old 1920 German Canoe

Wasn't sure. Sounded like he was communicating with Germany. Anyway, THERE are a lot of Germans in Wisconsin!
 
I think the guy is in Germany.

It would be really nice if this forum required members to post their state or country of residence.... Some members allow this to displayed and others either opt not to or do not realize that they can. For some postings this can be helpful to know..
 
I just find this thread geographically challenging. We have a German canoe in Wisconsin, possibly made with Spanish cedar, which is lumber from a tree that is not found in Spain, nor is it a cedar. This sort of thing can shake your faith in names.

What were the Germans doing making wood-canvas canoes in the 20s? I thought they would have better things to do, like being mad about losing World War I. Maybe Tony Fokker had a lot of Spanish cedar left over when the war ended and, not being called upon to make Triplanes anymore, he decided to go into wood-canvas canoes, like Grumman went into aluminum canoes after World War II ended.
 
Bennett Hardwood in Wausau, an hour and a half south of me has Spanish Cedar, as well.
I used it to make ship lapped planks for a deck on a Shell Lake Snipe. Mills nicely...looks great when finished.

From the photos that were posted, I couldn't see any planking that needed to be replaced, thats why I thought my scraps may be of value?...
Aaaaaaany way.....German Canoe, if I'm close enough and can help, send me a PM.
 
Many thanks for the replies I might come back to you Dave on the Spanish Cedar and the canvas.
To be clear ... yes I am from Germany, but I live in WI since May of last year.
I built a white cedar strip canoe in Germany, but I always wanted to own an old canoe so I bought one back in Germany.
So, then I moved to the US so I had to take the canoe with me. There is no better place to restore a canoe then in the US :)

So, after I decide to go back to canvas and do not epoxy the canoe, I think I need to clean up the inside as well. (everyone happy now ;)
It does not look very bad inside, but I do need to completely remove the old varnish.
So, I tried the heat gun which works pretty good, but not very effective and its tricky to get into the corners.
I tried stripper as well, but I am not sure if my product works very well.

I saw some post here in the forum already so this is repeating some questions.
But is it really personal preference or is there a best way ?
Thanks
Joerg
 
I feel better. I thought you were in Germany because your use of English was not fluent. I have a nephew who is German. When he has visited us I have taken him canoe camping. His English is good, but likewise not fluent. I speak a little German, so am familiar with German grammar, diction, and vocabulary.
 
I tried stripper as well, but I am not sure if my product works very well.

The most effective paint/vanish strippers are those that contain Methylene chloride and other hazardous solvents and chemicals. Kleen Strip is one of the readily available brands -- it must be used with extremely good ventilation. Here is a link to its Material Safety Data Sheet: http://www.wmbarr.com/ProductFiles/4015.31 KS Premium Stripper 7-25-14.pdf

Safer, but less effective are products such as Citrustrip. These will generally do the job, but they take much more time. Here is a link to the Citrustrip Material Safety Data Sheet:
http://inlineco.com/msds/Envirochem/Big_O_Citrustrip_MSDS.pdf

Lye -- sodium hydroxide -- is also sometimes used, especially by commercial stripping operations. Lye can be dangerous, and can also seriously discolor some woods. Its MSDS: http://www.certified-lye.com/MSDS-Lye.pdf

Strippers are most effective when used generously and left in place for long enough to really work. The difficulty with leaving strippers on long enough is that they tend to dry out. After brushing on a stripper, it often helps to cover the working area with a sheet of plastic for a time -- my experience is at least ½ hour to an hour -- and if there are several coats of paint or varnish, a second coat of stripper (again covered after application) may be necessary before scraping the messy gunk off. You can’t rush a stripping job, but have to leave the stuff on long enough for it to work.
 
http://vandlstripping.com
I take canoes to V&L Stripping. They are clean and ready for light sanding and varnish when they are done.
Yes...overall, the cost is more, but you don't have to lean over your canoe for hours and hours, scraping and spreading the vile chemical.... Call them for pricing....they charge by the foot.
Make an appointment, drop it off, hit the Fox River Mall, a couple of antique malls in the area, have lunch, and pick it up...clean!
 
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