In a message dated 3/25/2002 10:06:20 PM Eastern Standard Time, matt_at_sabine.acs.psu.edu writes: > ... Can anyone share any tips for refinishing a Klepper A-II frame? The > frame was made in 1957 and some of the original varnish is flaking off. ... Elbow grease to take the frame members back to the bare wood is the preferred method if you want to "do the job right." Chemical stripers can leave you with pockets of nasty surprises unless you rinse the then unprotected wood very thoroughly with (then contaminated!) water and dry carefully ... which may result in twisting and warping. Removing the fittings would strictly speaking be proper procedure, but is probably not really necessary; you say that only some of the varnish is flaking off at this stage and that there is no staining, so the varnish barrier has been largely intact up to now, even around the critical corners of fittings. As long as those corners are carefully prepared to accept the new coats of varnish, working around the fittings should give you perfectly workable results. Treating the wood with a good oil (cocktail) prior to varnishing, even if not all the varnish has been stripped, will go a long way towards lasting protection of the frame. Just be careful that the (linseed- tung-, etc. -oil, "boiled"!) does not contact the hull skin. Given the birth year of your boat, the hull material will be based on natural rather than synthetic rubber ("hypalon"). The former can rapidly deteriorate in the presence of oil. By the same token you should also wait for the varnish to cure fully (i.e., for the oils to evaporate or polymerize; timing according to suppliers info) before bringing it into contact with the skin again. Since varnishing, especially the prepping required for a workmanlike job, can turn into such a chore, there is a dedicated group of wood framed folding boaters out there (with non-natural-rubber hull skins!), who swear by merely wiping the frame members down with above mentioned oil concoctions at the beginning of each season - on the first warmish, sunny, wind still day of spring, for example - subsequently letting the oil polymerize outdoors while enjoying the sight over a well deserved adult beverage of their choice while hanging over the fence yakking with the neighbor in complete relaxation (almost as good as paddling, they say). With just a little care that frame will be good for the next 45 years!! Best regards, Ralph Ralph_at_PouchBoats.com www.PouchBoats.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Mar 26 2002 - 08:15:28 PST
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