Teak repair

[JILLBROWN]

We have an Island Gypsy 32 with the starboard side door and the stern door. The window frames have painted over. I want to remove the paint down to the original teak. I spent hours last summer scraping and sanding - didn't work

We also have some big chips in the teak rail. I'd like to repair them without striping and redoing the whole rail.

Thanks,
Island Gypsy Lady

 

[BruceK]

Are you talking about inside or outside for the frames. I`d have thought outside was painted originally. I wanted to reverse the painting of my transom but all advice was once it is painted, it is too hard to get all the paint off. Is that what you found too?
Are the rail chips in the varnish or other finish, or are there missing chunks of timber? The latter can be scarfed in. If varnish, sand damaged areas, prep sand the rest, and re-varnish. Bare areas re-varnished soon come to match the rest.

 

[Marin]

Removing paint from teak is often a futile idea. The problem is the paint gets way down in the grain and you gave to sand off a lot of wood to get past it. So much wood in some cases you change the dimensions of the trim piece, window frame, etc.

We've tried it with some painted door panels on our boat and found out the hard way what's involved.

If one wants to paint over teak that would otherwise be finished bright, the teak should first be varnished (or use sone other bright finish) and then paint over that. Then if the current or a future owner wants to return the trim, window frame, etc. to bright the paint will not have gotten down in the grain.

Modern consumer finish removers are virtually worthless they are so weak. They will soften the paint and then smear it around as you try to remove the paint with the result that the paint gets forced down even farther into the grain.

I used to refinish gunstocks for gas money when I was in college. There were finish removers available then that would actually penetrate walnut and lift an oil finish out of the wood. They were so stong that if you got any on your skin it would immediately start to burn and you had only moments to wash it off before things got serious. But they were fantastic finish removers. By comparison the finish removers available to consumers today are about as effective as spit. I know-- we've tried them all. I assume this is due to nanny state regulations protecting us from ourselves.

Now if you take your window frames to a commercial finish removal shop they may be able to lift the paint out of the grain because they can probably still use reall strong, effective strippers.

 

[JILLBROWN]

Thanks for the info. Did the 1981 Island Gypsy have painted window frames on the outside? There's teak under there, I'm pretty sure. However, scraping and refinishing 11 windows doesn't appeal to me. It'll cost a fortune to have them done professionally. I'm going to try the varnish and paint idea.
To the member who replied to me - I live in Greenbank, Whidbey Island. Where are you?

 

[Marin]

There's teak under there, I'm pretty sure.

It may not be teak. American Marine, the maker of Grand Banks boats, for example, used mahogany for their exterior window frames and their exterior and interior door panels. interior bulkheads, shelving, etc.. The only time they used teak was if it was going to be finished bright. So rails and trim and cabin interior trim and cabinetry and so forth. Later GBs have teak veneer on the interior panels, but the panels themselves were generally mahogany.

As some of the folks who worked for American Marine later went to work for K&H, there are many similarities between the the two makes. So it would not surprise me if the exterior window frames on an Island Gypsy are also mahogany.

However.... Grand Banks exterior window frames were always painted. They were not finished bright. Some of the Taiwan boats like CHBs have exterior window frames that were finished bright by the manufacturer. So they are, I believe, made of teak. I don't know if Island Gypsies had painted or bright frames from the factory.

 

[BruceK]

If the wood is previously painted, and the paint is spent rather than just lacking adhesion, prepare and repaint. Removing an IG frame involves destruction, I`ve done it. Check for rot in the frames. Note the hole bored through the lowest bottom corner of the frame to drain water, keep it clear. Ask not why a drain is a hole drilled in wood, destined to rot.