Getting the black out of teak...

[angelfish2]

Hi everyone, we have been using Epifanes on our Island Packet and it really looks beautiful. However, even putting on 2 coats a year we sometimes have little places that break down. Unfortunately, the owner before us, let the teak go and there is some black down in the grain.

Is there a way to get the black out? I don't think we should do anymore hard core sanding and I really hate to strip an entire caprail just for a couple of small bad spots. I hate to admit it but I have been lightly sanding and varnishing over the bad spots. They do look a bit different and that bugs me but mainly I would like to know if there is way to get the black out of the grain.

Thanks for any advice!

[hellosailor]

The black is dirt of one sort or another. You can bleach it out, sand it out, scrape it out...all will take off some teak in the process. Once the surface pores have opened up and dirt has gotten it, you can try a mild soap and soft nylon brush to do the least damage, but taking out the dirt without taking out any wood is a good trick. Perhaps something fizzy like club soda might help. I've never tried that, but it is done on fabrics and carpet, the bubbling helps carry things up.

[sailormed]

I had some grease stains on wheatered teak planks. We have a product over here called K2R, a grease absorbing fine white powder in an aerosol spray. It exists also in tubes. It worked perfectly for the grease stains. Spray it on, wait, brush it off. Use dry.

Maybe something similar exists on your side of the pond.

[psk125]

Many expensive teak cleaners contain oxalic acid, which you can also purchase at hardware stores quite cheaply. Mix up a dilution (follow the directions) and give it a test on a section of your teak.

[hellosailor]

We used to have K2R in the States but I haven't seen it around in ages. IIRC it contained carbon tetrachloride, which is now considered toxic and evil and pretty much banned from the consumer marketplace. There was another cleaner, Carbona, which was just a jar of liquid, no white powder, that was also carbon tet, that may still be around but reformulated. And IIRC there are some automobile brake cleaners that are carbon tet--but anything sold nationally has to me CA standards, which apparently ban it.

K2R was good stuff.

[bletso]

Depending on your location the black may also be mould. I get it in the summer around here. If mould it will eat the soft fibres.

[Captndave1]

Your local grocery store carries a product called BARKEEPERS FRIEND, has oxalic acid in it and does an excellent job of removing the black mold from teak

[tarian]

Originally Posted by psk125

Many expensive teak cleaners contain oxalic acid, which you can also purchase at hardware stores quite cheaply. Mix up a dilution (follow the directions) and give it a test on a section of your teak.

oxalic acid , natural acid , and not to harmful, dilute as on instructions and put in and wait for teak to bleach too color you need and wipe off , this stuff will take of marks on your fiberglass as well and all teak and wood products , get as said the bottle of the stuff and dilute yourself , again as said above, this is the main ingredient in the teak cleaners you buy and cost 10X more
wear gloves and eye prtection

[MartinR]

Try oxalic acid.

[KadeyKrogen38]

Really dark black areas can be caused by rusting/leaking fasteners, (constantly damp from the under side). Impossible to remove. I replaced toe and cap rails to get rid of the black spots.

[sailcrazy]

The black on our (new teak, then varnished) caprail kept growing to the point something obviously needed to be done. Turned out it was moisture trapped below the varnish, and resulted in moldy+rotten wood....it was soft mush when exposed, and it needed to go. I ended up using a hole cutter (various diameters, depending on the size of the black area, digging out the soft, rotten wood, and rebunging with appropriately sized teak bungs I made in my shop. Once done, it was sanded smooth and protected it with Semco Natural on the caprail....the black has not reappeared in 6+ years!

[foufou]

I like oxyclean. It's milder than oxalic acid but has a similar bleaching effect. It's available in hardware stores. Best to wear gloves as it is caustic to skin

[zeehag]

i use sea water and no black. use a 3m pad with that seawater against the grain. perfect cleaner for teak.

[suenodelmar]

A convenient, inexpensive, ready-to-use, and readily-available solution of oxalic acid is available in the Household Cleaning Supplies section of many stores:

The Works Tub and Shower Cleaner

For example, the Dollar General chain of stores sells bottles for about one dollar each. Be SURE the bottle says "Tub and Shower Cleaner," not one of the other household products sold under "The Works" brand name.

Just squirt it on, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse it off with water. Shazzam! The teak looks like new.

We keep several bottles of the stuff onboard the boat.

Now, a better way to keep black spots from appearing in the first place: Avoid the breaks in the varnish which allow water to penetrate.

Every six-months to a year, wipe all the varnish with a rag soaked in teak oil. The teak oil will soften the varnish, reduce or eliminate bubbles, and settle the varnish down like a new finish. Like magic, the brightwork looks like it has just been stripped, sanded, and revarnished. A trained monkey could do the job. No sanding, no multiple coats, no brush work.

Proof: We had an "all-brightwork boat," a solid mahogany 17-foot Chris-Craft Runabout. We moored it, uncovered, in the hot sun all-summer-long, every summer. What a horrible way to abuse varnish! During the first 10 years, we laboriously sanded and varnished the boat several times. Then, a good ol' boy wizard at the local paint store taught us a life-saving trick. Every Spring, we hosed off the Runabout, then wiped down the entire topsides and deck with a rag and teak oil. It took less than 3 hours each time. Presto! It looked like a new varnish job every year.

Now, listen up, brothers and sisters. Put away your natural bristle brushes, sandpaper, tack tags, and cans of Epifanes varnish. The Promised Land awaits! We NEVER varnished our sun-ravaged runabout, our brightwork masterpiece, one more time. Not once in 25 years !!

[angelfish2]

Thank you so much everyone. We will certainly consider all of your advice. Our boat is in Florida but spent most of her time in Seattle. Unfortunately, her teak was not kept up and I fear that most of the black is mold.