Wood help

[Roy M]

Cheehako, please go back and re-read my post, let the message sink in a moment, then read it again. I have been using epoxy resins for more years than most of the readers here and agree with your general, REPEAT, GENERAL, denigration of epoxy resins exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet rays. The reason the UPPER CASE letters were used was to emphasize the use of the 207 hardener. This stuff has apparently been formulated to improve the UV protection. It does not, I'LL REPEAT IN UPPER CASE, IT DOES NOT PROVIDE ABSOLUTE PROTECTION. No transparent coating provides complete protection, only a period of sustained beauty. Additional exterior coatings of ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTIVE COATINGS, such as some varnishes and clear linear polyurethanes are required to provide an additional period of longevity, WHICH DOES NOT MEAN PERMANENT. Putting down the input of others, without spending a moment to actually read and absorb the content, doesn't improve the quality of this forum. You are absolutely correct that straight, fast or slow hardener (205 and 206 West System) doesn't endure. But, some folks here might be tickled by the results I've experienced with the 207 hardener. Then, they should additionally provide a sacrificial topcoat that can be replaced from time to time, IF A CLEAR FINISH IS THE DESIRED OBJECTIVE. No one, yet, has come up with a clear finish that will have the duration of an opaque LPU paint. Whoever does is going to make an awful lot of money.

[zeehag]

i wash my teak wood with sea water and a scrubbie pad--makes a nice smooth surface without any gook to make the teak turn black--it is going to turn black if not cllean---and then i paint on my teak oil i get at home depot--lasts 6-9 months without any problem. my boat isnt a varnished or cetoled boat anymore--i was taught this methid by a merchant mariner of tallships----if it eorked for him it works for me----looks nice when done....

[Pblais]

i wash my teak wood with sea water and a scrubbie pad--makes a nice smooth surface without any gook to make the teak turn black

This method does work quite well but the key part of it is to do it regularly as in about every day. It does not need to be scrubbed excessively if done this way. It also works best if you are living aboard as it's easy to do it every day or so. It cleans as well as keeps the wood from drying out and splitting. An applied finish does that but of course nothing yet invented can take the UV constantly.

[Cheechako]

RoyM, sorry if you took it as a "put down". Not sure why you took it that way .... "I have seen terrible messes of teak done with Epoxy resin. If it ever breaks through and gets bad, you might as well buy new teak....." .....seems like just a straight forward observation to me. I feel obligated to pass on what I've observed to any inexperienced readers on the board before they rush to try anything.
I know people who have done it years ago and their wood work was never the same after it went bad. I agree Varnish etc is similar, if you dont keep up with it , it will be a lot of work to get it back to nice condition. The problem with epoxy is you cant readily strip it off and start fresh. Good luck with your project.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Pblais

This method does work quite well but the key part of it is to do it regularly as in about every day. It does not need to be scrubbed excessively if done this way. It also works best if you are living aboard as it's easy to do it every day or so. It cleans as well as keeps the wood from drying out and splitting. An applied finish does that but of course nothing yet invented can take the UV constantly.

have been doing my wood this way forever--have been involved in sailboating and wooden boats for looong time--age 7--i have never done this "every day"....i need only do this job one time every 8-9 months --water beads up on th ewood despite itts nice aged loook--when water no longewr beads up----do it over!!!!! takes about 6-9 months to stop beading up from rain........this methoid is teak friendly and will not make the teak go away , as does sanding and varnishing........very simple and basic teak care is the easiest and looks , to me, nicer than does stripping the teak of its natural oils to replace those with substances unkind to the wood!!! (just my old salt 2 cents!)---i was taught by an officer of the great lakes shipping co----company founded by nmy ancestors and run by them and my grt uncle fore many yrs until 1950s when they sold and my uncle retired and taught i sto sail and care for wooden boats......learned to sail on a 1903 herreshoff built design of the man who designed schooner america----this process is what was used by him and eleanor was and is gorgeous........do no thave to spend an entire life treating teak--is a very very strong and oily hard wood-----rather sail than do teak???/ my way WORKS and has been proven over centuries.....have fun!!!! enjoy your boat!!!!

[rtbates]

teakguard. It's amassing stuff.

TeakGuard Products - Teak Finish and Restoration Superior to Teak Oil

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by rtbates

teakguard. It's amassing stuff.

TeakGuard Products - Teak Finish and Restoration Superior to Teak Oil

gorgeous shiney epoxy like i wanna be pirated look---not my style--i adore the look of oiled wood--some people actually donot like to be shiney pirate fodder

[USFREIGHT]

wow,so many opinions....The best thing I come away with is teak is a great wood and mine is in great shape ,just gray with no sign of darkness or splinters. All replies will be reread and some I will have to write down to carry to a hardware store to see what the heck these things are. Another great thing I come away is,the willingness of boat people to help one another. That is what makes this thing we love so much so special....Dan

[Roy M]

Teak is a relatively recent affectation in the world of boats. But, then again, yachts, vessels for pure recreational use, haven't been around that long relative to the history of people and boating. Someone has sold us an idea that one's boat should reflect our resources, our manifestation of taste and judgement and wonderfulness. Therefore, shine equals good, dull equals bad, according to the gospel of whoever has sold us this belief system. Teak wasn't used a lot until a hundred or so years ago, at least for Western boats. It got used because it was tough and held up to ultraviolet rays and continuous salt water exposure. It wasn't really dressed up with oils or varnish, except for cabinets and fancy stuff. But then, with the advent of yachts, and the creation of the cult of shine, folks discovered how beautiful it looks when oiled or varnished. Suddenly, it became part of the whole "Bristol fashion" craze of boat maintenance. Left alone to its own devices, it would turn grey, the grain would erode in places leaving a great traction for decks that are wet, and it wouldn't rot very quickly in damp places. But the shine police informed us that this isn't what yachting is all about, hence the oil and varnish. The same logic was then passed to teak and holly cabin soles, so shiny with varnish that the addition of a bit of water from your seaboots would allow you to skate across the cabin floor at the most surprising moments. Not many floorboards are built with nonskid in "shiny" yachts.

My job is to generate income from poor, unfortunate folks that believe that shine is the route to ultimate salvation. Hence, on my own boat, I have some really pretty pieces of wood that shine a lot and advertise my wonderfulness as a craftsman. In other places, such as underfoot, I ignore the shine police warnings, hoping to so awe the unfortunates with the handrails and coamings that they can't resist giving me their money in the hopes of becoming recognized by their peers as being truly astute and knowing in the ways of the sea. They would never consider painting over the wood that requires maintenance, because they aren't probably ever going to go anywhere, anyway. I need it both ways, so I can make a thin coat of protective paint for the tropics, and sand it away to be replaced with a quick coat of shine when I need to generate more bucks. I guess I'm really just a whore, but I can put on some pretty shiny lipstick when I need some quick bucks.