Removing paint

[gpsmout]

Hellol

Renovation of W918 (1964Woodie)
I’m removing nasty old paint from the seats, thwart and any thing else I can manage to do over the next couple of days. I have found streaks of paint stays ingrained in the wood. Has anyone a good method for removing it?
Nitromors seems to only penetrate the top layers, leaving a very time consuming (not to say noisy and dirty) process of sanding off about 1mm of wood to get at the streaks.

Graham

[Fantasia]

I have used a very sharp scraper for this purpose in the past. A Skarsten hook scraper can, when used with care, remove fine shavings of paint/varnish and wood. Use with extreme care on ply as you can easily go through the top veneer. This technique can be very effective with practice and works well into corners that are difficult to sand. Sharpen the scaper with a fine sharp file or on a stone and keep it sharp, it is a dull tool that causes damage.

[gpsmout]

Hi

And thanks John

Have taken to using a Stanley blade in a scraper handle; gets some of the ingrained paint off the solid seats, but sanding on solid wood is the only realistic alternative.

Now heres a thing, have begun removing paint from rear hatch deck only to find that the ply underneath is both damp and dark; and the boat has been under cover ALL WINTER, only being exposed to one night of light rain. ( So paint is easily coming away.) This supports Johns theory that the paint was hiding something; I am considering my options.

Graham

Will post picture in a moment or two

[gpsmout]

I have bitten the bullet and gone for an (almost) total renovation. The previously painted decking on w918 proved to be badly stained where someone had used mild steel pins in a partial redecking project. Also the side decks were in 3 sections, whereas they should be in two. The interior, seats, thwart and all other wooden parts were also coated in thick white paint. Its all coming off. Finding proper marine ply locally in Yorkshire proved a time wasting exercise, so have now ordered two sheets of Elite marine ply from Robins timber, Bristol. Meanwhile I, and my assistant, a skilled joiner who has worked on other boats, have been stripping paint and sanding all the remaining interior surfaces, removing old screws and begun re gluing failed joints. I’m fortunate to have been able to rent space in a huge workshop with easy access to as many power tools, including industrial scale planers, saws etc which makes some jobs such as sanding the thwarte a 5 minute job. All for £7.50 a week!

I’ll post a few pictures of the process as we go along and keep updating this post with any future findings and points of interest.

Thanks to those who have contacted me with help and advice; it has all been immensely useful.

Graham

W918 with decks off. (the fork lift has yet to be of any use!)

Shots of the prolonged stripping process

No sign of any rot, but the odd failed joint and split piece will require the full epoxy treatment

[gpsmout]

Almost a year ago I began renovation W918.
After removing and replacing the decking with new ply, fixing failed joints, removing tons of white paint from the interior surfaces, sanding and smoothing, remaking hatch covers, remaking the rubbing strips, applying an epoxy finish, I am almost at the stage where I can refix the hardware to the boat.

It has taken me many, many hours and much effort to get this far and I can safely say if I had known how much time & effort I would probably not have bothered!
Hopefully in a few more weeks the W918 will be ready to sail again.

I had hoped to find true evidence of the identity of the boat in the form of the plate showing the number, but nothing emerged anywhere from under the many layers of gloss. However, most of the decking and other parts I had removed and replaced in restoration had discrete hand painted little W918 marks on them, so I am sure that is the genuine identity of the boat.
I’ll post a full gallery of restoration work as soon as the boat is finished, for those who are interested.
Graham

[W10143]

Graham

It has taken me many, many hours and much effort to get this far and I can safely say if I had known how much time & effort I would probably not have bothered!
Hopefully in a few more weeks the W918 will be ready to sail again.

I’m sure you have the admiration of all of us restoring another old Woodie..

As far as I know, W918’s number should be carved/stamped somewhere on the transom.

David

[Colin Parkstone]

Try the old brass rubbing trick on the transom,plane paper and a lead( Ooow Health and Safety ) pencil.

May be a new winter pasttime in the making.

May not work too well now you have done the varnishing but you may have some luck!

C P 🙂

[AUTHOR]

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