moonie1
Well-Known Member
Whats the best way to preserve my boats interior?
Brazilian Mahogany
- Thread starter moonie1
- Start date
oldfrank
Well-Known Member
How about giving us a small clue or hint about your boat's interior? OF
moonie1
Well-Known Member
Maybe the heading gives it away. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Seagreen
Well-Known Member
Well, assuming its in good nick, and no rot, the occasional varnishing of exposed or worn bits, with a wipe down with fresh water damp rag. And dusting. I know this means learning to use the vacuum cleaner, but we all have to make sacrifices.
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
oldfrank
Well-Known Member
Solid mahogany panelling? Mahogany panelling on mahogany faced ply (marine ply?) or just bits of brazillian mahogany. Painted or varnished?
I've has lots of practice in spelling it out in simple terms so Jimmy can follow. OF
I've has lots of practice in spelling it out in simple terms so Jimmy can follow. OF
srp
Well-Known Member
For new wood, a good soak with a penetrating oil like Deks Olje No 1, followed by a traditional varnish. Every now and then, a rub over with a reviver, made up with equal parts of meths, pure turpentine (not white spirit), boiled linseed oil, plus a little shredded beeswax - give it a good shake to mix it and rub it in with a rag.
If it's old wood, already varnished and in good condition, just use the reviver recipe. If it's old wood in bad condition, you'll have to rub it down and start from the beginning!
If it's old wood, already varnished and in good condition, just use the reviver recipe. If it's old wood in bad condition, you'll have to rub it down and start from the beginning!
moonie1
Well-Known Member
All the interior is solid mahogany except the bulkheads which are 4mm veneer on mahogany ply.
All the wood is in good condition and I would like to keep it that way. On the saloon table the larger leaf has warped slightly.(maybe due to using a heater to warm the cabin.)
Thanks for the formula srp.
All the wood is in good condition and I would like to keep it that way. On the saloon table the larger leaf has warped slightly.(maybe due to using a heater to warm the cabin.)
Thanks for the formula srp.
oldfrank
Well-Known Member
I've just taken the entire inside of a 35' boat back to the wood - but mine's all solid wood panelling with some rot in the bottom of bulkheads. I would tend to be highly circumspect about using beeswax on a surface I had to revarnish - it's fine on polished furniture but I would expect problems with the recoated varnish going off. You'll have to remove every trace of wax.
If the varnish is in good condition, all you've got to do is flatten it down with light abrasive and recoat every few years. Personally I don't like two pack (try removing old two-pack) and have now used Epifanes exclusively for fifteen years. Universal Clear Primer is also the kiss of death to a varnish finish. Some yards use it as they can get four coats on in a day. Epifanes rubbed finish sometimes looks good in a cabin but it's not very tough and needs several gloss undercoats. As an aside, Epifanes is highly temperature sensitive - I wouldn't even bother in really cold weather but finishes seem to be better if the stuff is heated up. Some of the guys in the West Indies keep it in the fridge! Always rub down using a block - end finish is directly relevant to preparation. If you want to see how good your varnish will look without committing yourself to a brush, just rub over with white spirit and you'll see how it's going to look before the spirit evaporates.
If you have to strip back to wood be prepared for a long job. Every little scrape you make across the grain can potentially show through your finish - and 4mm veneer will be easy to penetrate with a careless scraper. I use a heat gun for stripping. Very old linseed varnish (the type that bubbles with age) just turns to gunk and has to be removed with a dry, cold and very sharp scraper. I always stain mahogany before varnishing. Mahoganies are notoriously different in colour and the stain helps consistency and counter u/v. If you don't stain external mahogany it goes a very flat light brown colour within a couple of seasons. I always used Interstain Mahogany - which they've kindly stopped selling in the UK; although I gather it may be available in Sweden. I need some more! Can anyone help?
I have a choice of three, oval Hamilton varnish brushes, plus a half inch flat one that is used mainly for staining. Haven't cleaned any of them for probably fifteen years. They are suspended in linseed oil, where all the bits drop to the bottom of the pot.
Hope this is some help to you Moonie. Classic boats will give you a lot of practice with varnishing. Make sure external varnish is under cover by 1st November every year - unless scraping down frost damage fills you with joy. Happy New Year.
Old Frank
If the varnish is in good condition, all you've got to do is flatten it down with light abrasive and recoat every few years. Personally I don't like two pack (try removing old two-pack) and have now used Epifanes exclusively for fifteen years. Universal Clear Primer is also the kiss of death to a varnish finish. Some yards use it as they can get four coats on in a day. Epifanes rubbed finish sometimes looks good in a cabin but it's not very tough and needs several gloss undercoats. As an aside, Epifanes is highly temperature sensitive - I wouldn't even bother in really cold weather but finishes seem to be better if the stuff is heated up. Some of the guys in the West Indies keep it in the fridge! Always rub down using a block - end finish is directly relevant to preparation. If you want to see how good your varnish will look without committing yourself to a brush, just rub over with white spirit and you'll see how it's going to look before the spirit evaporates.
If you have to strip back to wood be prepared for a long job. Every little scrape you make across the grain can potentially show through your finish - and 4mm veneer will be easy to penetrate with a careless scraper. I use a heat gun for stripping. Very old linseed varnish (the type that bubbles with age) just turns to gunk and has to be removed with a dry, cold and very sharp scraper. I always stain mahogany before varnishing. Mahoganies are notoriously different in colour and the stain helps consistency and counter u/v. If you don't stain external mahogany it goes a very flat light brown colour within a couple of seasons. I always used Interstain Mahogany - which they've kindly stopped selling in the UK; although I gather it may be available in Sweden. I need some more! Can anyone help?
I have a choice of three, oval Hamilton varnish brushes, plus a half inch flat one that is used mainly for staining. Haven't cleaned any of them for probably fifteen years. They are suspended in linseed oil, where all the bits drop to the bottom of the pot.
Hope this is some help to you Moonie. Classic boats will give you a lot of practice with varnishing. Make sure external varnish is under cover by 1st November every year - unless scraping down frost damage fills you with joy. Happy New Year.
Old Frank
Seanick
Well-Known Member
Old Frank, I have to agree with everything you say !! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
srp
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I would tend to be highly circumspect about using beeswax on a surface I had to revarnish
[/ QUOTE ]
True enough - you can leave the beeswax out if you want. I was thinking more of the 'showy' bits of a yachts internal joinery when suggesting this recipe - the bits that would only get revarnished once in a blue moon.
I completely agree with you about varnish - I have never used a 2 pack, always preferring a good traditional oil based varnish like Epifanes. As you say, it's much easier to rub down or even strip completely in subsequent years. For similar reasons, I would not be tempted to use any shop-bought furniture polishes to maintain interior varnish work as they usually contain silicon, which seems to be impossible to remove.
I would tend to be highly circumspect about using beeswax on a surface I had to revarnish
[/ QUOTE ]
True enough - you can leave the beeswax out if you want. I was thinking more of the 'showy' bits of a yachts internal joinery when suggesting this recipe - the bits that would only get revarnished once in a blue moon.
I completely agree with you about varnish - I have never used a 2 pack, always preferring a good traditional oil based varnish like Epifanes. As you say, it's much easier to rub down or even strip completely in subsequent years. For similar reasons, I would not be tempted to use any shop-bought furniture polishes to maintain interior varnish work as they usually contain silicon, which seems to be impossible to remove.
Roach1948
Well-Known Member
I am another Interstain/Epifannes user. I use their "rubbed down effect" varnish, but you put this on as a final coat or two after the normal gloss varnish.
I agree with OldFrank. UCP is such a bad product. It will do nothing to help adhesion in the future. The varnish will flake. Then, then you want to remove it you cant - very odd stuff.
I agree with OldFrank. UCP is such a bad product. It will do nothing to help adhesion in the future. The varnish will flake. Then, then you want to remove it you cant - very odd stuff.
