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advice on varnishing


haza

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hi all .not that i am stingy .but just had quote on having the inside of the boat decorated ...looking at it im sure i could do this myself with a little help from my friends here at canalworld ...i use to do all the decor when we had the house  and that if i say so myself turned out pretty good,but a boat , thats a wee bit different .....my boat as teak panels with solid oak surround .i have been told to lightly sandpaper the panels as to not take the grain away ...but with the solid oak use leckie sander ...would i be right in doing this ...all info on doing this job would be very much appreciated..better still if anyone would like to do this for me free food and moorings for a couple of weeks lol

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Wipe with decorators wipes or use sugar soap, then lightly sand with production paper (obtainable from a motor factors or Amazon), then revarnish. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/P180-Production-Paper-pack-sheets/dp/B005ORWAHA

Get the finest grade you can. 

Edited by cuthound
To add the last sentance.
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My suggestion would be to use foam abrasive blocks such as these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pack-Of-10-Foam-Sponge-Sandpaper-Sanding-Blocks-Home-Decorating-DIY-/272327261151?hash=item3f67f83bdf:g:NmEAAOSwbsBXn1wf

I would also look closely at your Teak panels and check if they've been varnished or oiled. You will get a far better finish with Teak oil.

The solid Oak surround can take far more sanding, which is why you can use an electric sander on it. That should be finished either with varnish, but you will probably get a better finish with Danish oil. If you use a varnish, thin the first coat down with 25% White spirit, that will allow it to better soak into the Oak, which is a very hard and durable timber.

After sanding, rub a rag dampened with white spirit over the timber, this will remove the majority of the dust, give it 15 minutes to dry off before oiling/varnishing.

Kevin

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5 minutes ago, haza said:

thanks kev the panels where varnished ..about 4 years ago .this is my problem ..i dont want to make an pigs ear of it ..so i want to get it right thanks 

Then all they require (if indeed they require anything) will be a very light sanding with 240 grit or finer, just to give a key. Then wipe the surface with a cloth dampened with white spirit to get rid of most of the dust and when that’s dry, wipe with a tack rag. 

Then use a decent quality varnish applied with a quality brush. 

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well guys it needs something as it looks dull and depressing to me ..when it was first done i think it only had one coat of varnish ...at the time it looked good to me plus i had to have the boat at a certain time ...thinking i will give it some more coats ...later on ..four years later on lol but thank you so much for the input great as usual ...

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1 hour ago, haza said:

well guys it needs something as it looks dull and depressing to me ..when it was first done i think it only had one coat of varnish ...at the time it looked good to me plus i had to have the boat at a certain time ...thinking i will give it some more coats ...later on ..four years later on lol but thank you so much for the input great as usual ...

If that’s all then I’d suggest giving it a good wash with sugar soap, let it dry, varnish away. Probably no rubbing down required at all, based on your description. 

By way of example of how a varnished surface can last, our stair rails and bannister at home were varnished from new 24 years ago and they still look as good today as they did then. But they had several coats at the time. 

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10 minutes ago, Kev's Halcyon said:

With normal care and leaving the used rags outside, the chances are very low though.

Kevin

True, but if it self combusted whilst taking the rags outside, perhaps due to a moments inattention you could lose your boat, so why take the risk at all?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i7BMdVf7i8

Keep the rags all bundled together and leave them in the sun for a couple of hours and they might combust. There's another video which shows that it took 3 hours 10 minutes for the rags to burn, but that was pure linseed oil.

 

As I said, simple precautions and there's no problem, but everyone should make their own decisions and as cuthound says, the Danish oil will not be going near his boat.

Kevin

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5 hours ago, haza said:

always a downer on things ...i bet in a million years ..no such thing as happened to a narrowboat in the uk   lol ...but i could be wrong .mmm i could be wrong 

I’ve used Danish Oil for years. I always scrunch up the rags and throw them in the bin. I’ve often read the ‘spontaneous Combustion’ scare stories but I’ve never yet set fire to my bin ;)

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