Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sealing with Pettit 2018 Clear Sealer

       

     I was able to grab an hour in the evening to continue with the sealing of the damaged portion of the toerails.  After having removed the damaged portions of the forward toerail, filling and fairing, and staining, I was ready to apply sealer.  Having the sealer on the rails would eliminate the annoying process of suspending a tarp over the work area.  It would also be a significant milestone in the effort to bring the toerail back to 'presentable'.  
     The process for applying the Pettit 2018 Clear Sealer was straight forward, and offered a substantial improvement in overall appearance once applied.  I first lightly wiped the surface of the toerail to be sealed with solvent to remove any surface contaminates.  I then portioned out some of the sealer, reducing with Interlux 2333N.  Using a foam brush, I applied the sealer to the toerail.  When I had covered the entire area requiring sealing, I returned to the starting point for a second coat.
     The look of the rails improved significantly.  The next step will be to lightly sand the cured clear coat, and apply the first coat of Epifanes varnish.  After the first coat of Epifanes goes on this "damaged area" of the toerails, I will begin to incorporate the balance of the toerails in rejuvenating the brightwork. 

Bow shot.



Looking over the bow.



Aft portion of starboard toerail as it transitions into the undamaged section.



Starboard toerail after Pettit 2018 Clear Sealer.



Port toerail after application of Pettit 2018 Clear Sealer.



Another shot of the port rail.




May 10th - Total Time 1 hr

Staining Toerail






   
     Back on the 7th of May, I applied a trial run on the staining, thinking that some of the smaller voids would be filled with this product - Interlux Interstain.  However, after application and wait time, it was clear that what I was dealing with was a staining product only meant to fill the grain - making subsequent varnish work that much easier.  The product is not meant to be a void filler, however small the void.  So, I removed the trial application of Interstain, and proceeded to fill the smaller voids with an appropriate filler agent that accepts staining.

Bow rail post-stain.



     After I removed the trial application of Interstain, I sanded down to wood, wiped the surfaces with solvent to remove any trace contaminants, and generally prepared for filling the voids.   After applying the void filler, on the 10th of May, I came back the following day to fair the surface and prepare for staining - sorry, no picture of prepared surfaces.  The staining process involved preparing the Interlux Interstain by reducing with Interlux reducing Solvent 2333N until you get a paint consistency that is closer to water in viscosity.

Again, bow rail post-stain.

The Interstain was then brushed on the prepared toerail surface, and then immediately wiped off.  As I worked the toerail surfaces, I rubbed the stain into the wood with adequate pressure so as to "drive" the stain into the wood grain.  The process went well, with a good color blending of the undamaged toerail with that of the damaged portions of the toerail - bow, and trailing  six to seven feet both port and starboard.  The picture below shows the forward portion of the port toerail after application of Interlux Interstain.


The picture below shows the aft portion of the damaged port toerail after application of Interlux Interstain.  Just beyond the handrail stanchion, you can see the stained portioned blending into the still varnished portion of the port toerail.  The color blend is very good, and will be seamless once varnished. 


The picture below shows the forward portion of the starboard toerail after application of Interlux Interstain.



The picture below shows the aft portion of the damaged starboard toerail after application of Interlux Interstain.  Just this side of the handrail stanchion in the right of the photo, you can see the stained portioned blending into the still varnished portion of the starboard toerail.  Again, the color blend is very good, and will be seamless once varnished. 



To cap the work session off....a nice sunset on the Ortega River.



May 7th, 10th, and 11th - Total Time 4.5 hrs

Finishing Up Patch Install


      Over the course of three days in April, the 24th through the 26th, I focused on getting the starboard dutchman patch in and faired to the existing surfaces.   As I had done for the prior dutchman patches, I began with the hand plane, and then graduated to a finish sander to bring the patch down to fair with the surrounding toerail.  Finally, I finished with hand sanding to ensure a seamless transition from the existing material to the new patch.


   


The damaged portion of Rhino's rails are now ready to receive filler for small voids, and for staining treatment.  The staining will bring the existing, weathered rails, as well as the dutchman patches, into color uniformity with the balance of the boat's toe and handrails. 



April 24th, 25th and 26th - Total Time 9 hrs

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Setting the Bow and Port Dutchman Patches


     Taking advantage of some free moments in the schedule, I rushed over to do some final fitting work on the bow patch.  After some final shaping on both the patch and the void, I prepared the surfaces for epoxy work: wiping down the surfaces to be epoxied with solvent to remove any contamination, and then applying "neat" epoxy to the patch and void.  Finally, I mixed a batch of epoxy thickened with "wood flour" taken from sanding work on the patches themselves.  Once I had generously spread the thickened epoxy throughout the void, I gently coaxed the patch into place with a rubber mallet.



April 9th, 2013 - Total Time .75 hrs



     The following evening, I returned to Rhino intent on setting the port dutchman patch, following the same process for the bow patch.  Working both the patch and void with chisel and hand plane, I arrived at a tight fit and turned to epoxy work to set the patch.  Again, I wiped all surfaces down with solvent, removing sanding dust and any contaminants that may prevent a good bond.  Once the surfaces were cleaned, I proceeded to paint out the void and patch with "neat" epoxy.  Setting the patch aside, I then mixed a couple of large batches of thickened epoxy using a combination of "wood flour", 407 low density filler, and 406 colloidal silica.  Once I had enough of the thickened mixture placed in the void, I set the dutchman with a rubber mallet, working the piece into the void for a tight fit.  Picture below shows the port dutchman set.



Another view of the port dutchman patch.



April 10th, 2013 - Total Time 3 hrs

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Roughing Out and Fitting the Dutchman Patches


     Good Friday allowed me to spend some time cutting out the dutchman patches from an 8/4 plank of mahogany, as well as some time on Rhino working to fit the patches.  The  process for roughing out the  dutchman patches was straight forward:  apply the dutchman template to the 8/4 mahogany plank, trace out the patch to be cut out, and then proceed to remove the patch using the bandsaw.   I intentionally left the dutchman patches oversized in order to trim the material on site, working toward a good, tight fit in the toerail.  



At the same time I roughed out the port and starboard material, I roughed out the small, 3" x 5" bow piece.  Total time spent in the shop was about an hour.



After roughing out the patches in the shop, I took a trip over Rhino to begin the fitting process.  The amount of material I left in place versus the actual measure of the void came in handy, as I decided to widen the void in some places in order to remove questionable wood within the toerail.  I used a combination of random orbital sander and a hand plane to shape the dutchman down to a tight fit.  Seen below, the port dutchman "working" its way into position.



The bow piece, shown below, was a much easier effort due to the simple form of the dutchman.  There is need for follow up on this piece, as I plan to set the patch a little deeper in the rail.  I will remove more material in the rail to allow a deeper set for the dutchman.



The port and bow pieces settling into their new homes.  More work is required to get the patches in place, and prior to beginning the staining, sealing, and numerous coats of varnish.




March 29th, 2013 - Total Time 4.5 hrs

Toerail Material Removal at Bow


     Continuing where I had left things on Friday evening, I spent the fleeting minutes leading into what would become a wet weekend by removing the worst of the water and sun damage at the most forward part of the toerail.  There were clear signs of water damage within this area marked for repair, and I worked to remove material until I reached unmarred material.  The cracking seen in the lower portion of  the picture will be filled with Interlux paste stain wood filler, sealed, and then varnished to match the balance of Rhino's toe and handrails.  The work day was cut short due to inclement weather settling in - see raindrops on the rail.





Another view of this bow section.  Again, the remaining checking will be filled in order to seal off and prepare for varnishing.




This 4" silicon-bronze screw shows clear signs of corrosion as a result of water ingress - this damage was brought on by the loss of the protective varnish.




March 23rd, 2013 - Total Time 1/2 hour

Starboard Material Removal


     Immediately following my office gig on Friday the 22nd of March, I arrived at Rhino for continued work on the removal of the starboard material subjected to water ingress.  I retrieved the starboard template stored in one of the aft lockers, and began to trace out the area to be removed. 



You can see that I seemed to have struggled aligning the starboard template for the eventual dutchman patch, yet in the end I prevailed.



After a couple hours of old-fashioned handy work, I had removed most of the questionable material from the starboard rail.  Like the port rail, there would be some fine tuning in order to have the dutchman seat properly in the prepared void.



The toerail is secured, in its length fore to aft, by  4" silicon-bronze flat head wood screws.  All six screws that I removed were showing signs of corrosion as a result of the water ingress. 



The overhead picture shows the material removed from the port and starboard rails, and in process of preparation to receive the dutchman patches.



Work area secured for an approaching week-long rain event.



March 22nd, 2013 - Total Time 2 hrs