Sunday, August 1, 2010

4th post of restoration project

Well, I still have to put 2 more floor joists in but that'll come in a couple of weeks. I sprayed the inside of the bow and the floor with Elastomeric paint.  The paint expands and moves with the boat instead of cracking.  I primed the inside sides with an oil based primer and will spray the inside tan a little later.

I have FINALLY scraped and cleaned the steering wheel (I think the hardest part of the project so far), primed it and painted it an Almond gloss.

Now for the part I really enjoyed and am very proud of.  As you can see in the pics, the steering column had a very heavy chrome cover over it.  No only was it scratched but also painted on and anything I did to it just scratched it more.  It is very tough so I had to get tin snips and channel locks to rip it off.  Then the fun part, really...I enjoyed it...

I took little strips of  dark walnut and cut them in customized triangle strips, beveled the edges and glued them on one by one like a custom puzzle until I worked my way all the way around.  I sanded very carefully until it was smooth all around and all the edges fit together.  I double coated the inside with Gorilla Wood glue and specialized super glue.

Once smooth, I stained the wood steering column cover and added several coats of lacquer for a nice sheen. I think it's going to look so cool sitting up against the cherry wood dash board!

I've also got the first bow rib up and in place.

Calm Seas,
Dan

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