Teak Restoration: What about the bungs?

[Ziggler]

With all the hardware stripped from the deck, it seems an opportune time to varnish the teak handrails, slider brackets, etc. I bought the nicest varnish I could find, it better be for $60 for a wee little can.

Anyway, I've been puzzling over this. If I varnish all the teak while it's off the boat then when I re-install and put new bung hole covers on, those little bungs (which cant be installed until the teak is re-installed on the boat) won't match the varnish. So, oddly, it seems to make sense to do all the teak varnishing when it's fastened back on the boat rather than varnish then re-install.

Please educate me.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I normally do the varnishing, install the bungs, trim them using a VERY sharp chisel, then varnish those using a small artist type brush. I install with varnish by the way- DON'T use epoxy.

If needed, then I'll tape off and do a final varnish coat, in place.

Of course, you could always install, trim, THEN varnish, because that's how you'll do it next year

 

[3rdbase]

Years ago I would go through the varnish with painstaking (emphasis on pain) effort. I subsequently decided that six coats of Sikens works better. So much easier.

 

[Chris Patterson]

This is true, and really no big deal. The last ones I did I removed from the boat for several reasons. The sanding and prep work was ten times easier, I could put them in the warehouse in the shade, or out of the rain/elements. And, they get resealed in the process, as the blasted things will leak before most other pieces of deck hardware I think because they get pulled on so much.
Then they get ten coats of varnish. (Yes, we that do this a lot can tell if there is epoxy underneath). This way you can varnish the bottoms of the rails, because if not, the water will intrude immediately, ruining your rails in fairly short order. The bungs will go next with the aforementioned sharp chisel being careful. Then, about six more coats overall.
With this procedure the deck taping doesn't have to be exact, because there is already varnish on the bottoms. Six coats right down the backbone and done.

(My usual disclaimer: there are no shortcuts to varnish. The varnish cannot be cheated. It sometimes seems to be a life form of its own that must be coddled. It may be why I'm so contentious here, as I sold my soul to the Varnish Devil years ago)..

 

[DougM]

Gave up on varnish, hate Sikkens appearance, let the wood go natural. just scrub it regularly with coarse salt, water , and a medium brush. When the grain starts to raise a little bit, sand it. If it starts to look really scruffy, replace it wit stainless steel. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, or deep pockets so that you can keep,a deck hand on the payroll, teak isn't worth the effort.

 

[Ziggler]

Folks:

Thank you for the tips and educating me about the process and options. I kept imagining some odd, discordant contrast between the teak and bungs, but the idea of putting a few final top coats over the entire rail after rails are replaced and bungs installed is the "aha!" I was missing as I imagined the project. I see now how it will all blend closely, but not perfectly together.

As far as Sikkens, bare wood or metal, it's good to know those are possibilities. However, I'm too far into this everlasting, painstaking restoration project to imagine anything other than sparkling varnish juxtaposed to my brand new deck paint job. Perhaps I'll feel differently 16 coats of varnish from now!)

 

[Chris Patterson]

That warms my heart to read that. Put that first coat on cut about fifty percent, put the second coat on right behind it, and after that it is hard to go wrong. Every bodies different, but I love brightworks.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

That warms my heart to read that. Put that first coat on cut about fifty percent, put the second coat on right behind it, and after that it is hard to go wrong. Every bodies different, but I love brightworks.

You'd probably throw-up upon seeing my new installations. I installed new rails for the coach roof cover and new rails for the hatch boards using an Azek product that simulates wood (it just sort of looks like teak). I couldn't even bother to recess the screws ... I just left the buggers shine in the sunlight. You see, my recreational time is limited and I don't really want to bother with much exterior teak ... ESPECIALLY if it is a pain in the ass to finish. At least the hatch boards are newly varnished teak, but I can take them home and use the replacements so it can be done without the stress and anxiety. Right now, I'm sailing with out the hand rails (hey, the water is flat and warm and I can easily swim to shore) until the new PLASTEAK rails come in. I think they make bungs, but I'm not even sure I'll use them. I've found that I can live with exposed screw heads (even if they are horrid phillips heads) if it lessens the time consuming chore of hiding them.

We had an antique boat show on the lake last weekend and one of the boats had a description to point out that ALL of the screws had slotted heads, not phillips ... I suppose that is a reference to the originality .... even though there was a forest of bungs to cover the fasteners.

The one thing I have in my hip pocket is that if I ever change my mind, I can go back to teak and do all the finishing that my heart may someday desire!

 

[Chris Patterson]

Hehe. Scott, I really do not blame you one iota, Sir. Despite my earlier comment, I know why people go with composites and stainless. If I had destroyed the teak on my Ericson, I may well have gone the Plasteak myself. And I don't make any 'judgement calls' on anybody that does not varnish. It is a madness, and no known cure.
This last time I was doing a 54' Alden last fall, I was out there on my hands and knees, 100 feet of lumber just on the toe rails, and I was sweating blood. The lovely bride still kids me about the text I sent her, basically alluding to the fact that I must be pathologically insane to be doing this. This sounds arrogant, but it's not like I need the money. It's the sickness. Some hours of gratification is all you get. And then beat yourself up for a month because you thought you could have done better, despite everyone elses opinion that it's beautiful.
"But wait!" you want to cry. "If you stand on your head just like this, when the sun shines just so through those trees over there, you can see this small run!"
The looks on their faces tell the rational that they are sad for you, and wish they could help.
Even now I can only guess what my neighbors think of this. I can't help but imagine that they all think it's a fools game; whilst they sail off to happy days.....and I think just one more coat will make it perfect...

 

[3rdbase]

Gave up on varnish, hate Sikkens appearance, let the wood go natural. just scrub it regularly with coarse salt, water , and a medium brush. When the grain starts to raise a little bit, sand it. If it starts to look really scruffy, replace it wit stainless steel. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, or deep pockets so that you can keep,a deck hand on the payroll, teak isn't worth the effort.

I say
1. pressure wash the teak. Start with the nozzle 1 foot away and move in closer depending on how much cleaning needs to be done.
2. Sand if needed
3. Sikens Sikens Sikens Sikens Sikens and then optionally, another coat of Sikens.

I was a diehard varnisher years ago. Now I Sikens. I've been Sikensing for more than 15 years. Often, I skip a year. My cockpit table looks like I did it yesterday. I did it about 5 years ago. My 2 large cans of Epiphanes sit on the shelves in my garage. They serve as homage to an era when I would sweat and toil for that mirror look on the external teak. Now after 3 coats of Sikens, I can look at the teak and comb my hair looking at the reflection.

Footnote: I am not a paid representative for Sikens. I just like the stuff.

 

[DougM]

I say
1. pressure wash the teak. Start with the nozzle 1 foot away and move in closer depending on how much cleaning needs to be done.
2. Sand if needed
3. Sikens Sikens Sikens Sikens Sikens and then optionally, another coat of Sikens.

I was a diehard varnisher years ago. Now I Sikens. I've been Sikensing for more than 15 years. Often, I skip a year. My cockpit table looks like I did it yesterday. I did it about 5 years ago. My 2 large cans of Epiphanes sit on the shelves in my garage. They serve as homage to an era when I would sweat and toil for that mirror look on the external teak. Now after 3 coats of Sikens, I can look at the teak and comb my hair looking at the reflection.

Footnote: I am not a paid representative for Sikens. I just like the stuff.

It's not that I don't like the Sikkens product, I just don't like the color... Even the so called clear comes out too orange for my taste, and the darks are too dark. It a matter of preference I guess.

As for pressure washing, that's a little dangerous , if you use too much pressure or get too close you can easily dredge out the softer parts of the grain. Eventually the same thing will happen with scrubbing with the grain. I was taught to go across the grain

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

And always remember- the coat of varnish you just put on is the NEXT to last coat