Help with damaged teak

Chris Campbell · Post by **Chris Campbell** » Wed May 28, 2008 8:29 pm

Help! I'm at wit's end with getting my cockpit coaming to even out in colour. The trouble is that I made a foolish error last year by preparing it for a "scratch and patch" repair of the failing varnish (Epiphanes) job - and then not actually putting on any varnish. So I had spots that were stripped and sanded and left to weather - amongst areas that were still nicely varnished. This year I've stripped the whole thing and am working to get it ready for re-varnishing - but I can't get the patches that weathered last year to match the rest of the coaming.

It's actually a bit more involved than that, since the coaming is two boards, and it's only the foremost that is causing the problem. The aftermost coaming board had weathered spots which sanded out and now match the rest of the coaming. The forward board is darker (almost like it had been stained - I don't know if it has been, but am suspicious), and while the grey has certainly sanded out of the weathered parts, they are still way lighter than the rest of the stripped coaming. I've sanded quite extensively on both the weathered and the non-weathered parts, and to my eye, the non-weathered parts are not only not lightening, they might actually be darkening (although they may be staying the same, also - when I stop sanding and go away and come back, I can't find any darker spots). The weathered spots are now a nice honey colour, not far off from what the rear coaming board looks like.

I've just tried a two-part teak cleaner, in the hopes that it would help, and there is no improvement.

I can sand more, but without any evidence that it's going to improve the situation, I'm loathe to.

Has anyone encountered anything like this before? Any suggestions?

The only thing I can think of is that the board was stained before the varnish went on the last time or some previous time (I didn't put that varnish on, I've just been maintaining it - poorly), and that when it was exposed to weathering last year it sun-bleached the stain. Now I've got wood with stain deep into it's pores that I can't sand out, and wood that's been sun-bleached. If that's the case - is there any way to remove a colour stain from teak? I'd rather not leave it unprotected for a year to even it out - but I suppose I could! Although with the boat on the market, it might sell better with the coaming varnished. Maybe she's just trying to make sure that I can't sell her?

Any advice is so appreciated it would make your head spin.

Thanks!

Chris

David VanDenburgh · Post by **David VanDenburgh** » Wed May 28, 2008 9:24 pm

I don't offer this as a guaranteed solution, but you might try working up a paste using Bar Keeper's Friend and a damp Scotch-Brite pad. Apply the paste to the darker portions of the teak, gently working it into the wood with the pad, allow it to sit for 15 minutes or so, then rinse with plenty of fresh water. Repeat the process until the wood matches the other sections.

This process worked great for us last summer when we refinished our teak. We had darker sections where the Cetol had failed, gray sections, and beautiful honey-colored bits where the Cetol had hung on. Using Bar Keeper's Friend gave us a uniform appearance.

The key is the oxalic acid. If you have a source other than Bar Keeper's Friend, it should work too.

Good luck,

David

Shoalcove · Post by **Shoalcove** » Wed May 28, 2008 9:29 pm

I'm in the process of varnishing my coamings as well and had a similar problem. The sunbleached wood is lighter than the rest and as you sand the coaming the natural darker wood is exposed. You have to remove a lot of wood to get an even color. I decided not to remove that much teak on my old coamings so I have a slightly blotchy color. However, after five coats of Epifanes Wood Finish Gloss, the blotchiness is not really noticeable. Admittedly, my view on varnish is that it is an ongoing process and perfection is best left for pianos and violins!
Sorry to hear that you are planning on selling, it is a beautiful looking boat.
Best regards,
David

heartofgold · Post by **heartofgold** » Thu May 29, 2008 8:49 am

I have found that this product worked really well to "chemically strip" the teak. It provided even equalization of the weathered and the sanded/previously varnished material. It is a 2 part product called Te-Ka. The first is an acid, rinse thoroughly with water; the second is a base stabalizer (also rinse thoroughly).

Hope this helps.

Chris Campbell · Post by **Chris Campbell** » Thu May 29, 2008 9:02 am

Thanks all for your replies! I've tried the two part cure (not Te-Ka, but Captain Phab's, which is virtually the same thing) - and it has absolutely no effect. I've sanded off enough that I no longer have sun-damaged wood for the acids to bleach - I'm in healthy wood, just two different colours.

I haven't tried oxalic acid yet - I'll try that tonight. The impression that I got was that it wasn't as strong a solution as the two-part cleaners - all the stuff I've been able to find said to try first with oxalic acid, and if that failed, try Te-Ka. But we'll see.

If that fails, all I've got left (that I can think of) is sanding more or leaving the coamings uncovered for a year. (speaking of a year - it seems to fly in the face of logic, given that our boat is on the market, but the market is very soft, and we're not interested in giving her away, so we may well still have her next year, and the year after...)

Any other thoughts? I'm happy to try pretty much anything!

Thanks again for any assistance.

Chris

Shoalcove · Post by **Shoalcove** » Thu May 29, 2008 9:20 am

Comet and Ajax cleaners have oxalic acid in them. I've used it on my toerails with OK results.
David

Steve'O · Post by **Steve'O** » Thu May 29, 2008 10:06 am

I have a similar problem on my interior cabin hand rails (I think they're mahogany). The top has bleached from the sun the bottom is a whole lot darker.

Has anyone tried a stain to even things out?

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Thu May 29, 2008 12:39 pm

Otherwise you have to flip them around and then wait another 45 years... ;)

Rachel

Chris Campbell · Post by **Chris Campbell** » Thu May 29, 2008 12:50 pm

Otherwise you have to flip them around and then wait another 45 years...

That's it! A solution at last.

I actually spoke with some friends who are instructors at IYRS (International Yacht Restoration School) in Newport, and they thought that using the sun was the best idea - either just go ahead and varnish and the sun will even things out slowly, through the UV protection, or leave them unvarnished for some period of time until they look uniform, then clean up again and varnish. At this point I'm planning to go route #2, and hopefully be able to varnish part way through the summer, we'll see.

Still very open to suggestions, however!

Thanks,

Chris

ensign001 · Post by **ensign001** » Thu May 29, 2008 6:49 pm

Steve'O wrote: Has anyone tried a stain to even things out?

I did. This is what I posted on 4/15/08:

I stopped in at Hamilton Marine this afternoon to ask them about using stain with the Epifanes Clear Varnish. They were nice enough to call Epifanes directly to get their advice. The Epifanes representative recommended using a filler stain by Z-Spar. He said that the stain must be thinned to a cream consistency before applying. I asked if the filler stain would prevent the varnish from penetrating the wood properly. He said that to some extent it would, but that it shouldn’t be a problem as long as the first coat of varnish was thinned as recommended and that the first coat was worked in a little harder than is usually necessary. He specifically recommended against using a Minwax stain as the color would not hold-up. So, I’m going to give it a try.

I was very pleased with the results. The filler stain was available in 3 - colors: red mahogany, brown mahogany and standard mahogany. I used the standard mahogany. The standard has a reddish color.