Strippers

[Guaranteed]

Sorry... had to, anyway..... how is everyone stripping the varnish off your teak grab rails while not removing them from the boat. This past spring I saw a guy pouring something all over them and scrubbing with a bristle brush and rinsing... I’ve seen the heat gun and scraper deal but just doesn’t seem like that would work while on the boat and all the underneath.. tight spots, ect.

[Snore]

I rub them.


I used 80 grit paper and go up from there.

[SVTatia]

Came here for the wrong reason....

Anyways, you can't use paint stripper as it may damage the deck and since they are kind of round, armstrong is the way to go. Wrap a 1/4 of 80 grit sheet around with the right hand and sand until its gone. You'll need a cold one on the left hand.

[njoynthewater]

We just did our teak since buying our boat. I picked up a decent paint scraper, a smaller one with a blade about 1 1/2" wide and used a heat gun. Heat the old varnish in smaller patches until you see small bubbles in the varnish and scrape it off. Used a mouse sander for most of the sanding. One off those Dremel tools with the small sanding attachments would be a nice addition to the job. Overall I didn't find it that bad of a job. Looks great when it's done. Two coats of Cetol Natural and 2 coats of Cetol High Gloss.

[sailah]

I just did all my varnish over again. 37' boat, teak all the way around. Heat gun, various carbide scrapers, knee pads. No free lunch.

[JimsCAL]

When I did my teak about 5 years ago it was a 3 step process. First stripping with Citristrip, then heat gun and scraping, then finally sanding.

[gonesail]

forget chemicals. heat gun and careful use of a scraper. then sandpaper.

[Guaranteed]

Thanks for all the advise.. 1st stop.. packie for some beer.

I like the idea of the dremel.. I guess must take care not to gouge the wood.

[Guaranteed]

Advice :/

[Guaranteed]

Also... when ready oil or varnish, pros... cons

[Marc1]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

... Wrap a 1/4 of 80 grit sheet around with the right hand and sand until its gone. You'll need a cold one on the left hand.

But I am left handed and I drink red at room temperature ...

[Lepke]

I use Sea Hawk marine stripper. Works on almost any paint or finish including oils and is biodegradable, water cleanup. If you put it on thick it will remove many layers at once (like bottom paint). On Amazon and eBay.

[Fore and Aft]

I am with SV Tatia, I clicked on this thread for the wrong reason. I thought it was going to be about tipping in various countries!
Cheers