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Little tips and tricks that can help us all out

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Created by ChopesBro > 9 months ago, 7 Feb 2021
ChopesBro
350 posts
7 Feb 2021 6:44PM
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Nail polish remover will clean your hands after using fibreglass resins.

fibreglass resin will stop a windshield bullseye from cracking if applied as a drop at centre of said bullseye.

Nappies are fantastic at cleaning/ soaking up fuel and oil spills.
anyone else got a trick or tip to share?

Crusoe
QLD, 1192 posts
9 Feb 2021 5:24AM
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Here's a website with lots of helpful information for boat owners.
marinehowto.com

Kay1982
NSW, 274 posts
9 Feb 2021 7:09AM
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Great idea for a thread mate- btw you can get 50pk of nappies at aldi for $10.

My tip: after you have checked everything else, if your two stroke outboard still wont start put throttle all the way off and choke on for two pulls then throttle all the way open choke off.

Works 80 percent of the time a 100 percent of the time.

saintpeter
VIC, 122 posts
9 Feb 2021 10:52PM
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Select to expand quote
awkward customer said..
My tip: after you have checked everything else, if your two stroke outboard still wont start put throttle all the way off and choke on for two pulls then throttle all the way open choke off.

Works 80 percent of the time a 100 percent of the time.



Or just use a squirt of STARTYABASTARD.

And nail polish remover is just acetone, so buy a litre and you are done.

slammin
QLD, 989 posts
10 Feb 2021 5:37AM
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Select to expand quote
saintpeter said..

awkward customer said..
My tip: after you have checked everything else, if your two stroke outboard still wont start put throttle all the way off and choke on for two pulls then throttle all the way open choke off.

Works 80 percent of the time a 100 percent of the time.




Or just use a squirt of STARTYABASTARD.

And nail polish remover is just acetone, so buy a litre and you are done.


Nail polish remover is no longer acetone.

MEGAMAX
WA, 83 posts
10 Feb 2021 8:52AM
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My shipwright (yes I have one, at reasonable rates!) uses Metho to clean up boatcote epoxy. Works very well. Much less toxic than acetone?

Microbe
WA, 166 posts
10 Feb 2021 1:32PM
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I have found vinegar to work very well in cleaning epoxy off my hands (if it manages to get past the gloves). It might be safer for the skin than acetone or nail polish remover. However, it has the unfortunate side effect of making you want to eat fish and chips.

Ramona
NSW, 7400 posts
10 Feb 2021 6:56PM
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MEGAMAX said..
My shipwright (yes I have one, at reasonable rates!) uses Metho to clean up boatcote epoxy. Works very well. Much less toxic than acetone?


I use metho to clean my hands and brushes with non boatcote epoxy. Apparently baby wipes are good to clean off epoxy on hands but I have not tried it.

What I would be curious to is to what cleans Selleys Durobond off ones hands?

r13
NSW, 1426 posts
10 Feb 2021 7:42PM
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Have had good use of isopropyl alcohol as a cleaner before epoxy gluing. More expensive than metho so only use in cleaning joints before gluing.

www.sydneysolvents.com.au/isopropyl-alcohol-100-rubbing-alcohol

Glendale are the most cost effective.

www.premiumcarcare.com.au/product/glendale-isopropyl-alcohol-100-glass-and-window-cleaner-1l-1219/

For Selleys Durabond uncured product can be removed with acetone or turps as per here;

www.selleys.com.au/media/0adfzbys/selleys-aquadhere-durabond.pdf

www.selleys.com.au/products/adhesives/woodworking-adhesives/selleys-aquadhere-durabond/

Ramona
NSW, 7400 posts
11 Feb 2021 8:27AM
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The problem with Durobond is when it gets on your skin and it's not noticed till it's too late. Dried epoxy is easy to get off but that Durobond is tough stuff!

r13
NSW, 1426 posts
11 Feb 2021 4:50PM
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You were going to do some trial joint samples using Durabond and epoxy and load them up to assess the difference - are these results available? thanks.

r13
NSW, 1426 posts
11 Feb 2021 5:54PM
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Found this including the many other links within it, which probably answers everything anyone ever wanted to know about timber glued joint strengths.............

www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/the-great-glue-test-wood-by-wright/

Ramona
NSW, 7400 posts
11 Feb 2021 6:05PM
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Select to expand quote
r13 said..
You were going to do some trial joint samples using Durabond and epoxy and load them up to assess the difference - are these results available? thanks.


Yes, I did that last week. Three samples using the same size bits of 8mm 7 ply birchwood marine ply. This is a hardwood plywood which is heavy and strong! I glued them to the same piece of ply. First was with Selleys outdoor PVC. Second was Selleys Durobond and the last was epoxy glue made with fumed silica. I left them for 48 hours so the epoxy would be at maximum strength. I bolted the main ply in a vice and levered the tabs off. All were extremely hard to break and all of them tore out the first layer of the ply leaving just the glue line of Recorcinal Formaldehyde. So they were all stronger than the plywoods glue. The durobond foamed out and I did not clean that off before I broke the piece off and there were sections where the second layer was ripped off because of this. I would say that the Durobond was probably the strongest but it would be a tough call.
About 2 months ago I glued a piece of pine to a piece of exterior ply using Selleys exterior glue[water resistant] and another piece using Durobond[water proof] and left this in a bucket of water. The lot sank after about a month but both bits are holding well.

r13
NSW, 1426 posts
11 Feb 2021 6:08PM
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Ok great information, thanks for the time and effort behind it.

crustysailor
VIC, 869 posts
12 Feb 2021 12:46PM
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if you've been using body filler or any type, clean up your spreader after with some wd40.
Does an amazing job.

1mm cutting wheels
flap disks.

oh, and Ramonas previous link for smith and arrow.
Great supplier of velco sanding pads, masking takes and disks

sirgallivant
NSW, 1529 posts
12 Feb 2021 1:53PM
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One should not underestimate the might of the venerable WD40 either!

There are other 'magic' things around like the already mentioned vinegar.

Another one is petroleum jelly. One who covers one's hand with vaseline before starting a 'dirty job' does well for his skin!

Olive oil is a seldom mentioned powerful cleaning agent.

Borax has it's uses in the house as well as on the boat.
So is baking powder or just bicarbonated soda.


Wander66
QLD, 294 posts
16 Feb 2021 11:15AM
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When stripping back my hull last year there were several spots I couldn't get into with the sander and hand sanding wasn't fun. So I tried epoxy solvent, with a good soaking on a rag and a couple of minutes to absorb all or the layers of antifoul just wiped off. Wouldn't recommend it for large areas but for those tight spots it works well. Also be super careful with handling use chemical safe gloves etc.




wongaga
VIC, 599 posts
16 Feb 2021 3:18PM
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Apply SPF sunscreen to your hands before working on your oily greasy engine. It's far less gooey and a fraction of the price of the real stuff, you'll always have some there when you need it, and it works a treat.

MichaelR
NSW, 851 posts
18 Feb 2021 1:36PM
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Vinegar for cleaning off the dreaded black mold. It actually kills the spores, rather than bleach products which don't.

It's actually good for most cleaning jobs.

Wax and Grease remover helps remove silicone residue if you have to remove silicone sealant and replace it with a substance that actually works, or to paint over.

Achernar
QLD, 369 posts
20 Feb 2021 5:39PM
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This is going to sound all base about apex, but ...

Deisel fuel is good for cleaning up muck from Diesel engines.

Use a rag that has been damped with some clean diesel fuel to wipe off the never-ending black goo and smudges that seem to crawl out of your engine compartment and onto the cabin sole (floor). Its safer than acetone.

Bananabender
QLD, 1538 posts
20 Feb 2021 7:06PM
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For cleaning grease / oil off metal or wood leaving no residue Naphtha is a great product. It evaporates quickly and at worse may leave a a very light cloudy film that can be wiped off . Prior to ultrasonic cleaners watchmakers used it to clean the insides of mechanical watches ,wheels , jewels , springs etc, of all old greases and oils (many amateur watch restorers still do). Dry cleaners also used it to remove stains .
It is sold in the green shed by diggers as Shellite.
Warning : highly flammable until it evaporates.

2bish
TAS, 805 posts
21 Feb 2021 12:19AM
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Handy thread! What do you guys recommend for sail cleaning (particularly a laminate sail)?

saltiest1
NSW, 2475 posts
21 Feb 2021 6:57PM
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Wooden chicken satay skewers. Just that size for random poking, a mast pin for sails, temporary pins and disposable over the side as they're just wood.

saltiest1
NSW, 2475 posts
21 Feb 2021 6:57PM
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Wooden chicken satay skewers. Just that size for random poking, a mast pin for sails, temporary pins and disposable over the side as they're just wood.

Craig66
NSW, 2435 posts
21 Feb 2021 7:46PM
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graphite powder

Never WD a padlock (advice from my father about 30 years ago)

Azure305
NSW, 393 posts
21 Feb 2021 10:24PM
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Craig66 said..
graphite powder

Never WD a padlock (advice from my father about 30 years ago)


Same with lots of other small moving/geared parts - keep a soft lead pencil (3B or softer) in the nav table or other suitable place. Grinding the tip into where its needed gives a similar result. (hinges, drawer runners etc)
Handy for writing with too, Im told

ChopesBro
350 posts
24 Feb 2021 11:05PM
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As I tend to buy new outboards and keep them forever ( last purchase was in 2006, still going fine). I have learned to look after the stickers.

A padded outboard cover is clearly best but unfortunately mine often seem to go to a home that needed it more than I ( stolen).

so to save the expensive cost of new stickers and they are pricey !! Every time the old ones look tattered and peeling I trim them back with a sharp knife to where they are still solidly stuck down than run superglue around the new edge.

it's cheap and easy and if you do it a few times a year keeps the stickers looking good / delays the peeling age factor.



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"Little tips and tricks that can help us all out" started by ChopesBro