Diesel spill on teak/holly sole.

[John Powell]

In the process of repairing fuel line problems on my 1992 H-27, a good bit of diesel fuel was spilled on my teak and holly sole. I know the teak and holly on this boat is only a very thin veneer, so I am concerned about how to clean it. Naturally, I wiped up the diesel fuel with paper towels as it was spilled. Nevertheless, the inside of my boat smells like a truck stop and the sole clearly retained a good bit of the fuel. How would you clean it?Thanks, John

 

[Mike]

Not good

The sole of my floor was saturated for sometime - a couple of weeks - with a watery mixture of diesel (happened before I bought the boat). My floor is delaminating as a result and thus beyond repair. So, I haven't tried to solve the problem of the oil still in the floor. It's clearly in there because of the way water beads up on the floor surface.And my cabin stinks too, like rancid fuel if the underside of the floor gets wet. YUK.For me, I will be replacing the sole this coming off-season. For you, if there is a way to get that oil out of the wood you need to do it now before the fuel eats away at the glue holding the plywood together. I have taken the liberty of posting a query about this very subject on the Boatered.com forum here:http://www.boatered.com/FORUM.asp?FORUM_ID=4Hopefully the resident expert boat detailer there will offer some advice. I fear it may be hopeless. My own ideas: Try Murphy's oil Soap. Also sometimes the dish detergent Dawn is effective at dispersing oil, but a soapy mixture may have to stand on the floor for awhile and that would raise the grain of the floor and ruin the finish if it's not ruined already. White (I think) vinegar may help with the smell.Let's see if anybody posts on Boatered.comGood luckMike

 

[Sam Lust]

Not so bad --

If I were to have that problem I'd saturate the whole sole with mineral spirits (paint thinner). Wipe it down with lots of wipers and let it air out for a few days, The spirits won't hurt the laminate used in moderation, and will disolve the fuel oil, which you then pick up with the cloth. Mine was so bad I washed it with concentrated cleaner, scrubbed with a stiff brush, and flushed with water. But my problem was many years of plain dirt, not fuel. I polyurethaned mine and it looks good enough for compliments, even though it's by no means perfect.By the way, given a bit of time the diesel odor WILL dissapate on it's own.

 

[Jim Maroldo]

Diesel spill solution...

Here's a trick from radio-control airplane enthusiasts:We often find that the balsa & plywood on the front end of our models get soaked with fuel residue (provided the plane lasts that long!), causing the glue joints to loosen. this can be cleaned up very effectively with a product called, "K2-R" spot remover. Available from most drug and supermakrket stores, it is a dry cleaning-type solvent with a white powder. After spraying it on the surface, the solvent soaks down into the wood and draws itself and the dirt (or oil, or fuel) back up into the powder on the surface. 2 or 3 applications leaves even porous balsa wood "dry as a bone". It's cheap, quick and easy! Jim Maroldos/v: Lil' Wass Ett