Ready to start repairs on my Chestnut this weekend.

[WalterFarmer]

Once I stripped off the uppermost run of planking to get at the rib tops, I was left with alot of ring nails sticking out that hold the ribs to the inwales. Of course I know that you folks know all about that...my question is how do I remove those ring nails without destrying the rib tops. Not all ribs need repair at this point, so I was hoping there is a way to remove them or maybe I have to cut then off flush and re-nail the rins later???
P.S., this stripping the varnish from the interior is a right pain. I only managed one third done on a 14.5ft. canoe!
Between the ribs was most brutal....I found a stiff wire brush to work best here. The stripper dried amazingly fast too, so keeping an area wet was also a pain.

Thanks

 

[mmmalmberg]

I'm pretty much a newbie, coming down the home stretch of my first canoe, so I can only say what I did - prefaced with, others here know a lot more and will have more proven suggestions. I used a putty knife with a tack puller, using the blade to spread the load of the puller so it wouldn't damage the wood. But I had rusted plain steel nails, not ring nails so I don't know how much difference. For stripping I had some citrus-based stripper that didn't dry too fast (or work overly well), 'though it was cooler then., and I scrubbed it with a pot scrubber brush with plastic bristles. I used a lot of sawdust to bind up the gummy result and then rinsed with a good bit of paint thinner. That worked ok, there were a few areas I had to go back with less friendly stripper, but overall it went not so bad. I'd be careful with a wire brush, that you don't leave scoring that you'd want to sand out later... If the stripper dries, put more on and/or work on smaller areas because it's only working when it's wet (as I'm sure you know). p.s. welcome to the club!

 

[mccloud]

If a rib tip has to be replaced, I use a Dremel MultiMax to cut thru the rib tip wood close to the nail head, then destroy the remaing wood , leaving enough of the nail stem to get a vicegrip on it. And the MultiMax is used to cut the taper for the scarf. But if the rib tip is good, and the nails are solid, rusted in place, then I leave them alone. Too much damage will be done in trying to remove them. TM...

 

[Greg Nolan]

The stripper dried amazingly fast too, so keeping an area wet was also a pain.

Proceed by stripping only a small section at a time. covering a small section of wet stripper with a sheet of polyethelyne plastic can keep the stripper wet long enough for it to do its job -- slow and messy, but it gets it done even in hot weather.

 

[MGC]

Walter, welcome to the affliction! You'll learn as you go. The advice you have already been given is all good. I'd like to add a couple more things about the stripping process. First, try not to work in the sun with the stripper if you have an option to do otherwise. That will increase the working time and help you avoid some of the "drying out" problems. Using the plastic sheet as noted by Greg is a proven method. To remove the varnish, you may use an edged tool carefully (putty knife, paint scraper) but as you have already discovered, a brush works well. Just a caution, use a plastic bristle brush. A wire brush is too aggressive to use on the soft cedar ribs and planking. Once you have the hull fairly well stripped, go back to any places that needs extra work and re-strip them. Once that is done use a wash of TSP and carefully pressure wash the hull to see where you with it. After it dries go at it with a product called Teak-Nu. This is a two step process that bleaches and cleans the wood. Even a perfect looking hull will yield a ton of junk when you apply this product. Teak-Nu is applied with plastic bristle brushes. https://discountmarinesupplies.com/...MIstf1qrSj6wIVkcDACh00ZQmTEAQYAiABEgJVx_D_BwE
One more wash with the power washer or the hose and the hull should be ready for some sanding.
One more word of caution, even plastic bristle brushes can damage the wood when the wood is wet.
Good luck and pictures as you go. The peanut gallery is here waiting.

 

[1905Gerrish]

Walter, buy a BOX of red scotch brite pads and use them for scrubbing after getting what you can with a putty knife.. Cut the sheets in quarters and throw out when loaded up with gunk. Slather on the most expensive stripper you can find. Paint stripper that is! No sun for sure. As Mike said above Snappy Nu-teak will clean up the residue very well. I use the stiff plastic brush that comes with the kit for scrubbing that. First part is a quality acid that takes your breath away when inhaled. Outside job as well not in sunlight.

 

[Howie]

I've just skimmed the above so I may have missed someone else mentioning this... I've had very bad experiences using paint thinner or mineral spirits to clean up residue left from stripping - aka goop. What I believe happens is that the spirits quickly dissolve the goop and carry it into the wood. Unless you remove it somehow it could turn your canoe very dark when you varnish it. I recommend you remove the goop with a bucketful of TSP dissolved in hot water. You get TSP at any hardware store - it's cheap. Dunk the above mentioned scotch brite pad into the bucket, slop it onto the area you're working on, and clean it up. Work on just a foot or so at a time. I also recommend using Dad's Paint & varnish stripper - the green eco-friendly stuff don't work well for me - too slow. Dad's is metholinechloride (?) based, so it's nasty stuff, but it works great. And it cleans up great with TSP. Better yet, you can clean the goop off your scotch brite pads & other tools by dunking them in the TSP bucket. You may have trouble finding Dad's locally, but I ordered it through Amazon or some other online place.

 

[MGC]

Howie, you let the cat out of the bag on one of my wood blending tricks. I save a bit of the nasty blackened old varnish as I strip the hull and later mix in a bit of mineral spirits (and sometimes stain) so that I can rub it into new ribs or planking before I install them. Sometimes this gets me pretty close on the color, and sometimes not....
Zack, Howie, yes to the scotch brite..I also use those...good call.

 

[Pook]

Welcome aboard Walter!
Always nice to have another Chestnut restored and back on the water.
You've already received tons of good advice- there are very knowledgeable folk on this site willing to help. Don't hesitate to reach out.

Don't rush the stripping process- it is a worthwhile pain. I use Scotch Brite pads and a little bristle brush to get the stripper out of the nooks and crannies. But the beauty of the old wood that is revealed as you work through the process is priceless.
Enjoy!

And welcome aboard!
Bruce

 

[johnmetts]

Welcome, Walter! I used Saran Wrap to keep my goop wet. It wasn't pretty but it worked. Like Howie, I used TSP and a Scotchbright pad. Also, eco-friendly = doesn't work very well. I also tried adding some Johnny Walker Scotch to the project. It helped with the part in between the ribs. The more JW the easier it seemed. The JW Black worked as well as the Red. I also used a horse brush (yep, the kind you brush a horse with) along with the hose to get the goop out. I have a dental pick to get in the tight crannies. I've done two canoes so far and I have two more waiting in the rafters. I learned a lot by reading the Forum. This is a great group of helpful folks. Don't be shy about asking for help. You will love your canoe.

 

[Craig Johnson]

I read about a good method in this forum a while ago but never needed it until the last canoe I stripped. Usually the goop washes out easily and I do half a canoe at a time but not this last one. Remembering the aforementioned advice I took a large handful of fine sawdust and rubbed the goopy wood with it. It absorbed the goop while gently abraded it from the surface. I rubbed it quite vigorously with my gloved hands. I dumped the sawdust and washed with TSP as normal. It worked well and I will use it again. Try it on a small section and see what you think.