The gross abuse of wooden blocks. Some inadvertent research...

[Mirelle]

Twenty one years ago I dismantled all the numerous four and five inch blocks that the boat was built with, and overhauled them. They were then forty-eight years old. The overhaul consisted of knocking the pins out, dropping the plain and “patent” (roller bearing) sheaves into a can of Gunk, scraping the wood shells and dropping them into a can of Deks Olje no 1, replacing worn pins with stainless steel rod, sending the steel internal bindings off for re-galvanising (and replacing one of them), then fishing the sheaves out, greasing them and re-assembling them in the newly galvanised bindings and fishing the shells out of the Deks Olje, giving them a couple of coats of Deks Olje no 2, and going sailing.

Over the next twenty years I forgot all about the blocks; they got hung about the rig when fitting out, and dropped in a pile in the garage in the winter, but maintenance had they none!

Last year when fitting out I was so ashamed of the nasty grey shells that I brushed them over with Stockholm tar and promised myself that I would make new shells over the winter.

Not that I did, of course…

This spring I tried a scraper on one shell and to my astonishment the wood came up bright – it was like scraping grey teak. So the whole lot have been reprieved – and given a few more coats of Deks Olje!

The pins, sheaves and bindings were all fine.

So, Deks Olje deserves recognition for being rather better stuff than I had come to think – and I wonder if modern, “maintenance free” blocks would have lasted any better?

 

[alienzdive]

Not aware of the products you are describing (brand names) etc,

However over twenty years lots of products have had tighter Health and safety guidelines imposed, the companies stilll give them the old name, but the producs are much inferior to the older counterparts.

We now know how to make much better products than what is commonly available on the shelf, but can not buy it over teh shelf because they are too harmful to the human aplicators.

 

[Captain Coochie]

Do you not agree that pure linseed oil would have done the same thing ?

 

[martinschulz]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you not agree that pure linseed oil would have done the same thing ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Linseed oil attracts too much dirt (when used outside). You'll end up with ugly blackened sticky wood.

 

[Captain Coochie]

Try reading the back of the bottle ..... Aplication instructions , then no more black sticky wood /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif RTFM !

 

[Mirelle]

Sorry, but I agree with Martin.

Claud Worth recommends (1911) dropping block shells into a bucket of raw linseed oil and leaving them for three months, then hanging them up to dry for another three months and then varnishing them. This works (my blocks were thuse treated when new, by the first owner, in the 1930's) but it takes for ever, and you will notice that Worth varnishes over the linseed oil to avoid the nasty black results that Martin mentions. I have tried this and it works but you are still varnishing so whilst the blocks last better they still need a lot of work.

Worth specifically says "not "boiled oil"".

I adapted the method to use Deks Olje, which I had thought, until I scraped the blocks, was an over-rated product.

I just posted my findings in case they are of interest.

 

[Captain Coochie]

They are of interest and thanks for posting your findings .
My question about linseed was more to do with my own findings on using it and it working very well on gates and other exterior joinery . If you leave something soaking in linseed then the wood is never going to take up the oil and will stay wet hence attracting dirt . Better to do lots of wipe on wipe off coats that soak up over night .

 

[Mirelle]

Thanks for that. I use boiled linseed oil as a rigging dressing, and do as you say - wipe on a coat once a week for a month or so each spring. I remember seeing a boat on which an elderly and very experienced owner (a friend of Humphrey Barton) had done this for many years - the galvanised wire was in beautiful condition.