ramifications and constipations about brightwork

feetup · Post by **feetup** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:22 pm

I was on my knees last night with a rubber block and 320 wet and dry blending back the 5th coat of urethane ready for the next when it suddenly dawned on me that I was getting a might carried away putting a Stienway piano finish on the sole of the head in a 25 foot production boat.
Using my usual engineer's logic combined with my tendancy to believe that there must be a good reason for the unreasonable things that I do I decided that it's my boat and I'll polish it as much and as often as I want. Then, as I am also prone to do I wondered if there was any one else out there who was as anal about shiny things as me.
Being part crow, and a quality control supervisor by trade, with a hobby of making musical instruments I find the lines get a bit blurry when it comes to utility vs. shiny. I wouldn't bother to put any finish on a teak deck or cockpit grating, but on select pieces of brightwork above and even more below decks I get a huge amount of satisfaction at rubbing and brushing a nicely grained piece of teak or mahogany till it glows like a Jaguar dash. I began to find humour in the fact that I have spent a lifetime learning techniques to improve the efficiency of such a mundane thing as wet sanding between coats.
All I want here is for someone to tell me that I am not completely crazy, at least about nice brightwork, or if not that to tell me that they are equally crazy or nearly so.
I must know, is nice brightwork a character flaw?

Feetup

Give generously, Epoxy CAN be cured.

Hirilondë · Post by **Hirilondë** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:12 pm

I took a perfectly good production sailboat with more than its share of exterior brightwork and threw away the fiberglass companionway slider and fore hatch and built new teak ones which I varnished also. I don't think I am qualified to comment on sanity. ;>)

jpmathieu · Post by **jpmathieu** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:37 pm

I just finished putting the 8th coat of polyurethane on the underside of the new cabin table.

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:28 pm

jpmathieu wrote:I just finished putting the 8th coat of polyurethane on the underside of the new cabin table.

That might be hard to beat! OTOH, why do I almost know someone here will?

MikeD · Post by **MikeD** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:23 pm

You guys should really post some pictures so we can ogle the bright work. Think of the satisfaction you'll get from all the compliments!

CharlieJ · Post by **CharlieJ** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:24 pm

Actually, varnishing the underside of a table isn't at all an bad idea. Fine furniture, particularly table tops, is often sprayed with roughly the same number of coats on the underside as on top. Keeps the moisture absorption uniform and can help prevent warping.

NOT talking about modern, new furniture here- but antiques.

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 7:14 am

Okay, that covers the first three or four coats....

CharlieJ · Post by **CharlieJ** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:52 am

big grin!!!

jpmathieu · Post by **jpmathieu** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 9:29 pm

You guys should really post some pictures so we can ogle the bright work. Think of the satisfaction you'll get from all the compliments!

Ok here's the bottom of the table with 8 coats of poly. Its getting a good sanding and two more coats this weekend. That should be enough.

for everyone interested its Birch 3/4 Ply, with a cherry edging, formica top