OTCA outer stem blending

mmmalmberg

LOVES Wooden Canoes
I have both outer stems back on; in some areas the canvas-covered inner stem exceeds the width of the outer stem, and occasionally the outer stem slightly overhangs the former. Can I use something like the canvas filler to blend between them? Or is accepted practice just to accept these differences?
 

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ps I will be of course priming and painting the outer stems. Thinking of filling the screw slots (only) with the Dolphinite to make someone’s job easier 50 years from now.
 
Since you are going to prime and paint the OS stems, just butter them really good with bedding compound, smooth that out best you can, and paint.

No need to fill the OS stem screws, they get countersunk until the heads are just flush, then they'll get covered up by the stem brass and its layer of bedding compound.
 
Paint!!! Egads!
The outer stems look so cool when left bright!
 

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Could you explain that?
Well sometimes it's a pain to dig out old dried paint from a slotted screw head. So sometimes I've put something like wax into the slot so that when the time comes, it's easier to clear out than dried paint.
 
Paint!!! Ee gads!
The outer stems look so cool when left bright!
It's true, but the rear stem is original and aside from having been painted and stripped with a heatgun had a tip replaced and looks in all very different from the brand new front outer stem...

They were painted when I got it and I guess I assumed that was the original treatment. Did OT always leave them bright?
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Since you are going to prime and paint the OS stems, just butter them really good with bedding compound, smooth that out best you can, and paint.

No need to fill the OS stem screws, they get countersunk until the heads are just flush, then they'll get covered up by the stem brass and its layer of bedding compound.
I was thinking prime & paint, then bedding compound and stem band. Do you paint after the stem band goes on?
 
Nope, I think they were painted. Someone my correct me, though.
I usually replace both ends if one is bad.
You're probably a much more accomplished bender than I:) Both ends had rotted tips, but the front one was also fractured in several places. Generally I've been trying to keep as much of the original canoe as I can if it's serviceable.
 
Keep doing what you are doing! Great job!
You’ll love it!
Thanks Dave:) Also the front one that I bent, had a split that I pulled open and glued so that makes it a bit less attractive;) I've done all my gluing with resorcinol and that one shows the glue line pretty well. Outer stems do look really spiffy bright but since I had thought I'd be painting them from the start I didn't really worry about cosmetics with them.
 
This is interesting as I need to bend and fit some outer stems on my 1911 OT CR. Watch with interest and listen for the crack of ash and a few choice swear words from the UK side of the pond :) Then again I could be really patient and leave it in the steamer for a couple of hours. Its got to be bent a long way around the curve...
 
Of course I'd just started priming these last night:) But we aim to please.... This about the right placement?

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