Best Glue for Toe Rail Teak Plugs?

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

NO GLUE. Teak plugs don't need glue.

You ain't never seen the holes in my toe rail. I would need to go up to 5/8 from 1/2" to get clean edges on the holes.

[dbeausoleil]

Just FYI...

If you have 30 year old screws through teak, there's a good chance they are now corroded in a funnel shape and structurally simply gone. If you have pulled the plugs you should extract the screws and spot inspect. If badly corroded, whoever grabs the handrail with a hefty pull is going overboard with a piece of teak in hand. The condition of the teak around the base on deck is often a good indicator of the condition of its mounting points.

Salt water has chlorides. These are particularly nasty to stainless steel. See article link:

Article: Corrosion mechanisms in stainless steel

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Guy

You ain't never seen the holes in my toe rail. I would need to go up to 5/8 from 1/2" to get clean edges on the holes.

Ah yes, that's a problem! Probably epoxy I suppose as you need some filling characteristics. Epoxy doesn't have great UV protection though. But little is exposed in your situation.

[minaret]

G5 from WEST. It's clear, so no ring around the rosy. 5 minute cure time means you can start shaving bungs right away. Only need a small amount.

[Ericson38]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I won't be finishing the toe rail with varnish, it will be allowed to go grey and look natural. Seems like if I use the varnish method, I'll see a ring around each plug.

Curios on your decision to let the cap rail go grey. That's the way ours are now, but not sure they should be left that way. No problems with plugs or screws at the moment. The neighbor next to us in the Bristol in this shot is clearly varnished up and looking nautical.

[Kenomac]

The reason for allowing all the exterior teak to grey, is that I try to minimize my annual workload on the boat.

[Ericson38]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

The reason for allowing all the exterior teak to grey, is that I try to minimize my annual workload on the boat.

Yeah, I get that....but is there a downside to the life of the teak itself?

I get a comment from almost everyone I meet about ours. Like, great, when are you going to sand and varnish it, to great, leave it alone, to uh oh, that's not good, I wouldn't leave it that way for too long

I also like it the way it is, we put a canvas cover on it over the winter stretch.

[Terra Nova]

Use WEST epoxy.

[bletso]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

NO GLUE. Teak plugs don't need glue.

Yes, in theory you are correct, if deep enough and tight enough you don't need glue/epoxy or whatever. It is good though to apply something to the screw threads in case the plug fails.

[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by bletso

Yes, in theory you are correct, if deep enough and tight enough you don't need glue/epoxy or whatever. It is good though to apply something to the screw threads in case the plug fails.

I had to use glue on mine also because the hole was rather shallow and not as tight as it once was. In a perfect world with a nice, new, deep hole to pound the plug into no glue would be necessary. But once a plug has been removed from the hole and especially if it is shallow from much sanding, glue is about the only way to get the plugs to even be well set in enough to trim them off.

[Cheechako]

A few hundred or more were replaced on my teak decks. They were 5/16 plugs and some of them were drilled and replaced with 3/8. No glue was used. But we replaced the screw and redrilled the plug holes when we did it. All screws were coated with caulk when put in. But the shipwright I employed knew how to get the old plugs out without damaging the holes (in most cases) also.
I assume Bletso means if you don't glues your plugs you need to seal the screws. I wouldn't rely on plugs to not leak at all personally. I just assume they will and seal the screws.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Ericson38

Yeah, I get that....but is there a downside to the life of the teak itself?

It's better left that way. The gray protects the underlying wood. Washing the deck with anything else but with a water hose is the enemy of teak..

[Cheechako]

What to do with teak is hard decision for sure. Just left out in the weather unprotected here in the PNW and eventually the rain will deplete the softer wood and the teak will get "groovy". Add to that the tendency for joints to open up a bit and it's not great.
OTOH, varnishing etc is a lot of work. and up here the rain will remove about 3 coats of varnish in a winter, so you better have more than 3 coats on there.
The nicest bare teak I've seem has been people who often douse it with salt water and occasionally rub it with flat scotchbrite pad etc. It stays smooth , grey with a hint of brown and doesn't gouge out the softer wood that way like a brush will.

[Terra Nova]

If deck (or toe rail) screw plugs are not glued, water may be allowed to enter and corrode the fastener, especially once they are worn thin, eventually even damaging the core. But they're a real bitch to remove if you epoxy them. Fit is important.

On woodwork that will be varnished, it may be sufficient to dry plug, particularly on interior wood.

I generally epoxy them in (doesn't take much). Then knock them down with a chisel after the epoxy goes off.

[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

What to do with teak is hard decision for sure. Just left out in the weather unprotected here in the PNW and eventually the rain will deplete the softer wood and the teak will get "groovy". Add to that the tendency for joints to open up a bit and it's not great.
OTOH, varnishing etc is a lot of work. and up here the rain will remove about 3 coats of varnish in a winter, so you better have more than 3 coats on there.
The nicest bare teak I've seem has been people who often douse it with salt water and occasionally rub it with flat scotchbrite pad etc. It stays smooth , grey with a hint of brown and doesn't gouge out the softer wood that way like a brush will.

It's the same here where we are in the Chesapeake. And I don't know if cleaning it makes it better or worse. If you don't clean it, it just turns black and looks horrible, or gets green and mildew, like boats you see that haven't been cared for. If you do keep it clean, the scrubbing will remove that soft pulp in the wood and leave raised ridges. Then if you do decide to do something with jt and you want it smooth to varnish you have to sand away so much wood that your bungs fall out.

As I have mentioned in another thread we have a combination of neglected wood and damaged wood that is so far gone that by the time we get done repairing and filling it we are just going to paint it and be done with it. To my eye there is nothing more beautiful than varnished teak, but maybe in the end I will learn to appreciate the decreased maintenance of painted wood.