Hi,


I'd like to remove the thick decade and a half worth of cumulative coats
of Cetol, repaint some trim and then reapply Cetol.

All documentation on preparing surfaces previously coated with Cetol
says no removal is necessary, just apply another coat.

Does anyone have suggestions for removal?

Chemical hopefully ;~)

Besides the obvious convienence, I'm concerned scrapping will maim some
of the trim in question...


Thanks,

JP

Nancy Murphy wrote:
Hi,


I'd like to remove the thick decade and a half worth of cumulative coats
of Cetol, repaint some trim and then reapply Cetol.

All documentation on preparing surfaces previously coated with Cetol
says no removal is necessary, just apply another coat.

Does anyone have suggestions for removal?

I used Cetol on two boats for more than 10 years combined. I always
"sanded" the top coats off with fine bronze wool before applying a new
coat each year, and then applied two new coats, which kept it from
building up and becoming opaque.

Try bronze wool...if that doesn't work, use sandpaper--and sand
LIGHTLY--just enough pressure to cut through the Cetol, but not deeply
enough to get into the wood. Start with medium grit, then finish with
0000 to end up with a "baby-butt" smooth surface...wipe down with
mineral spirits, then apply two new coats. It sounds labor intensive,
but Cetol comes off quite easily. It rarely took me more than about 2
hours to prepare a mid-'80s 340 Sea Ray (they were covered with teak
trim) for two new coats.

Chemical hopefully ;~)

Chemical removers are likely to swell the grain, putting you back to
square one where some MAJOR sanding will be required again. All you
really want to do is strip off the buildup while leaving the "layer"
that seals the wood.
--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html

Second Peggy's recommendations. About 5 years ago we began the Cetol
process on our Westsail 32, and each year that the new coats accumulate, our
brightwork more and more looks like it's painted. The wood grain is
disappearing behind the thickening coats of Cetol. So this year we WILL
sand before applying the maintenance coat, hoping to regain the pleasant
appearance of the first few years. I don't think you'll need to scrape or
sand ALL of the old Cetol, unless you have some blistering or bare spots
otherwise. It's pretty forgiving stuff, and we'll never use varnish again.

Good luck with your project.

Dick Behan



"Nancy Murphy" wrote in message
...
Hi,


I'd like to remove the thick decade and a half worth of cumulative coats
of Cetol, repaint some trim and then reapply Cetol.

All documentation on preparing surfaces previously coated with Cetol
says no removal is necessary, just apply another coat.

Does anyone have suggestions for removal?

Chemical hopefully ;~)

Besides the obvious convienence, I'm concerned scrapping will maim some
of the trim in question...


Thanks,

JP

R.W. Behan wrote:

... we'll never use varnish again.

Why not? Varnish is cheaper and easier to use. In my experience, if the
same care is taken, varnish lasts just as long, is no more work, and
looks 499% better. Cetol looks like smeary layer of orange Jell-O (no
disrespect intended to the folks at the Jell-O company). If you ahve
decent looking wood with nice grain, varnish is the only way to go. If
the wood isn't that pretty to start with, a coat of buff paint lasts
much longer than any clear or near-clear coating.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King