Help and advice on applying fillers

rmcrowe

Curious about Wooden Canoes
I have recently brought a wood and canvas canoe here in Northamptonshire, England which must be a strange place for it to end up.

I believe it is an American built canoe.

Using the information on-line I think it is either a Morris or Veazie canoe.

It unfortunately has no maker’s plates or identifying marks. I have looked at the suggested areas, on the end of the stem, up under the inwhales near the decks and under the thwarts. There are not even any signs, fixing holes, etc of any plates or markings ever been fitted.

The details which I think identify it as a Morris or Veazie are the stems which flare out at the inboard ends and the riveted stem bands. It has 2 pairs of cant ribs in the bow and stern which I believe are indicative of the earlier boats.

The canoe has been stored in near perfect conditions, upside down on racks in a shed at ambient temperatures and is in amazing condition for its age.

I have carried out the small timber repairs which were required and have recanvassed the hull following the excellent instructions in Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok's book and am now about to fill the canvas.
I have selected a traditional mix which was listed on the WHCA website. I have mixed a trial quantity and tried filling some sample pieces of canvas but I am not sure that I have the right mix consistency or the correct finish on the canvas.
I have tried the mix with two different ratios of silica, one with the quantity specified in the recipe and one with double the amount. The consistency does not change noticeably but the fill of the weave in the canvas is definitely thicker with the increased ratio of silica.

I would welcome any help or advice on what the filler should look like.

What should the consistency be? Mine is the consistency of thin cream/batter.

How should the canvas look after applying the filler? Should the weave still be slightly visible or should it have disappeared completely? Should the filler penetrate enough to make it show on the back surface?

Robert
 

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As the word "filler" implies, you're just looking for the weave to be filled, any build-up over the weave is too much filler and should be scraped off... Not sure why you need to stray from the silica mix prescribed ??
 
Cheap advice from a newbie: I would not monkey with the filler recipe. It is the right consistency and will work. I bought my first batch of filler from Rollin, and I was surprised how thin it seemed. The next to canoes I used the traditional filler recipe and it seemed the same consistency as Rollin's. Mix it up well and mix it often during the application to keep the silica in suspension. For me, the first coat uses a good majority of the filler, as the canvas really soaks it up. The first time I did it, I was worried I was going to run out. The rest goes on in coats 2 and 3. First time was nerve-wracking for me. I worried about whether it was thick enough, but after it dried and I put on a couple coats of primer, it sanded quite smooth. Next time you do it, you may want to try leaving the canvas a couple inches longer to protect the gunwales during the filling and painting processes. Your boat sure does look like a Morris, to me. Go for it!
Mike Wootton - Spokane, WA
 
Robert-- Can you send me pictures of the thwarts and seats? I believe your canoe to be pre-1900, but prior to the 20th century, Morris made a few minor changes in trimming their canoes-- a bit more finesse in the seat frames and thwarts-- that may help me refine the date of your canoe. If you'd rather not post pictures here, please feel free to send via email. kathrynklos@gmail.com. This helps a lot with Morris research-- thanks.

Kathy
 
Thanks for all the help and advice. All really helpful. Gives me a clearer picture of what to expect and the confidence to give it a go.
Kathryn, will reply to post in Research and History section with further photos of seats and thwarts.
Regards
Robert
 
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