Tuesday, April 28, 2009

I love strippers!

OK, so not those strippers, the chemical types.

I’ve spent so many mind numbing hours with a heat gun and scraper that I finally gave in and picked up some chemical varnish strippers. This stuff is ten times faster than the heat gun! As luck would have it I also picked up a different kind of scrapper at a garage sale this weekend and it works way better too. If anyone sees this before they start in on a varnish project, I highly recommend the scrapper shown in the picture.


This weekend I finished up most of the details for the port settee. The only thing left is to lightly sand, varnish and install the trim. I made the back rest just as the starboard side, there is storage access and also a shelve that sits just above the storage openings. Just like on the other side, you put stuff in from the top. I feel this is a great way to maximize this area. (I guess I didn't take a good picture, but here is one of the template making).


Alia started stripping the main cabin bulkhead with the heat gun. I’m sorry for subjecting her to that torture. It was then next morning that I picked up a chemical stripper and then the chemical wash too. This stuff works well. It takes out the bits of varnish that even the heat gun left behind. It’s also 10 times faster. I wish I could do this chemical free but I really don’t have the time. When it comes to the trim pieces, I’ll never use the heat gun again, with the two contours of the trim it takes even longer that the flat bulkhead to do the same surface area. I finished up the main bulkhead and trim with the chemical stripper and moved around the corner into the “hallway”. I hope to get down one day this week to do the door and trim, then come Friday I figure I’ll just keep going with the stripping at the forward bulkhead and then onto the galley. I can have the rest of the wood stripped by weeks end. Then I can clean, clean, clean and next week start varnishing. There is enough wood to varnish I might be able to work in a circle, recoating in the same day. We’ll see. I might need to do one coat a night.


That’s about all the updates I got. Still putting in the hours, sailing on Rev has really got me pumped to get the boat in the water. Last night I chatted with Kirk(?) owner of Moonshine a MK I while were were racing back to the finish. They took us with less than 30 seconds. I can’t wait to see what my MK III rig does!

Oh, I also picked up a Mylar main and tri-radial spinnaker for $27.15 out at Second Wave. I haven’t had the time to measure them but the price was right, even if they need to be re-cut.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Justin,

    You mention that you're in the pac. northwest. My wife and I have a Yankee 30 MkIII here in Bellingham. I think you'll be really happy with your boat once your project is completed! Where are you located? -Rob

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  2. I'm at the South Park boat yard in Seattle. Are you on the Yankee email group? I'll be working on a Yankee meet up. Not sure if that will happen this year, maybe late season.

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  3. Although the idea of stripping or striptease was not a new one (The Moulin Rouge and The Folies Bergere had been showing such acts for years). It did not really take off in the UK until the 1930s. Part of the problem was that English law prohibited nudes from actually moving. hire male strippers in Austin Texas

    ReplyDelete