Cabin Interior... teak?

[thomeng55]

Hi... the Prior Owner splashed something caustic on the interior woodwork of my CP27.  Possibly alcohol from the stove or some kind of cleaning solution based on the location.  It let small eraser size almost white spots on the woodwork.  Up close you and see and feel that whatever it was ate through a fine outer layer of the work.  I scrubbed the spots and on one drawer face and got rid of most of it, but a little still is visible (especially since I know it was there).

But... when I was cleaning in a lot of reddish brownish "stuff" came off on the cleaning pad and the door front was MANY shade lighter than the rest of the cabin.  I tried a few coats of oil and it is still a lot lighter.

That made me wander a couple of things. 

1) Is the interior woodwork teak, or some other work?
2) If its teak, how do they get that darker color?  Could they possibly stain it or something?

If anyone knows the answer, please share.  I have a lot of reworking the interior (its not bad, just 22 years old and needs a bit of TLC) this winter.

Thanks in advance

Thom
SV TomCat
CP27

[deisher6]

Hey Thom:
All the interior wood on our "86 is solid teak or teak plywood. 

Interesting problem, usually any kind of teak oil makes the wood darker.  Sounds as if bleach may have been the original culprit.  I would think on a solid drawer front that you could sand it down and oil it and eventually it would darken to match.  Generally I am just happy when the interior teak is not growing mold!  I use Old English Furniture oil and a lighter spray type of polish Golden something whose name escapes me just now.

regards charlie

[Tney88]

you could contact Gerry Hutchins, I'm pretty sure he'd tell you what the wood and finish was at that time.

[crazycarl]

it should be teak.

ALL wood darkens with age, unless left in the sun to have it's color bleached out.

teak, when new, has a med color and a waxy/oily feel to it.

there are many teak rejuvenating products available, but sanding, although messy, will produce the same , if not better results.

if you leave the drawer alone, it will eventually darken to the point of the other teak in the cabin. oiling it with teak oil will darken it sooner, but will prevent it from darkening more. 

call hutchins and ask what, if any, finish was applied to the interior teak. 

there are many options.  boiled linseed oil, teak oil, polyurethane (i don't recommend/shows dents/scratches and needs sanding before re-coating, and my personal favorite, tung oil.

teak oil needs to soak in.  if the wood has a hard finish, you cannot use it.  teak oil also remains "moist" for a long period.

boiled linseed oil will soak into bare wood, penetrating the pores before drying to a semi-hard surface.  however, "boiled" linseed oil (not really boiled these days) is toxic because of the additives used instead of taking the time to actually boil the oil.

raw linseed oil works the same as "boiled", but takes longer to dry and is non-toxic.  it is actually flax seed oil.

tung oil will dry overnight, is best applied with a cotton cloth and rubbed in by hand.  additional coats may be applied without sanding between, and is what most fine furniture manufacturers have used for many, many years.

another attribute of tung oil, if a dent or scratch appears, one can just apply more tung oil and the area looks "antique-y" rather than abused.

i have a good stash of teak, teak veneer, and teak plywood that was purchased new 4 years ago.  i washed it with acetone to remove the natural oils, and stored it in an area of my shop.  looking at it today, it will be at least a couple more years before it naturally darkens to the point of the 31 year old teak in the cabin.

c.c.

[thomeng55]

Thanks for all the comments.  I contact Gerry (such a great and helpful person)  The interior is all teak or teak plywood with some oil applied. He agreed with Carl about the darkening with age plus, once I took a pic to send to him, I noticed the hand "oil and dirt" location of most of the darker wood.

I attached a pic of the situation.  The top drawer was cleaned with homemade Sudsy Vinegar (which works great) although it did not completely remove the "spots... look close by the finger hole.  I also applied 2 coats of teak oil and it was really sucked up rapidly by the wood.  You can also see the "spots" I am dealing with.  They are stubborn.



Thanks again