Stripping survey…..

[chris pearson]

I’ve been doing this a little while. But as the saying goes, ya never stop learning. Obviously the way to go is to let someone else do it, but I haven’t found a source for it yet. I use Tasco stripper, it seems to do okay, since they outlawed methylene chloride! I lay it on, let it work, and take a stiff nylon brush and gather the goo, and slather it off outside the boat. Put another dose of stripper on, let it work again, and scrub with a stouter nylon brush and then hit it with the hose with a strong nozzle. Scrub with a cleaned off nylon brush and then scotch brite. I’m told Teak Nu bleach works great for residue cleanup and stains so I’m gunna try that. I always do this outside with a hose to help evacuate the goop. I’m all ears with others methods.

 

[Brad Fisher]

I'm stripping some varnish from a cedar plank boat. I was skeptical about the citrus-based stuff, but tired of wearing full SCUBA gear to protect my lungs. Shocker: IT WORKED. Couldn't believe it. The key was a final wipe with Scotchbrite soaked in Isopropyl Alcohol.

 

[floydvoid]

I tried heat gunning most of the very gloppy varnish residue on my current project and then used sunnyside multi strip advanced- I use a similar method of scrubbing and slinging the goop into a box. Then rinse and scrub as much as I can to get rid of the residue. I have most issue with getting the residue out of the cracks.
I’m interested in a more gentle process for a very old boat with very dry deteriorated varnish. I hate having residue and can’t stand when a boat is sanded out and the edges aren’t crisp on the ribs.

Does teak nu or the total boat equivalent work ok on cedar? It doesn’t dissolve the wood or make it soft? I saw one builder use it on instagram.

 

[Michael Grace]

Yes, these 2-part solutions work great! There are many recommendations for them right here on these forums, recommendations from people who have used them a few times or extensively on cedar-canvas and all-wood cedar canoes. They don't dissolve wood, but because the wood is thoroughly wetted, you don't want to scrub hard on it or you risk eroding it.