the harbor freight link before... $15... Hope you didn't spend too much....

Heat Gun - Dual Temperature Heat Gun, 1500W

YES! MORE PICS PLEASE!

[Roy M]

Careful with the heat gun! If there is oil contaminating the wood fiber, you will merely be aiding in its distribution and have a larger problem. The reason for the using an epoxy stripper to remove the surface seal, then a strong base, followed by a weaker acid (NaOH and phosphoric acid, for example) is to aid in turning fats and oils into a soluble soap that rinses away with water. Just using oxalic acid, which might be useful with iron ions soaked into the wood fiber, doesn't achieve this effect and you risk keeping the dark stain forever.

The West Marine 2-part stripper is good, or you can make your own with Draino and oxalic acid for far less money. The use of the oxalic (or phosphoric, or whatever) is to neutralize the sodium hydroxide with an excess of acid after turning the oils into soap (saponification). The oxalic acid works even better in sunlight to help bleach the wood fiber. Be sure to rinse well with fresh water, let it air dry, preferably in sunlight, lightly "dust" with 220 grit paper, and splash or rub some alcohol or lacquer thinner on to replicate the sealer coat temporarily, to see if any dark spots remain before sealing them in forever with varnish, epoxy or whatever. If you are going to simply oil it, do so, but you have only yourself to blame afterwards. Remember, you can't fix the sore tooth of a tiger with a dime store (archaic form of Walmart) pen knife (archaic form of cheap flint tool for crafting archaic writing implements out of feathers).

[mike37909]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Careful with the heat gun! If there is oil contaminating the wood fiber, you will merely be aiding in its distribution and have a larger problem. The reason for the using an epoxy stripper to remove the surface seal, then a strong base, followed by a weaker acid (NaOH and phosphoric acid, for example) is to aid in turning fats and oils into a soluble soap that rinses away with water. Just using oxalic acid, which might be useful with iron ions soaked into the wood fiber, doesn't achieve this effect and you risk keeping the dark stain forever.

The West Marine 2-part stripper is good, or you can make your own with Draino and oxalic acid for far less money. The use of the oxalic (or phosphoric, or whatever) is to neutralize the sodium hydroxide with an excess of acid after turning the oils into soap (saponification). The oxalic acid works even better in sunlight to help bleach the wood fiber. Be sure to rinse well with fresh water, let it air dry, preferably in sunlight, lightly "dust" with 220 grit paper, and splash or rub some alcohol or lacquer thinner on to replicate the sealer coat temporarily, to see if any dark spots remain before sealing them in forever with varnish, epoxy or whatever. If you are going to simply oil it, do so, but you have only yourself to blame afterwards. Remember, you can't fix the sore tooth of a tiger with a dime store (archaic form of Walmart) pen knife (archaic form of cheap flint tool for crafting archaic writing implements out of feathers).

Wow you guys are smart. It reminds me of breaking bad!
I don't plan on oiling, I will use minwax helmsman spar urethane. I used klean strip and and then oxalic acid. Would that be about the same as 2 part epoxy stripper? Do you think I should bleach it more? What are the 2 parts in teak cleaner?

[mike37909]

Thanks for the heat gun link. The one I got was a little more but was originally 60 dollars. I got a few sniffs of the fumes while stripping and kept having to open the garage door. I think then it got too cold and the stripper wouldn't strip but it seemed to evaporate or dry up though which was not helpful. It was pretty cold here in Knoxville last week.
The heat gun should be cheaper than 4 quarts more of stripper. I used more than one quart but like I said I think it was too cold.

[Roy M]

2-part teak cleaner is usually a strongly basic solution (usually sodium hydroxide) whose function is to convert oils into soaps, the same way the pioneers made lye soap by mixing wood ashes in melted fat. But first one needs to take off any varnish or other finish covering up the wood grain. That's where the epoxy stripper comes in. This stuff is serious, you want to wear rubber gloves and provide good ventilation and eye protection. After it bubbles up the underlying varnish, or whatever, you gently scrape it off with a putty knife, being careful not to damage the underlying wood grain. Hose it off with fresh water, then pour or brush on the Part 1 of teak cleaner (the sodium hydroxide -read the ingredients on the side of the bottle for confirmation). The wood will turn dark brown, indicating that it is having a reaction with the wood grain. Then, pour or brush Part 2, the acid component, being quite generous with it. When the wood grain has stopped bubbling and the color has uniformly changed, hose it off again with fresh water. If you need to scrub off any resistant pieces of crud, use a 3M white scrub pad, very fine texture, and GENTLY wipe WITH the grain to clean things up. Let it air dry in the sunlight. Then lightly dust with 220 grit IN THE DIRECTION OF THE GRAIN to smooth things off. Then, either brush on a 50% thinned batch of varnish, or a 30% acetone-thinned epoxy coat, just to seal the wood. The wood fibers will stand up like a cheap haircut. When hard, sand with 220 grit to make it smooth, then apply varnish or epoxy (I prefer West System 105 resin and 207 Special Hardener - much higher UV protection than normal epoxy) to achieve the thickness desired of finish. Then, top coat with more varnish, or if using epoxy, finish with clear linear polyurethane. If you are going to make your floorboards with nonskid grit (very smart idea), apply it in the first coat of LPU and cover with additional top coats.

It costs more than a heat gun. It works better than a heat gun. Ask Minaret. He wouldn't risk his reputation with a cheap and cheerful finish because it has to stand up.

[mike37909]

Awesome. I can see there are different qualities of finish we can achieve, from the economy to the cadillac. I am interested in the best bang for the buck since I have so many upgrades to do.
What is the best bang for the buck finish and procedure?
Thanks for keeping this topic going. I can see there are some Subject Matter Experts chiming in. Great resource.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by mike37909

Thanks for the heat gun link. The one I got was a little more but was originally 60 dollars. I got a few sniffs of the fumes while stripping and kept having to open the garage door. I think then it got too cold and the stripper wouldn't strip but it seemed to evaporate or dry up though which was not helpful. It was pretty cold here in Knoxville last week.
The heat gun should be cheaper than 4 quarts more of stripper. I used more than one quart but like I said I think it was too cold.

HA!!!!!!!

Lexington huh???? I'll bet you wish you were having just the "too cold to strip" weather now!!!

We're in the same exact conditions as you... Right on the edge band of "really bad"... (Corinth MS)

As far as what to use... If it were me, I would go the epoxy/207 then overcoat route on a "perfectly new sole" But probably not with yours... I would lean towards a good 2 part, or lots of coats of quality spar finish... These are going to be infinitely easier to repair/blend/remove should you develop a finish problem down the road... Epoxy on the back sides and edges??? You BET!

I'm not the expert here... Just saying what I would lean towards!