Removing Redundant Skin Fittings...

[Davey B]

Hi, I'm looking to remove some old fittings from a larch hull and was hoping someone could share a bit of info on the process or point me to a web page covering this?

Thanks
Davey

[sandingblock]

Right, if you can't get the skin fitting out easily just by unscrewing the nut inside you'll have to cut it out. This usually means making several radial cuts through the outside flange with a cutoff disk in your disk grinder, and then bending and breaking off the 'petals'.

There are various other ways of doing this, just don't get the fitting to hot or it'll burn the planking.

Now to plug the hole. I'll tell you the way I go about it, it needs a lathe though.

I have a tapered mandrel for my electric drill that consists of a tapered wooden cone that I made on the lathe. This has a bolt through it's center with nuts and washers on either end of the cone. The bolt head is cut off so I can mount the mandrel in a drill.

I glue some old belt sander paper onto the mandrel with spray on contact cement. Then mount the whole thing in a power drill (corded) and ream out the hole in the hull.

This makes the hole in the hull tapered with the thickest part of the taper on the outside. The hole is also nicely sanded and clean.

Now I make up a tapered plug to suit, preferably from the same type timber as the planking. Apply resorcinol glue, and pound into the hole.

You can also use a bit of scrap to bridge between two frames inside the hull and put a long screw through the scrap and into the plug to pull it tight into the hole.

Walk away for a few days, then flush the plug off.

If you're really paranoid you can also put a backing piece of hardwood etcetera over the plug inside the hull to act as a second line of defense.

But I think a tapered plug is secure. When the plug swells slightly it'll jamb in there and the taper makes it impossible for water pressure to push the plug through.

I sounds like a lot of work, but when your set up and going doesn't take long at all. I think it is quicker than messing with hole saws.

[Davey B]

Thanks Sandingblock, maybe a few bungs cut to size for the tapered mandrel will save me having to find a lathe ;)

[Davey B]

Oh horrors - The thru hull is like a Blakes fitting (but not a Blakes, if you get what I mean) with four bolts at 50mm square holding it together, just wondering if I sould plate it or fill all 5 holes with larch?

Cheers
Davey B

[The Bigfella]

A photo would help ........