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Happy National Pfeffernusse Day! ⚪🇩🇪😋
Removing varnish from the inside
- Thread starter johnp
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Its a messy messy job best done outdoors with gloves old clothes and a respirator.
It took two bottles ( gal size? I forget) of stripper to get the worst of the varnish out... Then on to sandpaper.. but watch you dont sand off identifying numbers. We didnt know what we had till the stripper removed the black varnish to reveal a Robertson logo... so faint.
We've tried citrus stripper.. more eco friendly but it takes forever IMO
It took two bottles ( gal size? I forget) of stripper to get the worst of the varnish out... Then on to sandpaper.. but watch you dont sand off identifying numbers. We didnt know what we had till the stripper removed the black varnish to reveal a Robertson logo... so faint.
We've tried citrus stripper.. more eco friendly but it takes forever IMO
Work a small section at a time (3 or 4 ribs) and keep the surface wet with stripper. I much prefer the chemical stripper. Wear goggles or at least safety glasses, you don't want to get that stuff in your eyes. I like to follow up with a two part teak cleaner. If the varnish is thick you may have to repeat a second time. It'll most likely use most of a gallon of stripper.
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A friend of ours who does this professionally uses industrial paint stripper. We have used Circa 1850 paint stripper with good success. As YC says...respirator and ventilation, mad scientist gloves et al. I use a scraper to take it off with then rinse or pressure wash it all down then after it dries use elbow grease with some sandpaper to get the spots left behind.
If you really want to then take some bleaching solution to even out the tone.
The latest one is just getting a scuff with steel wool and a recoat to keep the nice patina. If yours is not too bad that might be a good route to take also.
Christine
If you really want to then take some bleaching solution to even out the tone.
The latest one is just getting a scuff with steel wool and a recoat to keep the nice patina. If yours is not too bad that might be a good route to take also.
Christine
I use Strypeeze from Lowes I think. It's a liquid/paste which I put on very heavy, using an old paint brush with only one pass, don't paint back and forth, I do 1/3-1/2 canoe at a time. After applying a coat of stripper, I cover it with an old blanket or tarp to keep the gases working. I'm not sure if it's gases, but it seems to help if I cover it while it's working for 15-20 minutes
I use a plastic scraper like those used to spread Bondo to remove the bulk, along with Scotch Guard with a bucket of water to rinse the pad often, then I use a power washer right away to get the tight places between the plank and ribs. I have never done a canoe with only one gallon, maybe a gallon and a half of stripper is normal for me, 3-4 applications, then quite a few spot applications to get the tough spots like the bow and stern areas. Use a gentle nozzle on the power washer. Make sure you get all the old varnish off the plank or it will surely show when you apply new varnish. I never sand the plank, just remove old varnish and apply new without any sanding. I do sand the ribs though.
I use a plastic scraper like those used to spread Bondo to remove the bulk, along with Scotch Guard with a bucket of water to rinse the pad often, then I use a power washer right away to get the tight places between the plank and ribs. I have never done a canoe with only one gallon, maybe a gallon and a half of stripper is normal for me, 3-4 applications, then quite a few spot applications to get the tough spots like the bow and stern areas. Use a gentle nozzle on the power washer. Make sure you get all the old varnish off the plank or it will surely show when you apply new varnish. I never sand the plank, just remove old varnish and apply new without any sanding. I do sand the ribs though.
Strypeeze contains Dichloromethane, also known as Methylene Chloride. It is a very powerful solvent also found in carburetor cleaner. Beyond that, there is also Methanol, Toluene and Acetone, all good solvents, but it's the Dichloromethane that does the stripping. Methyl Ethyl Ketone, also known as MEK, is another good solvent found in some paint thinners. The really good paint strippers will have Dichloromethane in them, but they will be the nastiest to use. The solvents are highly flammable and breathing the vapors will make you silly at first and then sick. Ventilation needs to be very good. A paint spray respirator is a help, but not completely effective when the solvent vapor concentration is high. A dust respirator won't remove the vapors. I don't enjoy using chemical strippers, but sometimes there is no avoiding them.
We used Strypeeze IIRC now.. Such is the joy of stripping in November on the top of a hill outside with a breeze in South Carolina. Where we were.Fumes weren't an issue.. Are strippers sensitive to temperature? Do they work more slowly at lower temps?
I wouldn't be surprised to find that strippers work fairly well in cool temperatures. It would slow down evaporation. Most of the solvents are pretty hot, meaning that they evaporate quickly. That's part of the reason for the gel strippers, to slow down evaporation and keep the solvents in contact for as long as possible.
Most of the strippers are pretty hot, but they evaporate quickly.
That was my experience too. Long ago.
That was my experience too. Long ago.
