Oyster 406 Permaglaze interior finish?

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rjweatherhead

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I tried this post on the Practical Boat Owners forum but haven't found an answer - I hope it may be something that owners of classic boats are familiar with.
My boat is an Oyster 406 (no. 17) which was built by Windboats in 1987. The boat is now in the boatyard in Portugal. We are undertaking some maintenance in the galley area where the wood finish is badly worn on the corners, along the fiddles and around the companionway.
I have already tried varnishing a small area after careful rub-down with wet & dry, but the varnish has not bonded to the existing surface.
Oyster Ltd think that the original finish was something called permaglaze matt, that would then have been burnished with Bri-wax and wire wool 0000 grade. It does not look like vanish sitting on the wood - more like a finish that has gone into the wood giving an attractive satin appearance. They suggest using permaglaze satin finish for repairs. However, I cannot find any information on permaglaze or where I can get hold of it.
Does anyone know about this finish and have any suggestions about how I should maintain and repair the interior wood finish of the boat, please?
Thanks, - Rick
 
Our (Oyster) was built in 89 and also fitted out by Windboats. We have the same satin finish which looks like a wax to me rather than a varnish. I have the original owners manual on board which I seem to recall describes the finish so I'll hunt this out and see if it's useful.
 
Not too much useful info. This from the Oyster Owners Manual:

Joinery

Teak joinery will be finished with several coats of varnish and then burnished with teak oil. Each season or from time to time you can apply additional wax but this must be rubbed to achieve a smooth finish.

Certain custom wood finishes eg light Oak, Sycamore, Beech, Ash etc may not be waxed.
When revarnishing remember to remove all traces of wax before applying new varnish.
 
hm. I think tome's owners manual is newer than this boat, perhaps?

At quite a posh woodworking place where i worked for a while in the late seveties seventies, we used to wipe several coats of "Shellac" onto the wood - a thin base sort of sealant , and then apply beeswax, burnishing it up with fine woodturnings. It is olny something like this that i can imagine wd not take any varnish. Is "permaglaze" a form of shellac - i think it is - and briwax is the equivalent of what we called beeswax.

There is a specialist wood finsihers materials company near Romney Marsh name of Liberon Waxes and i wd imagaine they will have something that you can use. Worth a try on a small area. You need a neutral coloured wax, and a possibly-petroleum based primer to apply before the wax. I think "shellac" will ring bells with them. Also, easy with the wax - a bit at a time else you can't burnish properly and it comes off.

hope this helps
 
[ QUOTE ]
hm. I think tome's owners manual is newer than this boat, perhaps?

[/ QUOTE ]

Cheeky fecker, the mannuel came withe the boat and is written in plain english
 
yeah right well, the manual sounds a bit general pupose - he obv doesn;t have varnish on his wood now does he?

Be honest - this chap has obviously got a Special Optional One-off Oyster Exclusive Edition Boatshow Finish - and you're a bit gutted, hm? I would rip off that common ole varnish pronto and get a-polishing asap!!!
 
Interesting comments - thanks. As it happens, this boat was shown at the Hamburg Boat Show in 1987 before being delivered to its buyer in Germany. However, I received an email from the builders, Windboats, containing the info below which I presume applied to their general build rather than mine in particular. Any further comments from anyone who has tried any of this would be appreciated.

Comment from Windloats -

to the best of our knowledge that we had used Permoglaze matt varnish and that was then given a burnished finish with the use of Briwax and 0000 grade wire wool and then buffed using a soft cloth giving a more glossy look.

This varnish is still available but not from any yacht chandlers, I too couldn't find anything particularly helpful on the internet. I am being told that you would be better off trying a builders merchant or similar. The Briwax is a natural wax containing beeswax and is available in many colours, I would suggest a colour close to the colour of your teak and this would be available from any furniture restoration retailer or similar.

Reading your letter it would appear that you are making repairs to the galley area, to the Teak solid timber fiddles and posts. If this is correct then we would suggest masking off any plywood areas for protection and sanding back the solid timber to bare timber also remove dings in the area by using 80 grit paper, 150 grit paper and 240 grit paper. The timber can then be wiped with Acetone to remove any remaining grease and finally rubbed down with 320 grit paper, and then tacked off with a tack cloth. The surface should then be ready to start building up the coats of varnish. Current spec is one 50/50 coat and five full coats.

If you are reluctant to strip the solid timber the wax will have to be removed, this should be done by using a degreasant or solvent stronger than turps. I have asked a varnish rep of a paint company for a suitable degreasant but has still to come back to me. Acetone may do the job but could affect the varnish if left on too long, a damp cloth is all that should be applied. This should be done until the cloths applying the degreasant or Acetone are coming away clean. The area can then be sanded with 240 & 320 grit papers Tacked and varnished.

If using Acetone be vary carefull not to drip on any other finished surface and I would suggest trying a small area first to see if it is successful. Please also remember all the major flat panels will be veneered ply and the veneer is fairly thin so be careful not to rub through the veneer, solid timber is obviously not a problem.
 
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