bwhip Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 I just took my Ravenswood off of the strongback. Now to oil the stringers and install the foot braces. The coaming is steam bent mahogany. It seemed like it would be the hardest thing to do, so I did it first--last summer. This photo shows the coaming clamped up on the bending jig with the steamer in the background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyshaklfurd Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Looks great! Nice work. What type of oil are you going to use on the frame? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhip Posted July 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 I'm using pure tung oil, thinned with mineral spirits, with some Japan drier added to speed up the cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Is the coaming one thick layer, or steamed, glued laminates? Just curious. Your frame is cool, but what about that snazzy outbuilding? And, gosh, what a spectacular place you live to paddle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhip Posted July 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 I have three laminates each for the coaming body and the lip--glued up with Tite Bond 3. I bought the mahogany as a piece of scrap from Edensaw Woods in Port Townsend, WA (I bought my Baltic birch there too). After I sliced it up, the interwebs informed me that mahogany doesn't steam bend. It worked OK, but I only have one coaming's worth of experience, so while mahogany doesn't work, it's the best I've ever tried. Edensaw had some "bending oak" in stock, and I might try that next time. That outbuilding is my blacksmithing shop, but lately it's where I store all the junk from my garage that was displaced by the Ravenswood build. I'll be paddling my Pygmy up at Lake Quinault this weekend. That is one beautiful place to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 No wood that has been dried will steam all that well, but if you soak it first, it will tend to absorb moisture and "take" the steam better. I've used a lot of ash, because we have some around here. Green wood will generally steam better, but really I think grain orientation matters more. I have steamed a lot of stuff in my life, a fair share of it ribs and coamings for kayaks and lapstrake pirogue/canoes. If I steam a coaming, though, I only do one piece for the hoop and one for the lip. Way easier... Your smithy shop is very cool. That whole part of the country is so darn beautiful. I got to spend a loooong time cruising an old vw camper down here from Bremerton a few years ago. We spent weeks finding stuff to fix on the van before we finally had to head south for real... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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