Bob-ee-dazler

Sanding the mahogany panels

Oakley is having a facelift.
When we got him we didn’t pay too much attention to how Oakley looked from the outside. We just gave him a wash and brush up and splashed some filler in a few gaps. Since then we have had a bit of leakage and have been waiting for some good weather to have go a a ‘proper’ job. And waiting and waiting.
This weekend looked good so we made a start. Thanks to Derek and Maureen for their kitchen socket and Phil and Lisa for their extension leads and we ran a power supply to Oakley and cracked on with a brand new random orbital sander. Getting rid of old varnish is always a thankless task, and always takes longer than you think.

Next problem was what to finish our work in. We started on the side which has had some repairs in the past and 7 of Oakley’s lovely mahogany planks have been replaced by pine floorboards. These have proved tricky to match. We have tried a few different combinations of stain but have arrived at an antique pine followed by teak which looks fairly close. The mahogany has been brought to life with Danish Oil (or dog oil as Sandra calls it). First coats now done and Im waiting for some filler/sealant for some of the gaps, but we are very pleased with the results so far.

Final touches are adding deep brown gloss to the verticals and guttering.

Advertisement