Going from Bristol finish to Cetol.

[SV.Maverick]

Last year when I bought my currant boat I knew it had been treated with Bristol finish and I also knew with the amount of teak to deal with that I would not be continuing with Bristol but would be switching to Cetol in the future. Now before all the Cetol haters jump in don't bother because I love the stuff. Have used it for years and The trade off of not as shinny for the ease of application is worth it to me.

The situation is Bristol is starting to fail in spots and unlike Cetol I can't just touch those spots up. Has anyone gone from a varnish like Bristol to Cetol? Do I have to sand the Bristol completely off to bare wood before applying the coats of Cetol?

Thanks

[SV.Maverick]

No one out there has a method for removing Bristol?

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by SV.Maverick

Last year when I bought my currant boat I knew it had been treated with Bristol finish and I also knew with the amount of teak to deal with that I would not be continuing with Bristol but would be switching to Cetol in the future. Now before all the Cetol haters jump in don't bother because I love the stuff. Have used it for years and The trade off of not as shinny for the ease of application is worth it to me.

The situation is Bristol is starting to fail in spots and unlike Cetol I can't just touch those spots up. Has anyone gone from a varnish like Bristol to Cetol? Do I have to sand the Bristol completely off to bare wood before applying the coats of Cetol?

Thanks

I used Bristol only on my hatch cover - three heavy coats. I wanted it to look like a gymnasium floor. It is mostly under the bimini so sun-sheltered. I have touched up a few spots with Epiphanes with acceptable results. Sanded clean and feathered follow with new varnish. I believe Bristol, as others, say you need not remove but only sand back to solid material. We oil the toe rail, paint the splash, Epiphanes on the Dorades and cockpit edging. In all places, I only clean up without full removal.

Give it a try. Nothing to loose.

[Capt Phil]

Interesting question... I went the other way. From Cetol finish that I found darkened significantly over about 6-8 months to a 6 coat Bristol finish. Couldn't have been happier with the result but it was a lot of work sanding and bleaching out the cetol finish. It looks great for the first few weeks until it began the change to a darker hue.
The advantage we found with Bristol was that a light sand on a dry surface and as long as we put subsequent coats on before the previous one had dried completely, the finish turned out great.
If you have the time and energy, however, nothing beats plain old marine varnish, letting it dry and sanding between coats. Phil

[SV.Maverick]

[QUOTE=Nicholson58;2068097]I used Bristol only on my hatch cover - three heavy coats. I wanted it to look like a gymnasium floor. It is mostly under the bimini so sun-sheltered. I have touched up a few spots with Epiphanes with acceptable results.


So you have put coats of Epiphanes over Bristol? I had no idea you could mix those two systems.

[sailcruiser]

Try Citristrip from any big box store. It's a couple day deal but won't stink you off the boat. When it's time 12-24 hrs after application) just scape into a bucket and into a trash can. I removed no exaggeration ¼ -½ inch of accumulated varnish. It looked like brown paint.

Option b is a heat gun and scraper but I prefer the Citristrip.

SC


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[SV.Maverick]

Originally Posted by sailcruiser

Try Citristrip from any big box store. It's a couple day deal but won't stink you off the boat. When it's time 12-24 hrs after application) just scape into a bucket and into a trash can. I removed no exaggeration ¼ -½ inch of accumulated varnish. It looked like brown paint.

Option b is a heat gun and scraper but I prefer the Citristrip.

SC


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So did the Citristrip left it all or was thre still a lot of scraping and sanding?

[sailcruiser]

Originally Posted by SV.Maverick

So did the Citristrip left it all or was thre still a lot of scraping and sanding?

It took a couple applications but only had to scrape/scoop the goo off and then washed with soap and water. I left it on for 24 hours per application. I did not sand at all. After that I had a couple touch up areas that I just applied Citristrip for 4 hours, scoop/scraped and was done. I used plastic tools that I rounded the corners so I didn't gouge the wood by accident but no real force was needed. I liked the fact the only smell was oranges.

It isn't the fastest process but it was the least labor intensive. I have read since if you cover it and keep it moist it may have only required 1 24 hour application.

HTH,
SC


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[minaret]

Pro varnisher, I always tell people to stay away from Bristol because it cannot be heat stripped or chemical stripped, must be sanded off when it fails. It's a nightmare. Aircraft stripper may remove it if left on long enough, but it will also remove the surrounding finish.

[SV.Maverick]

Oh no,,so striped won't work? This is the front of the boat do you think the finish has failed to the point I couldn't just ad a couple maintence coats and hold this project till next year?

[minaret]

Originally Posted by SV.Maverick

Oh no,,so striped won't work? This is the front of the boat do you think the finish has failed to the point I couldn't just ad a couple maintence coats and hold this project till next year?

I wouldn't, that's totally shot. Once it starts to lift like that it'll hold moisture underneath it. The longer you leave it like that, the more material you'll have to remove to get out the stains.

[Boatyarddog]

Scrape, use heat to soften if needed, lightly sand with 320, wash, dry and Cetol, at least 3 coats
If you cover it in the sun it'll last much longer than is reported.
Worked great on my Teak platform on my Bowsprit.
Not Bristol on my platform, I'd at least give heat and scraping a try, if it doesn't work, sand it off.

Sent from SV Cloud Duster

[SV.Maverick]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

Scrape, use heat to soften if needed, lightly sand with 320, wash, dry and Cetol, at least 3 coats
If you cover it in the sun it'll last much longer than is reported.
Worked great on my Teak platform on my Bowsprit.
Not Bristol on my platform, I'd at least give heat and scraping a try, if it doesn't work, sand it off.

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Do you think all the Bristol has to be removed to bare wood before applying the cetol or just sanded down to where it's solid?

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by SV.Maverick

Do you think all the Bristol has to be removed to bare wood before applying the cetol or just sanded down to where it's solid?

Sanded till solid, you can fill in the lower spots first, or coat enough that it fills in.
Some folks don't care for Cetol mainly because of the color.
Seems as though it's a great coating though.


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