Project Log: Saturday, April 2, 2011
Projects of this nature are full of small jobs that have
seemingly insignificant (or no) bearing on the
final outcome at the time it's required to complete
them. And so it was with the minor work I
completed on the caprail on this day--minor chores that
didn't bring the vessel noticeably closer to completion,
but were required nonetheless. If nothing else,
however, such levels of work help maintain the critical
momentum of the project.
When I reinstalled the caprail in January, I allowed
excess sealant to ooze from beneath the rail, and then
left that excess strictly alone while the product cured
to allow for easier cleanup; at wintertime shop
temperatures and humidity levels (low temp, low
humidity), this required several weeks for full cure.
Cleanup time was now, and although I'd knowingly
postponed the job several times, in the end it took only
about 15 minutes to remove the excess, cured beads of
sealant from along the inside edges of the
caprail-bulwark juncture with a little putty knife and
finger pressure. The outside remained to be done
later, at some other time when I had some staging set
up.
Afterwards, I cut a few dozen 1/2" teak bungs, then went
around and installed them in the caprails as needed,
filling all the counterbored holes containing the
caprail fasteners. |
