Bright finish questions

[Mark Gudschinsky]

Ok I went crazy and went out and bought a few great lumps of mahogany and have carved them into rafters and such.

So I have two questions:

What are some options for interior bright finishes?

And, Other than masking off, any good tricks to protect the bright work while the roof is attached and the cabin paint goes on?

[Barry Pyeatt]

Lay the roof panel in place. With a couple of helpers, screw the top down along the centerline and mark the rafter/stringer positions inside on the roof panel and then mask off those areas on the panel. Paint it and then install it. While it is drying, paint the inside cabin panels before you install the roof.

Derek did his that way and it worked out well for him. I should have done mine that way too. I did the hull side panels before attaching them.

[Pat Mellema]

Mark

I wish I would have followed Barreys nethod of finishing. I assembeled minr and masked it off.I did have some blead under the masking tape. I used recycled mahogany from an old boat that didn't have enoogh of the bottom left to salvage it . The old boat was built in 1949 and the only thing holding the keel on it was the fiberglass. I may build another boat like it as I liked the design of it. It was an open canoe type and looked like it would have been fun to sail.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Mark,

You asked about brite finish on interior parts. The exterior varathanes such as Flecto Diamond finish hold up quite well, especially on interior parts. It has good UV characteristics as well. Just remember that the first coat will always raise the grain and take the longest to dry. I wouldn't sand with anything finer than about 220 grit until you get to your last coat, and then use maybe 400 if you want that really smooth crystal look. After that they go rather quickly. Flow it on in thin coats and it will give you a beautiful non-yellowing finish.