Mast Resto

[Evan Ginsberg]

Hi All.
I'm restoring a 30-35yo Thunderbird with a wood spar.
It had been a derilict for a few years before I got it and the mast had turned grey.
I'm not sure if it was grey and black from old burnt, deteriorated varnish and dirt or grey from the sun on the wood after the varnish degraded, but suffice it to say I have grey and black patches all over the mast.

I used some chemical stripers but that didn't get me too far. I started using a wire tooth brush to get down into the grain and that has worked best although I took out some wood. I'm still left w some grey patches that aren't sanding off.

My plan is to use some wood bleach w Oxallic acid and maybe use the wire tooth brush with the bleach. Then light sand and start the varnish.
I'd really like the spar to look GREAT after all this work, (about 8 days so far) any hints, clues, advice on how to get the spar to look all like even and lightly colored wood or is that not a realistic expectation?

Thanks
Evan

[Evan Ginsberg]

History:
I scored the boat from a marina that was changing hands and had to get the abandoned derilict off their property.
She had been sitting there on the hard for about 4 years and was about half full of water, (if not was leaking out then it stood to reason that none would leak in either.
They gave me a week to get her off the property, no help at all and a long list of things I couldn't do on thier property.
I may have broken a few of those rules afte hours and I therw a coat of brightsides on with no lights, very late at night. and it came out pretty good but it was probably a good Idea to use the same color that was there before.
I put her in the water on Thursday and sailed her with the help of a couple of friends to an all Thunderbird regatta at the Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union in Seattle and made a respectable showing of herself racing that weekend, even with dirty black stained, green slime/mold creased, 30+ year old sails.

I upgraded some rigging for racing and bought a set of 2 year old sails from the regional winner's boat and kicked some booty in later races with West Sound Corinthian YC.

Now it's winter, she's back on the hard and I'm committed to getting her spars restoed, doing some glass work on the deck and sanding and repainting the deck, topsides and bottom paint, and redoing the halyards
etc.
I'd like to knock this out by spring and get back in the water since I'm paying for a permanent slip and I got her to sail her and not do a 3 year refit.
Here is a progression of pics from when I got her on the hard, to sitting in her first slip in Port Orchard with new paint and name but old spars and sail, to racing with new sails but, shamefully, a genny in the water.
(Why do they only take pics when the pants are down?)

Nice to meet ya'll and tell about my boat.
BTW, the name could change with the paint, she ain't free no mo

Couldn't upload pics, so here's a link to the gallery:

http://sports.webshots.com/album/554711191oxTUyS

Thanks
Evan

[Jay Greer]

The wire brush will do more damage than good for you! It has the potential of removing more wood than necessary. Once the old finish has been chemicaly removed, the mast can be sanded with progressive grits of sand paper, starting with 60 grit, if the mast is really funky, and progressing through the grades up to 120 grit.
This sanding can most effectivly, and painlessly done with a long reciprocating pnuematic tool, known as an "air File". These tools are available from body and fender tool supply houses and places like Harbor Freight. Strive to remove the least amount of wood possible!
Bleach is your best friend, not the wire brush!
JG

[Evan Ginsberg]

The chemical striper w scaper only got rid of thje varnish aboove the grain. the wire brush was needed to get between the grain into the pulpy area.
Thanks for the advice.
I didn't go crazy with it though

[David Conard]

I think Jay's point was that you are going to have to flatten that raised grain with a scraper or by sanding anyway, so you are at least creating more work for yourself, and perhaps removing excess material, by using the wire brush. I will pass on a very valuable piece of advice I got from Margo Geer when I was refinishing the masts for my cat yawl: measure 9' up from the deck and make a mark. Don't sweat the details too much above that mark. From my own experience with badly stained sitka spruce masts, concentrate on making it look nice--it will never look new.

[Jay Greer]

There are tricks to using stripper to make it's action more effective.
When I strip wood, I lay on a thick coat of remover and do not rebrush until it has thoroghly begun to work and is just on the edge of begining to show signs of drying. Then a second thick coat is laid on with no back brushing, just a thick lay on. This is then allowed to work as done with the first coat. Then a third coat is laid on and allowed to soak. This should turn the entire coating to jello. I then follow with a high pressure hose and a Scotch bright pad. The whole process takes about 45 min for a thirty to forty foot mast. Once dry, any other areas that did not come clean can be treated with more remover. I use Star 10 Part A Stripper, a commercial remover designed from stripping aircraft. Works like a charm!
Note: Star 10 makes a part B stripper that is designed to clean up subborn coatings after part A has been used.

[Evan Ginsberg]

The stripping is done.
I had great success sanding w a belt sander so far w 80 grit.
Can I use an orbital for more control on the radiused fore and aft sections?
Thanks
Evan

[Thorne]

Works for me (palm sander w/50 or 80 grit).