Mahogany ****-up!

[Seagreen]

Been and gone and done it. In furtherance of diesel tank removal, I was decanting diesel from said old tank to a temporary barrel, when I spilt a mugfull of said red oily stuff all over the cockpit seat, some of which has soaked into the mahoany. As I want to epoxy some of this area, and varnish the rest in the next couple of weeks, what's the quickest method of removing the oil whilst not bleaching the wood? As they say, a moments inattention..

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Not bothered by diesel in the hull (as needed below), just the ability of the wood to hold epoxy and varnish.

 

[Poignard]

WEST say you should degrease oily timber with acetone before applying epoxy.

 

[Seagreen]

Got enough of that, but won't it bleach the wood?

 

[sarabande]

Worth phoning these people who have some very clever biological ways of removing diesel from all sorts of material.

http://www.oiltechnics.co.uk/

They tend to supply big companies, but a 5 litre can could have uses around the boat for years to come. And their stuff really does work even on long-term engrained diesel.

 

[Poignard]

It never has in my case but you could always "test in an inconspicuous area first"!

 

[Seagreen]

Thanks. I've emailed them in the first instance.
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[kds]

I know you will think this is a stupid reply - but I have never succeeded in getting diesel out of wood for a "varnish quality" finish. Spread diesel over all the surface to give a consistent colour, wipe, dry and then try acetone.
Ken

 

[Seagreen]

I'm going to risk it with the Varnol, as it is an oil based varnish. I'm sure if I bomb it with enough Turps, the Diesel will be thinned enough to take the varnish. I'm waiting for a reply from the Oiltechniks people.

 

[Peterduck]

I can buy a 'degreasing fluid' from my local oil supplier. It is a green liquid, and very effective. I suspect that it is produced by one of the oil companies. You might like to try Googling for Shell Industrial Chemicals, to see if they produce such a fluid.
Peter.

 

[Seagreen]

Peterduck, I'll see what B&Q do in that line here. I'm not overly worried, just annoyed at my own clumsiness.

 

[JesseLoynes]

THe alternative is risky, but has been done successfully on teak decks.

This can go horribly wrong, so run a test before hand, and if you are not completely happy, don't do it!

You need a hot air gun, a bucket of water and steady nerves. By using the hot air gun you can evaporate the diesel out of the timber. There is a fine point between getting the timber hot enough to get the diesel out but not hot enough to scorch.

Work very slowly and bring the temperature up gently, but you'll start to see the diesel bubble to the surface.

Best thing to do is to get a scrap bit of mahog, dash a bit of diesel over it and let it seep into the timber, and then try the technique there.

I've used this technique where there was spilt diesel in the bilge, but you may want to wait for some corroboration from others before trusting me. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

It's worth a try on a test piece surely!

 

[Seagreen]

Now that's what I call living dangerously! I may even try it...

 

[Johnnie38]

I believe a product called trisodiumphosphate is the recommended way of removing oils from wood, as used by our transatlantic neighbours. This seems to be available at every supermarket over there. It might be necessary to talk to a chemical supplier over here from the yellow pages - if I remember correctly it's not very expensive.
John