bright finish on spars that aren't "perfect"

[redbopeep]

I'd post a pic of this but my camera is too hard to get at, so words will have to do.

My 23' rectangular (7"x5") boom, and 15' gaff and gaff boom and 13' staysail boom (all round) all have various bits of, well, umm...lets call it "history" showing :)

They were painted, I stripped the paint...they're basically sound... and where they're not, my husband, David, is doing a couple repairs...like where the boat's previous owner decided to create a whole new end to the gaff boom with epoxy :eek:...David's doing a birds' mouth repair, etc.

Some of the spars are fir and the gaff which goes aloft is Sitka Spruce.

However, there are numerous black stains/rings around spots on the boom where iron or stainless fasteners were used. I can fill the small holes with little dowels or color matched filler. Fr example there are about 200 tiny #6 fasteners holes for a stainless strip that was used to keep the lazy jack system from chafing through the paint to the wood along the bottom edges of the rectangular section boom and I can fill those with dolphinite or wood dowels (I don't like the idea of putting stainless back on and hope not to have to have a metal strip like that on the bottom edges anyway), I can't realistically "do" anything about that black staining. I've poked at it in various places on the spars and its solid though I suspect it to be a mixture of rot and ferrous interaction with the wood.

The few places where it it questionable, David will end up putting "dutchman" repairs as they're small. I can't see doing 200 little tiny dutchman repairs on the bottom of the boom, though!

And, every here and there the spars have black "spots" that would take a lot of sanding to get rid of (the spars wouldn't be round! anymore) and I don't think that's a great idea.

So, I'd like these to be bright so I can keep an "eye" on all the rot potential--plus I like bright spars anyway. But is it "poor form" or sort of trashy for me to finish bright such, well, unpretty spars? They're pretty to me--but that's just because I've worked so hard on this project!

Thanks for your replies.

[Driver Mark]

Just a observation but.... If you like 'em isn't that what counts?

[redbopeep]

Just a observation but.... If you like 'em isn't that what counts?

Generally, I follow that rule quite nicely :D

But, I fear that my objectivity is too far "off" on this one.

[kc8pql]

They're pretty to me--but that's just because I've worked so hard on this project!
That's all that counts. It's your boat, soaked with your sweat, and a little blood too, I'll wager. Go for it.

[outofthenorm]

If you like 'em isn't that what counts?

Couldn't agree more. What matters is if they're strong and sound. The rest is a matter of taste and style. That's why we all have our own boats:D

- Norm

[David G]

Nothing wrong with character in a boat of a certain age (as in people, cheese, or wine)

Rather than sanding, you might also try a bit of judicious bleaching to tone down the black stains.


"Whenever I dwell for any length of time on my own shortcomings, they gradually begin to seem mild, harmless, rather engaging little things, not at all like the staring defects in other peoples characters" -- Margaret Halsey

[Tom Hunter]

If you are sailing past others they will be to far away to see.

If you are on the boat you will be having too much fun to notice.

[Woxbox]

And if your spars are perfect, it just announces to the world that you don't sail your boat enough.

[Steve Lansdowne]

Sounds like your spars have 'character.' Nothing wrong with that. Spend the time you might otherwise have spent dealing with these 'defects' to go sailing.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
I agree with the earlier posts. If you like it, do it.

But I'd also like to add -- don't use dowels to fill any holes, use plugs. Dowels work just great as wicks, and if you get water in the middle of the spar you're going to eventually get rot in there too.

Mike

[redbopeep]

.
I agree with the earlier posts. If you like it, do it.

But I'd also like to add -- don't use dowels to fill any holes, use plugs. Dowels work just great as wicks, and if you get water in the middle of the spar you're going to eventually get rot in there too.

Mike


I shoulda' said plugs--as that's what I meant.

Thanks all for your "support"...I guess I've been to too many wooden boat shows and seen too many "perfect" spars recently on other folks' boats.

[John Boone]

She has worked hard all these years to develop that character. You can't buy that, it has to be earned. Go for it and enjoy sailing her.

Regards, John

[Jay Greer]

A super saturated solution of hot oxolic acid will remove a lot of the stains. Wrapping the spars in visquine after the application will help acid work if the spars are out in the sun. Be sure to thoroughly rinse off the acid with a sponge and clean water. I good investment for sanding spars is an air file ( a reciprocating air powered sanding board). These can be purchased at Harbor Freight for a reasonable price. It will save the back breaking work of hand sanding.
Jay

[S B]

Like most projects,the imperfections are only visible to the person doing the work. Most people will never see them unless pointed out, as to the others ,you can't satisfy them anyway, So "why bother."

[redbopeep]

Like most projects,the imperfections are only visible to the person doing the work. Most people will never see them unless pointed out, as to the others ,you can't satisfy them anyway, So "why bother."

Well, the imperfections in the varnish may only be seen by me--but the dings and black areas are pretty clear to anyone :(

[S B]

Well, the imperfections in the varnish may only be seen by me--but the dings and black areas are pretty clear to anyone :(
Hi; didn't mean to be rude about your problem. There are all kinds of ways to solve problems, this time you might try something that is not in the average boatbuilders tool box. Paint over the darkened areas with opaque paint, matching colour and wood grain, before you varnish. If you know a local artist ,they may be able to match the wood so well you would have to put your nose on the spar to find the cover up. The dings? fill them first. Sounds odd, I know, but try a little one first, you may be suprised at the result.

[nonsense]

...lets call it "history"

patina
noun
a surface appearance of something grown beautiful especially with age or use
Merriam-Webster online

[redbopeep]

Hi; didn't mean to be rude about your problem. There are all kinds of ways to solve problems, this time you might try something that is not in the average boatbuilders tool box. Paint over the darkened areas with opaque paint, matching colour and wood grain, before you varnish. If you know a local artist ,they may be able to match the wood so well you would have to put your nose on the spar to find the cover up. The dings? fill them first. Sounds odd, I know, but try a little one first, you may be suprised at the result.

Oh, I didn't think you were rude. I was just lamenting the fact that some of those black spots are pretty big.

I did consider faux finish wood-graining over those areas. I used to work as a commercial artist and I've done all kinds of faux finish wood graining in our house. But, sort of defeats the purpose of "keeping an eye" on the potential rot if its painted over and heavily filled in.

I've been staring at the boom for a couple days now and I think I'll end up putting a couple coats of varnish then doing some variation of what you're suggesting for 200 little black spots/holes along the bottom edge of the boom where that metal strip was attached. The larger black spots, I'll just deal with.

The color of the boom, though fir, is quite light and I could put a deeper fir-colored stain/wash over that first couple coats of varnish that would make the black not quite so stark as well. I don't like the idea of actually staining the wood itself that dark though.

ideas, ideas....

[Torna]

Not sure if this is blasphemy but: instead of thinking about 200 little dutchpeople, you could do one larger one. Plane off 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the boom over the entire length of the offending spots and then epoxy on a replacement (almost a veneer) and shape to fit. Done over the entire length of the spar it could be made to look almost like part of the boom's original construction.

-leif

[Jay Greer]

Not sure if this is blasphemy but: instead of thinking about 200 little dutchpeople, you could do one larger one. Plane off 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the boom over the entire length of the offending spots and then epoxy on a replacement (almost a veneer) and shape to fit. Done over the entire length of the spar it could be made to look almost like part of the boom's original construction.

-leif
I have taken spars that were badly discolored and brought them back with a combination of standard treatment by using a hollow sole wooden spar plane on round masts or a wood bodied fore or jointer plane on box section masts to remove a whisper of wood, this combined with a super saturated bleach job removed 98% of the discoloration. Trust me, this aint rocket science, just another day in the boat yard!
Jay

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

What Jay says:

supersaturated, hot oxalic acid

[redbopeep]

super saturated bleach job removed 98% of the discoloration.
Jay

does that damage the wood fiber?

[Jay Greer]

does that damage the wood fiber?
No!
Jay

[StevenBauer]

but the dings ... are pretty clear to anyone :(

Sometimes dings and dents will come out if you place a wet rag over the dent and place a hot iron on the rag. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam. :eek: I've seen this work with some serious 'hammer tracks'.

Steven

[Lew Barrett]

Sometimes dings and dents will come out if you place a wet rag over the dent and place a hot iron on the rag. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam. :eek: I've seen this work with some serious 'hammer tracks'.

Steven


Just lay on enough varnish! Everything looks better with varnish on it! Even politicians!


"Perfect is the enemy of good." :D

[Scott Rosen]

Sometimes the stains are more in the nature of "dirt."

Before you bleach, wash it with a warm to hot solution of TSP (available at your local paint store). You will be amazed at what comes out of the wood.

Once that dries, you can bleach it.

Or you could just paint it. I have one boat with painted spars, 38 years old, and one with varnished. If you do a close and careful inspection of your painted spars every year, you will be able to identify any rot or other faults. It's not brain surgery. Paint won't stick to rotten wood. Glued seams and fasteners won't hold. If you see paint bubbles, lose fasteners or seam cracks, you'll know to investigate further.