I'm about to pry off my handrails for refinishing/rebedding. Does anyone have the inside scoop about the fasteners? Bolted with nuts on either side, or nut on top?
The best way to get the bungs out is to twist a drywall screw into the center of the bungs. They should pop right out, albeit usually broken in pieces.The early Hunters award fastened with screws through the fiberglass into the core, and covered by bungs. If you can find circular teak bungs in a handrail, pull one out and check out the fastener. Then you will know what you have.
Normally, I'd do them in situ, but the handrails are in a terrible state, and need some exacting work to save them from ruin. I'd rather not replace them, preferring to keep everything original. As well, because the handrails are in a state, they could stand to be rebedded, as a cursory examination reveals that the bedding will fail within the next few years, as it is flaking away rather easily.It's been my experience, well, those can really open up the proverbial can of worms! Has the bedding compound failed? Leaking? Headliner? Access? Better to refinish in place, in my opinion.