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Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Tiller Time

Here's some of the work I've been doing on my tiller I removed from the boat. First to show how it looked before I removed it showing its condition since I bought the boat.



I removed a couple small dowel rods that were on the handle end. The split was pretty good that went through the handle and down about 6 inches.

 

I used some small screwdrivers to wedge into the end of the tiller.


I got some low density filler and mixed it into some epoxy. I took a ziploc sandwich bag, cut a small part of a corner. With the ziploc, put some of the thickened epoxy mix into the bag and used it to inject into the split. Much like how cake decorators use the icing bags.


I was able to get the epoxy down into the crack and filled the holes the dowel rods were in. I also used some of the epoxy for filling in around a couple bungs (I found they're not being used to cover screws, at least the one on the very end). Removed the screw drivers causing the epoxy to ooze out where I used a clamp to compress it until it cured.



Sanded everything down smooth. At one point, I was using 80 grit on the top since that was in the worst condition. I then used 100 and 220 grit. There is still a few dark parts that show up with the varnish but I didn't want to take too much material off. I think it just adds to its character.



While trying to figure out how I was going to varnish, I decided to bend a hanger around a shelf in a closet and hung the tiller on it with screw drivers in the mounting hole. I used a trash bag under it in the case of drips. The space between the shelf and the tiller was very close but I made sure there was no contact.


 

The first coat, I mixed mineral spirits with 25% varnish. I wanted to make sure it soaked into the wood.


Second coat, I did while the first was still tacky (over night). I waited for the proper drying time of 24hrs, went outside to sand and for the 3rd and 4th coats, about 50/50 mix.



I did the 5th coat (shown below) with 50/50 again and for the next few coats, I will be going up to about 75/25 that, I think, will fill in what's left of the grain that's still showing and smooth out even more.


I like how it is coming out and looking forward to getting it back on the boat when it warms up. I think the Epifanes finish looks a lot better than the previous finish. For a 32yr old piece of wood, it's turning out very nicely. I still need to get a bolt to replace the bronze one I broke off. I found some 6" stainless bolts that should be long enough at Jamestown Distributors with hex heads I think might work out..

16 comments:

  1. Look good there Daniel! Merry Xmas.

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    1. Thanks Tate. I'm happy with how it turned out.

      I hope the new year is good to you, Dani, and Sundowner. ;-)

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  2. Boy, that thing sure shines! Good work Dan!

    If Jamestown dosn't work out for you, give www.mcmaster.com a try. They have nearly everything.

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    1. Thanks! It's nice seeing the reflection off of it.

      Good point about McMaster Carr. They have quite a bit of items that can be helpful.

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  3. It is so fulfilling to recondition an old vessel such as our boats. Something our immediate digital globe fails to bring us. Your small upgrades are inspiring.

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    1. Thanks for the compliment. It really is fulfilling and therapeutic. Some people just don't understand.

      I try to do a little when I can. Messing around on the boat is so much more fun and less stressful than going to work (military), doing house work, or school work.

      I intend to hold onto this boat for a long time so I want to make sure I take good care of it. ;-)

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  4. Well done repair -- looks good! Varnish is a lot of work, but it's worth the time and effort. At least that's what I keep telling myself. :)
    If I may, I'd like to put a good word in for bronze over stainless steel. I installed a couple of ss bolts on my boat's rudder (well above the waterline) a mere 10 months ago, and they're already developing stains and rust spots. (Good quality bolts, too.) Now I'm replacing them with bronze (from Hamilton Marine, who sells by the piece rather by the box.) I would have saved money in the long run if I had gone with bronze to begin with. Just sayin'... :)

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    1. Thanks for the compliment. I plan to refinish the grey teak toe rails and put the same varnish on them. I like the varnished look more and I think it would be worth it in the end.

      I looked at Jamestown Distributors at bolts and I thought the bronze cost more, but I'd have to check again. If anything, maybe I'll check out McMaster Carr too and see what they have. I don't plan on replacing with carriage bolts. Instead, I am looking at Hex heads to be able to get a grip on them if I need to remove them again. I haven't looked at Hamilton Marine, I'll check that out too.

      Thanks for the suggestions.

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  5. Great job, I had the same thing happen to my tiller a few years back, start to delaminate. I epoxied, sanded and vanished as you did. I also had someone do a bit of rope work to accent the nicely varnished tiller. One thing I did learn it that I will pretty much be painting everything expect tiller and companionway....I really hate maintaining the brightwork.....

    Best wishes in 2014

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    1. Thanks for the compliments. Varnish might take a lot of work but I love the look of it. :)

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  6. What a transformation-I love seeing those "before-and-after" types of projects. Good Job!
    Deborah

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    1. Thanks for the compliment Deborah. I like seeing before/after stuff too. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  7. Love it, Dan! Looking really good. Great idea to use the sandwich bag. I'm gonna steal that idea for one of my projects.

    Mike
    www.siochana.us

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    1. Thanks Mike.
      Go for it. I've used that idea before and has worked out. Hope it works for your project.

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  8. Very nice! There is something about a freshly varnished piece of teak that just makes the heart beat a little extra pump. Our previous boat was a 38' Cheoy Lee sloop and was all teak, so I can appreciate the work it takes to do what you just did. Nice job. And, creative techniques :)

    All the best,

    Mark and Cindy
    s/v Cream Puff
    www.creampuff.us

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    1. Thanks for the compliments. I like the look of the Cheoy Lee's. Some (ok, many) people say varnishing exterior wood is a lot of work. Well, it is. But, I like the look of it so much better. I did a couple hand rails and prepared them differently. One side, last I looked, is still good and the other already needs to be redone. I'll be able to stay ahead of it one of these days.

      It may be hard work, but right now, I think it's all worth it. ;-)

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