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Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Re: "Zero Cavity" Teak Console *LINK* *PIC*
Posted By: Capt Patrick McCrary In Response To: Re: "Zero Cavity" Teak Console (Jeff Camuso)
Date: Saturday, 1 October 2005, at 3:13 p.m.
Jeff,
Sorry I missed your questions earlier...
Structural reinforcement is used on all joints and large flat areas. Notice the teak cleats in the image below. These are epoxied and screwed with silicon bronze wood screws during the assembly process. The screws penetrate the underside of the console by about 3/8" - 1/2". You have to be careful about the screw placement and depth so that you don't accidently expose a hole or screw when doing the round overs.
Stabilization is the process of letting the teak "grow acustomed" to it's new glued up shape. Some of the process happens quickly as parts are glued up and cured by setting the unit into the blazing sun for a couple of hours.
Further stabilization happens during the sealing process. I use mixed epoxy, then thinned with 15% by volume with denatured alcohol. The console has seen several hours of direct sunlight during this step.
Thinning the epoxy does two things: 1. allows it to better soak into the wood & 2. changes the set up characteristics of the cured resin to become very flexible.
The flexibility allows the epoxy to keep a grip on the wood during any expansion/contraction that might take place & creates a better tie coat between the wood and the unthickened epoxy that's applied over it. After sanding the unthickened epoxy for a flat, smooth, grain free surface I apply a third rubbed on coat of unthickened epoxy. (See the part about wshing and scuffing on page 2.)
The final stabilization will occur between the intial build up coats, about half way through the finishing process. Before I switch to the Heavier and more traditional Epifanes I'll wet sand with 220 grit to refine the surface. I may even add some more structural cleats to the inside at this point.
But before I start applying the second stage varnish I'll keep the console in the sun as much as possible for a minimum of 2 days. Any potential movement will be stabilized by then & I can safely start the final finishing.
From the time the first 2 pieces of teak were cut and glued together to the time the console is ready to install will span approximately 3 weeks. Installation won't be scheduled until Regino is nearly through with all of the exterior of the boat. Maybe December or January, but certainly before I leave for Texas...
Br,
Patrick
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