Anti Foul

[tidclacy]

Looking ahead to winter layup what is the best way to remove years of anti foul from my 11 ft wooden Clinker dinghy (West Wight Scow)

 

[Tranona]

Hard graft scraping. you could try chemical strippers and less graft more mess. Fortunately not a huge area to do.

 

[Wansworth]

Mask to avoid dust,do it on plastic sheeting

 

[srm]

Mask to avoid dust,do it on plastic sheeting

Even better, keep it wet.
My wife got a tiny spec of old antifoul in her eye when checking a boat ashore. Half an hour later she had lost sight in that eye. Doctors in hospital Emergency were using a magnifying glass to find and remove the spec. Fortunately, no long term damage.
Antifoul dust will not do lungs much good either and I doubt that the usual fabric masks will keep it all out. A full face mask with positive pressure air feed would be a lot safer.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The advantage of chemical strippers in the wetness, no dust. But I can’t see how you’d do that without making a mess of the topsides, cos you’ll be inverting her. So astronaut outfit, scraper and wet sanding. Hood and positive pressure if you value your long term health.

 

[srm]

Hood and positive pressure if you value your long term health.

I have never smoked, not even one cigarette. However most of last year was spent being treated for lung cancer with the removal of half of the left lung. OK its impossible to pin down the causes and my medics went for secondary smoking which given the environments I grew up and worked in is a reasonable assumption. However, looking back I also had a very cavalier attitude towards working on boats from the 60's onwards including stripping and applying antifouling, working with fibreglass and epoxy resins, solvent based glues, welding, etc. etc. I rarely used a face mask and then only in later years.

Take care.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I have never smoked, not even one cigarette. However most of last year was spent being treated for lung cancer with the removal of half of the left lung. OK its impossible to pin down the causes and my medics went for secondary smoking which given the environments I grew up and worked in is a reasonable assumption. However, looking back I also had a very cavalier attitude towards working on boats from the 60's onwards including stripping and applying antifouling, working with fibreglass and epoxy resins, solvent based glues, welding, etc. etc. I rarely used a face mask and then only in later years.

Take care.

Very sorry to hear that. But thanks for the lesson in health and safety with marine chemicals. I do it a lot, and have a powered filter system in a hood. Always used for antifoul and paint spraying, I might use a suitable mask and eye protection for applying epoxy, it’s less volatile, and I do it outdoors if I’m not wearing the helmet. Skin exposure also needs to be guarded. Gloves, a suit, shoe covers, plastic sleeves. Some of this stuff is seriously bad for us.

 

[Wansworth]

Very sorry to hear that. But thanks for the lesson in health and safety with marine chemicals. I do it a lot, and have a powered filter system in a hood. Always used for antifoul and paint spraying, I might use a suitable mask and eye protection for applying epoxy, it’s less volatile, and I do it outdoors if I’m not wearing the helmet. Skin exposure also needs to be guarded. Gloves, a suit, shoe covers, plastic sleeves. Some of this stuff is seriously bad for us.

Yes the handling of chemicals and dust was treated without much thought even by professionals and there was little info available……or ignored.In the boatbuilding business I saw countless people smoking whilst laminating grp….as an example.Although now on YouTube everyone wears a mask even if they are planning a bit of wood or painting

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Yes the handling of chemicals and dust was treated without much thought even by professionals and there was little info available……or ignored.In the boatbuilding business I saw countless people smoking whilst laminating grp….as an example.Although now on YouTube everyone wears a mask even if they are planning a bit of wood or painting

Indeed. My very first job, before going to university, was in a laboratory doing various tests on Coal Tar. We routinely heated coal tar, bitumen and various additives over open flames in the open laboratory. We also used vast quantities of Trichloroethylene, Xylene and Acetone. There was a mercury distillation apparatus in one corner of the lab; it was one of my jobs to tend it! There was a perennial smell of phenols in the air. We used asbestos gloves to handle hot apparatus. Looking back, it all seems horribly unsafe! But my only injury waas caused by a physical accident (finger got between hammer and anvil!)

 

[oldbloke]

Don't use chemical stripper on a clinker boat, especially if riveted. It will hide in the corners and between the planks and reactivate when it gets damp.

 

[wombat88]

Don't use chemical stripper on a clinker boat, especially if riveted. It will hide in the corners and between the planks and reactivate when it gets damp.

Oh so true, causes problems for years.

If the old anitfoul is still adhereing well I must say I'd be tempted to leave it and overpaint. Scruffling around with aged clinker, probably with aged fastenings is a recipe for more 'water ingress situations'.

 

[tidclacy]

Yes thanks all for your comments.
Will inspect when she comes out and may just as suggested leave well alone and touch up where needed.