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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Mold deep in the grain of my tiller?

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/09/2010 : 05:07:58

Sanded the tiller down to bare wood, eliminating all of the little nicks and dings . . . but there were two small areas that looked like shadows that I couldn't sand out. Applied the first coat of polyurethane and those shadows turned black - ack!

Have taken the tiller back to bare wood again in hopes of finding something to remove these old water marks or mold.

Has anyone here faced/conquered this issue?

Edited by - on

Ed Cassidy
Captain

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USA
365 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 06:21:39

Household bleach has worked wonders for me if there is nothing sealing the wood. I usually mix one part water with one part bleach and add a few drops of detergent. Put it on with a cloth and then rinse.
Ed

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glen
Captain

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359 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 06:44:59

There is also a bleach designed for wood. Very Strong. This product would be an out door rubber glove solution. Try Ed’s approach first, if that doesn’t work this could be another alternative

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 07:49:37

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ed Cassidy
 . . . I usually mix one part water with one part bleach and add a few drops of detergent. Put it on with a cloth and then rinse . . .
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Thanks for clarifying that Ed - I would have poured (drenched) it on straight from the bottle and walked away for an hour or more. Perhaps this explains why I (other than folding) am banned from laundry duty at our house?

Edited by - OJ on 06/09/2010 07:52:33

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 08:31:40

Oxalic acid is what you're looking for. You can buy it in crystal form at your local paint store, like Benjamin Moore and mix it yourself easily. Or you can get premixed for way more money from places like Rockler or Woodcraft.

Are you sure it's not dry rot? That's what happened to mine, and it snapped off in my hand. There were no external symptoms, and like you, I'd just refinished it. I'd try spiking the wood in a few places with an icepick to see if it's soft.

If you find rot, you can probably still save it with a good penetrating epoxy. I'd recommend CPES.

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 10:12:17

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 Oxalic acid is what you're looking for . . . Are you sure it's not dry rot . . . ? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">You hit the nail on the head there David. I did some reading and turns out the black is actually iron from the water. Mahogany is especially susceptible to this. They even recommend rinsing off the Oxalic acid with distilled water!
As for dry rot, hmmmmm . . .

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 10:38:17

On mine, it was the Ash that failed mechanically, the Mahogany was just fine. The Ash had all these fine little black particles all through it, and when crushed by a tool, just fell into little crumbly pieces for about 4-6" on either side of my tiller extension's connector hole. On my new plywood one that I built, all penetrations are overdrilled, filled with epoxy, and then drilled into the epoxy, so there are no holes into the wood where water can get in. I soaked the plywood in three separate coats of epoxy before three more coats of Cetol. I expect that tiller, while kind of ugly, will last a very long time, since it's essentially a long piece of plastic and stainless steel, with a wood core now.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9087 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 10:39:54

I used bleach on a laminated tiller and viola--the pretty stripes were virtually gone--it bleached out darker wood! I might suggest bathroom tile cleaner, rinsed off fairly quickly with water. In most situations, it turns mildew from black to brown and lets it wash away. I think most of them use phosphoric acid for an effect similar to oxalic acid--they're just more commonly available.

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/09/2010 : 11:39:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 . . . used bleach on a laminated tiller and viola--the pretty stripes were virtually gone--it bleached out darker wood! . . .
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

http://antiquerestorers.com/Articles/jeff/using_wood_bleach.htm

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