Temporary Brightwork treatment

[skipgundlach]

OP here. Very kind of you to offer. If that was meant for me, I have a DeFever—not a Selene or Flemming—and would have to locate the hull #. Also, for my refit, we’re using Awlwood, which may not please brightwork purists, but we are very happy with.

We are / were (it's finally now ready to do again, having started peeling in a couple of places after more than 10 years, and proceeding to peel nearly entirely in the last couple of years), thrilled with our Awlwood on the cap rail of our cockpit.

If we dinged it hard enough, it got some whitish under the ding spot but otherwise was flawless for many years.

You can see that result (didn't take pix of our removing ages of black, extremely thick, varnish), interspersed with many other projects after our wreck's rehab, starting here; page on to other pix on later pages.

We had some initial challenges with bubbles but consultation with the techies at AwlGrip got that sorted before the last coats.

Highly recommend, and will do again on the next cosmetic refit:

Pictures: Flying Pig Is Aloft - The Adventure Begins/Chapter_3_-_Restoration/Chapter_2_-_Salt_Creek_Marina_Repairs/Exterior

 

[tn6437]

temporary teak treatment

as far as i am concerned whatever you do to your teak is temporary. it will all need redoing. therefore i choose the easiest way to clean it and protect it . no sanding ever. i use total boat two part cleaner and total boat danish teak sealer. the treatment takes about a weekend on my 35 ft trawler and last several years. it looks natural, not the shiny varnish type coating, it has a nice natural look with a satin finish.

 

[New Song]

We use Semco Teak sealer in the Honey colour on our toe rail and are very happy with the results. I would describe it as a pigmented teak oil, but much more long-lasting than oil. The instructions say it needs 1 annual coat, but we apply one in the spring and another in the fall. At one point, the teak had not been coated for 8 months and had gone through a winter. It had black spots and some sort of fungus growing on it, plus we did not like the first colour we had chosen (Natural), so we cleaned it with Semco 2-part teak brightener. All of the previous sealer appeared to have been completely removed with the brightener. This winter, the finish survived the winter just fine, as we had applied one coat in October and another in April. The boat is located in Southern BC.

After reading that one member of this Forum is wrapping various components of their Nordhavn in vinyl wrap, I have been toying with the idea of wrapping our teak window frames, which are finished with Cetol, with clear vinyl wrap to keep out the moisture intrusion that degrades the finish. This might work on a cap rail too, once you have that perfect varnished finish, but you would need to seal the vinyl seams with a fine line of clear caulk.

 

[koliver]

We use Semco Teak sealer in the Honey colour on our toe rail and are very happy with the results. I would describe it as a pigmented teak oil, but much more long-lasting than oil. The instructions say it needs 1 annual coat, but we apply one in the spring and another in the fall. At one point, the teak had not been coated for 8 months and had gone through a winter. It had black spots and some sort of fungus growing on it, plus we did not like the first colour we had chosen (Natural), so we cleaned it with Semco 2-part teak brightener. All of the previous sealer appeared to have been completely removed with the brightener. This winter, the finish survived the winter just fine, as we had applied one coat in October and another in April. The boat is located in Southern BC.

After reading that one member of this Forum is wrapping various components of their Nordhavn in vinyl wrap, I have been toying with the idea of wrapping our teak window frames, which are finished with Cetol, with clear vinyl wrap to keep out the moisture intrusion that degrades the finish. This might work on a cap rail too, once you have that perfect varnished finish, but you would need to seal the vinyl seams with a fine line of clear caulk.

I would be wary of a cleaner that touts on their site:
"It deep cleans teak without harsh scrubbing to remove graying, fish blood, fuel stains and teak oils"
I once tried one of those on my own decks and it removed so much teak along with the "grey, blood, fuel and oils" that I threw out the leftovers to avoid the temptation to use it again. I figured an annual cleaning with that stuff would mean a new deck would be needed within 10 years.

 

[New Song]

I would be wary of a cleaner that touts on their site:
"It deep cleans teak without harsh scrubbing to remove graying, fish blood, fuel stains and teak oils"
I once tried one of those on my own decks and it removed so much teak along with the "grey, blood, fuel and oils" that I threw out the leftovers to avoid the temptation to use it again. I figured an annual cleaning with that stuff would mean a new deck would be needed within 10 years.

That was not our experience with this product. Yes, it seems to remove a fine layer of wood, but probably far less than sanding does, especially if you are sanding to remove stains. We've used it twice now with no apparent diminishment of our teak.

 

[angus99]

OP here. Very kind of you to offer. If that was meant for me, I have a DeFever—not a Selene or Flemming—and would have to locate the hull #. Also, for my refit, we’re using Awlwood, which may not please brightwork purists, but we are very happy with.

Just to clarify, I was NOT the OP for this thread. I mixed this up with one that I actually did start. Sheesh! Sorry for any confusion.

 

[DDW]

I asked about covers and was told that water will always get in and it's not worth the cost of the covers. FWIW

Covers are not to keep the water out, they are to shield the UV. There is a huge difference in the longevity of a clear finish exposed to UV vs. shaded from it, regardless of the product used.

 

[castellah22]

International wood skin its very good . from the UK

 

[Cheechako]

You might also consider Semco. It is not a varnish, but a wood preservative. It goes on quickly and provides some protection against oxidation (grey discoloring) of the native wood by sun/UV. Semco does not require full sanding and surface prep typically needed for a good varnish/cetol/epoxy finish. I have even avoided masking tape on the surrounding gelcoat if I am careful with the brush and keep a dry rag handy to quickly wipe up any excess. The only prep is scrubbing with a teak cleaner (like oxalic acid) to remove the prior oxidation, allow to dry, then one coat of Semco with a fine hair brush or foam brush. It's non-viscous and spreads like an oil based finish. Dries in a few hours. A half-gallon will cover a huge amount of surface, so its cost-effective.

It is definitely not for show-room glossy layered finish. There is no sheen, just a flat matte finish. Its a protective, and adds some of the traditional teak coloring, but is not intended to be built up in layers to achieve the bright translucent, reflective surface desired from varnish, cetol, or epoxy. However in your situation, you will find your teak will look very nice in a few hours and help keep it that way until next year when you can decide on a more permanent finish. If Semco turns out to be enough for your purposes, a yearly update is recommended (just wash clean and brush on another coat).

When its time for formal varnish, just can sand and prep as you would for any other multi-layered coating.

 

[cabinetman1955]

The greatest problem with finish work is preparation!!!
Read the application instructions twice and do not deviate from them ! Most often the Temperature and humidity conditions are NOT CORRECT!
This results in the finish failing in a much shorter time frame that it should. Most finishes to insure durability need to be applied at 50 to 70 % humidity! I have seen many boat owners constantly refinishing bright work and complaining that the last finish they used was no good! A boat on the water will rarely see the conditions that are required for proper finish applications!There are some new formulations that use moisture to harden look for products that can be applied that meet the conditions at the time of application!
Coating wood that is to high in humidity or if the conditions are not correct will only cause the finish to fail!

 

[Cheechako]

Does Tung, or another, oil come off ok?...

I have been using Tung extensively for interior wood projects and love the ease of getting a nice semi-gloss finish. But.....Tung is definitely not what it is advertised and definitely not for high demand exterior (sun/UV) exposure.

What is most important to understand is that almost all products advertising as "Tung" oil basically are low grade varnishes with a minor percentages of tung as a solvent and penetrator, but not as the primary coating.

Please don't take my word for this, but watch this video from Stumpy Nubs woodworking channel where the author dissects and explains Tung oil from its origins in the native tree to the various commercial finishes. Despite the quirky name of his channel, I have been following his thorough explanations of many DYI woodworking techniques and he is very solid and practical. Take a look and decide for yourself, but I would not use any Tung oil on exterior projects.

Tung Oil explained.

As an aside, I have tried "Teak oil" and it badly oxidized in just one season under the sun, leaving a thick black residue which I had to remove with a pressure washer. I suspect that commercial "Teak Oil" is not any more derived from the Teak tree or nut than is Tung oil. Just my opinion. Hope this helps....

 

[MVDarlin]

Take the boat to Mexico and have it done
9 coats of Epithanes. Also, strip with a heat gun
Minimal sanding.

 

[Cheechako]

I thought I would add a few images illustrating the comparison of Teak Oil vs Semco on the same boat, under the same conditions.

The photo on the left is a side window on the pilot house, prepped with teak cleaner gently applied with a fiber-backed (kitchen) scrub pad and then with 2 quick coats of Semco using a foam brush. The second coat was applied about 1 hour after the first coat. The appearance has not changed at all in 18 months and no other coats have been used to date.

The photo on the right is the same boat showing the flying bridge cap rail which was coated with Teak Oil about 2 years ago. This is now oxidized to a black residue, which is not easy to remove, and requires hard scrubbing with 2 phase teak cleaner and a bristle brush.

The boat was under common-cover moorage initially, and then in a boat house for the last 10 months so the UV and weather exposure is less than with open moorage, but the two wood samples illustrated above are exposed to nearly the same conditions over that time interval.

Decide for yourself, but I, personally, would avoid Teak Oil, even for temporary management of your bright work. As I mentioned in my prior post, Semco leaves a flat matte finish with no sheen. so it is not for everyone or every situation. However, it is much, much less physical work than 7 layers of varnish and does at least provide a nice appearance, color, and appears durable over several seasons. Check their website for specifics.