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Project Log:  Friday, February 7, 2014

After chiseling away the excess bungs, I used a router and a 1/2" rounding bit to ease the outer edges of the pair of running light boards--just those that would later be varnished.  Then, I sanded the pieces smooth through all the grits, removing tool marks and preparing the surfaces for paint and varnish.  In areas to receive paint, or at the transitions between paint and varnish, I sanded modest rounded corners at the edges, which small roundovers would make it easier to demark the two areas while still avoiding a sharp edge.

          

         


I masked off the areas to be painted, keeping the tape just shy of the sanded roundovers.

    

Then, I applied a sealer coat of varnish to the remaining areas, the first of many.

    

The four round deadlights from the hull in the forward cabin, which I'd removed long ago at the beginning of the project, required some work before I could reinstall them.  During the green paint job under previous ownership, these frames had been painted with Awlgrip, and this had to go, not only because the color was wrong, but also because the paint had chipped out when I removed the fasteners, which had also been painted in.  The inner trim rings, which were chromed bronze, were in acceptable condition and would require a little cleaning and polishing.


The deadlights were bronze (chromed), and I hoped to leave them natural.  So with coarse sandpaper on my sander, I removed the previous coating system, eventually reaching the old pitted chrome and, beneath that, the original bronze.  Once I'd removed the old coating and plating, I sanded the bare metal to 120 grit, and scraped away vestiges of paint from the narrow edge between the glass and the flange. For now, I set these aside while I debated whether to leave the metal natural or treat it with a clear coating to maintain the current appearance.


Much earlier during the project, on the advice of a friend, I'd purchased an older Ideal windlass model CWM, a horizontal electric windlass sturdily constructed of bronze and of simple design and renowned durability.  The windlass was complete with a fiberglass cover in excellent condition, plus two bronze foot switches.  This old windlass appealed to be because of its bronze constriction, simple design, ease of maintenance, and the reputation of the manufacturer.  There was good documentation available online about these windlasses, their repair, and maintenance thereof, and all replacement parts were still available.

         



         


Because it was an old model, the electric motor was non-reversing, meaning the only way to drop anchor or let out scope would be to release the brake and allow gravity to run its course.  Newer windlasses feature a reversing motor that allows mechanical backing out of the chain, a feature that I wanted.  Fortunately, this change would be as easy as swapping out the motor for a new one designed for reverse operation.

Removing the old motor was easy, a matter of removing three screws after first draining the gear oil within.

         


Once I removed the motor, I noticed a setscrew had also come out of the reservoir with some of the waste oil.  Upon further inspection, I found that this setscrew belonged on the horizontal shaft to hold it in position; I'd noticed earlier that the whole shaft, along with the capstain and wildcat, could move side to side by a half inch or so, clearly because this setscrew was missing (and its twin, on the other side of the shaft, was loose).  I replaced the setscrew and tightened both securely.

    

Afterwards, I cleaned out the reservoir, removed the remaining gasket material from the motor's mounting area, and performed basic maintenance on the windlass parts as documented online, cleaning up various friction surfaces around the wildcat and applying a little grease to the areas directed before reassembling the wildcat and putting the windlass aside while I waited to order the new motor and other parts required for its installation.

 

Total Time Today:  4.5 hours

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