Refinishing Spoked Wheel

[Willin']

I've stripped the layers of peeling goop using a heat gun, myriad chemicals, sandpaper and bronze wool. I'm reasonably satisfied with the results, but am having a hard time proceeding with the refinish.

I'm fine varnishing planar surfaces, but really fear the concept of varnishing the re-assembled wheel due to the numerous planes,grooves, angles and shapes. If I varnish the pieces before reassembly they'll never fit together properly.

I'd love to have a gleaming masterpiece like the Epifanes ad in WB. Anyone ever refinish one of these? How'd you do it?

[Ian McColgin]

You do need to reassemble before varnishing.

For a wheel, CPES sealing is well worth the trouble. If not, forget 'sanding sealers' and other high volume shortcuts. As with spars, best start really thin - I go 50% thinner and progress to 25%, 10% and 5% before going full varnish.

Especially at the lighter coats, I touch the flat surfaces with a cabinet scraper or glass and the curved surfaces with purpose ground scrapers. The round parts of the spokes get a cross grain whiff of 220 or finer, very lightly. The whole then gets a careful solvent tacking between coats. This way mot of the initial build up is in the valleys where it needs to be.

I treat is just like any other surface with curves and verticles - spars for example - except more of a pain. I hang the wheel from a rod with nuts at both ends through the hub so that I can easily orient it vertically or horizontally and control it with one hand, never touching wood, while varnishing with the other.

I found it easiest to varnish a top side with the wheel horizontal (rod axel verticle), moving quickly and not a thick coat. Then flip it for the other side. Finally, rotate to verticle (axel horizontal) for going over and over and over in sag and run control. Turning the wheel seems to help and at least makes it possible to stay seated comfortably. The latter can be done with a been in hand.

G'luck

[kc8pql]

I'd follow Ian's finishing progression and holding method, but I'd be tempted to spray it.

[paladin]

I follow Ian's methods EXCEPT no sandpaper...just very good scrapers...If you have bunged screws with dissimilar woods the sandpaper will leave fine wood flour...with light bungs in darker woods or dark bungs in lighter wood...where you don't want it....and good luck..

[Ian McColgin]

I quite agree with Paladin. The holly bungs are on flats, which absolutely should be touched by a furniture scraper. And for all the non-spoke parts, including that tricky half round between spokes inside and out, I ground scrapers to fit the curves. Really, that's easier than screwing with too much sandpaper. It's just on the round part of the spokes that speed and laziness favored very fine sandpaper over various scrapers.

[JimConlin]

For the turned bits, i'd use the Scotchbrite pads, white for the first couple of coats, gray thereafter.

[Willin']

First off, thanks for the good advice.

That said, jeez, now I'm really scared. How 'bout if I just hot dip it in plastisol?



Just kidding!

No bungs, just exposed screw heads, and I'm afraid I don't have the facility to grind scrapers to precise curves. Looks like it's just going to be a very slow, long process.

Looks like I'll be able to apply a good deal of this info when I wood my main mast this spring though.

Thanks guys! smile.gif

[ 02-16-2006, 06:42 PM: Message edited by: Willin' ]