Interested in input from the Board
The planking is complete and faired. Left to do are Refinishing inside, Canvas/filler, Outwhales. I'll install some pre-fab ash/press caning seats from LLB just for this season and replace them later (yeah right)
Refinishing Inside: This will require warmer weather and a hose - I'll use two part teak cleaner to get out the rest of the stubborn varnish residue (no luck with stripper or paint brush cleaner and the scotchbrite) and freshen up the inside a bit. I had originally planned on starting out with Deks 1, but I think I'll try Le-Tonkinois mostly to avoid having to sand arduously between every coat. Seems the only similarity of his stuff to Captains which I've used for years, is the label 'Varnish'. We'll see how it holds up
I'm going to use up some cheap varnish on hand over the outside of the canoe, then order the treated canvas from up north secured with stainless staples and copper tacks.
I've ruled out the aircraft techniques Dacron/nitrate-buterate or Stits poly-tack,brush,tone etc because of stink of using the MEK volatiles indoors and this stuff is better sprayed than brushed - something else I won't do indoors
Filler - I oscillate between using Alkyd/Silica mix for the traditional smooth painting surface, or simply wetting out with a couple coats of polyurethane varnish followed by a flat alkyd porch enamel. The advantage of the former is standard precedent and a smooth final finish at the cost of weeks and weeks of cure time, versus ease and expedience of the latter with better hiding of rubs and scratches at the expense of a slightly textured surface. I think the difference in weight would be negligible initially with the textured surface gaining weight over years as subsequent coats of paint are added (whereas with the smooth surface, much of the outer coat could be sanded off before repainting). Not sure what I'm going to do yet. According to the canvas gloom and doomers, the canvas will rot away soon enough anyway...
The outwhales: I found some clear eastern spruce that has been recently sawn - the best state for bending.
Each rub rail will be scarfed of two pieces bent together. I will rabbet each edge of a plank wide enough to accommodate each rail half and taper the thickness of this blank at one end (to match the tapered vertical dimension of the rail as it sweeps up towards the end). I will then bend the blank over a ladder form (exaggerated to account for spring-back) and rip it into the two rail halves after it sets. These I will scarf together midships (after checking that the rabbet is on the same side and that the ends sweep in the same direction)
Any insights, opinions, admonishons etc would be appreciated
The planking is complete and faired. Left to do are Refinishing inside, Canvas/filler, Outwhales. I'll install some pre-fab ash/press caning seats from LLB just for this season and replace them later (yeah right)
Refinishing Inside: This will require warmer weather and a hose - I'll use two part teak cleaner to get out the rest of the stubborn varnish residue (no luck with stripper or paint brush cleaner and the scotchbrite) and freshen up the inside a bit. I had originally planned on starting out with Deks 1, but I think I'll try Le-Tonkinois mostly to avoid having to sand arduously between every coat. Seems the only similarity of his stuff to Captains which I've used for years, is the label 'Varnish'. We'll see how it holds up
I'm going to use up some cheap varnish on hand over the outside of the canoe, then order the treated canvas from up north secured with stainless staples and copper tacks.
I've ruled out the aircraft techniques Dacron/nitrate-buterate or Stits poly-tack,brush,tone etc because of stink of using the MEK volatiles indoors and this stuff is better sprayed than brushed - something else I won't do indoors
Filler - I oscillate between using Alkyd/Silica mix for the traditional smooth painting surface, or simply wetting out with a couple coats of polyurethane varnish followed by a flat alkyd porch enamel. The advantage of the former is standard precedent and a smooth final finish at the cost of weeks and weeks of cure time, versus ease and expedience of the latter with better hiding of rubs and scratches at the expense of a slightly textured surface. I think the difference in weight would be negligible initially with the textured surface gaining weight over years as subsequent coats of paint are added (whereas with the smooth surface, much of the outer coat could be sanded off before repainting). Not sure what I'm going to do yet. According to the canvas gloom and doomers, the canvas will rot away soon enough anyway...
The outwhales: I found some clear eastern spruce that has been recently sawn - the best state for bending.
Each rub rail will be scarfed of two pieces bent together. I will rabbet each edge of a plank wide enough to accommodate each rail half and taper the thickness of this blank at one end (to match the tapered vertical dimension of the rail as it sweeps up towards the end). I will then bend the blank over a ladder form (exaggerated to account for spring-back) and rip it into the two rail halves after it sets. These I will scarf together midships (after checking that the rabbet is on the same side and that the ends sweep in the same direction)
Any insights, opinions, admonishons etc would be appreciated
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