TECH TIPS PAGE TWENTY FOUR

How to Clean-up Old Wood

This comes from Warren Stevens, one of Roger's Rangers from Connecticut. He used this formula to clean up an old battaux.

For cleaning up old and dark wood:
1. I used a gallon pail with 2/3 to 3/4 of steaming hot water with 1/3 to 1/4 of Clorax bleach mixed in.
2. Then add some sort of heavy duty or industrial cleaned and mix thoroughly. Wear gloves and eye protection.
3. Scrub with a long handled bristle brush. Bleach is actually a mild acid and will clean / etch old dirty or discolored wood to new condition.
4. Rinse with cold water for a few minutes when done to wash off and neutralize the bleach.
5. Let dry a week to 10 days or a little longer.
6. This process will slightly raise the wood grain so you might have to rub with fine or extra fine steel wool. Since steel wool is treated with oil so it won't rust I wipe the wood down with and alcohol rag or that stuff called WILLBOND. You can get the WILLBOND at a Home Depot or hardware store.
7. I then used a marine adhesive / caulk called Sika Flex. It comes in a variety of colors but I used a black / flat black to simulate tar / pitch pine. It comes in standard caulk tube sizes. Looks like tar when dry but does not run, stick etc. It is dry.
8. Then I used a Cuprinol stain. This is also the standard wood preservative available at hardware stores. They have a variety of colors. It dries darker than it looks in the can but I would experiment on a scrap piece. This is an oil/wax type of preservative that brushes on like water. You do not have to scrape it ever. Just apply another coat. Hope all this helps.
Warren

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