Final Prep on Brightwork and Applying Teak Oil (and misc. painting)

February 2, 2018

Ahead of a partly sunny (no rain) Saturday, I needed to get the brightwork ready for the application of teak oil.  Joule's owners elected to have her new teak oiled rather than varnished, which I thought a good decision given the beauty of the new teak and the ease of ongoing maintenance.  The teak oil that was selected the Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil, and requires UV rays to 'catalyze' the oil....thus the no-rain requirement.

So Friday evening I got busy with the final prep work: on-deck drain/limber holes on the aft end, or tails, of the coaming boards, and working through the remaining pieces with 80, 150, and 220 grit paper.

The on-deck drainage holes was simple enough to create, and I worked the edges with sandpaper to ease the transition lines.

After I had finished addressing the tail ends of the coaming boards, I moved over to sanding and wrapped that up.

Total Time Today: 2 hrs

February 3, 2018

I awoke early, 0700 (for a Saturday!), and went straight to work arranging the brightwork on the work surface - four saw horses set-up to receive the brightwork.  I wiped the surfaces of the brightwork with solvent to remove any remaining sanding dusts - always amazed at how much residue material comes off just prior to painting, varnishing, oiling, etc.  With the surfaces clean, I went ahead with the first coat of teak oil.

The Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil comes out of the can looking like some misplaced and forgotten pot of curry, simmering away for days on some backroom, wood-fired clay oven in Denpasar...but it applies beautifully and brings a luster to the natural tones of the wood.  I applied the oil with a foam brush.

Just prior to a morning appointment, I managed to apply the first coat of oil.

I was pleased with the results and looked forward to getting back to apply the second coat.

With the sun now transiting westward, I was forced to move the sawhorses to catch what was left of the day's direct sunlight.  After moving the material, I applied the second coat of teak oil and then began to prep a temporary covering due to threatening inclement weather.

I placed clamps on each ends of all four saw horses, and simply dropped a sheet of 2mil plastic across the newly oiled teak.  I then came back with spring clamps and further secured the sheeting from the frequent gusts of wind coming through.  I placed a few strategically located slits in the sheeting to capture and drain any rain and dew that we might receive over the next day or two.

With the brightwork finished, I moved back into the shop to apply a coat of cabin paint to the underside of the companionway slide hatch.  With paint left in the tray, I made my way over to Joule and emptied the contents of the tray onto areas that required it.

Total Time Today: 3 hrs