| Will it
ever end? |
| My original
goal was to have the interior of CONFERENCE completed
for the summer season of 2002. I was working at a feverish
pace to accomplish that goal, and felt confident I would make
it.
As I began
getting close to finishing up the sanding, and getting things
ready for the first coat of stain and varnish, I called upon
my friends at the Commander Club for tips and tricks to
getting this done with the best results. |
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| The
first bit of stain is applied, and the magical reformation was
to begin. A regular, off-the-shelf stain was used, followed by
copious coats of MinWax "Wipe On" finish (satin).
This provided a "glow" without the blinding shine of
regular varmish. |
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| And then
there's that leaky window
Anyone who
has ever owned a boat, knows the problems that seem to occur
overnight, especially with a boat that is outside and in the
water year round. Stuff breaks. Stuff leaks. Stuff happens.
The front
cabin window had a small leak in it that affected the woodwork
inside (in the v-berth), and before the refinishing could be
finalized, this issue needed to be addressed.
The window
was removed (relatively easy, I might add), and re-sealed. No
more pesky leaks.... there. |
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| Then there's
the issue of the broken cabin window. Since the coverboards
were being removed to refinish, it was a good idea to removed
the broken, jagged window, and replace it with a fresh piece
of glass. This process was also relatively easy (w/ the
exception of the 432 screws that held the coverboard on). Cost
to replace the glass was $20 at the local window shop. |
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| Is it ever
going to look right?
Okay, so the
first coat of stain is on, and for some reason, I'm not
getting that WOW! effect. Back to the Commander Club for
reassurance. Yes, I had been through this before, and yes, I
recalled the feeling after applying the first coat. It wasn't
going to take on "depth" and shine until the clear
finish is applied, and only after a number of coats.
I'm getting a
little more psyched, but cautious. This had to look right.
After months of sanding, and making a complete mess of
everything I owned, this simply had to look just perfectly.
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| Taking a
break... |
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Notice the
dust-covered sweatshirt?
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