Refit – Tiller Part II

To make sure the epoxy sticks properly, I rubbed the tiller with leach agent. A small but apparently very important step, especially with oily wood like teak.

I have a bet running with Gregor from Biehlmarin. A case of beer is at stake. If the tiller still looks good after 3 years, the bear is all mine.

Teak is used for boat building because of it’s naturally high content of oil. If you rub it with alcohol, you can see the teak oiling instantly. An angle in natural protection but devilish if you want anything to stick to it permanently.

The Leach Agent SE-1 removes the oil from the teak, without triggering the teak to oil. However, the main purpose is to remove the teak-oil that was applied by the factory to conserve it.

I rubbed the parts generously applying the leach agent. This took around 30 minutes. Afterwards washed the them with tepid water, wiped it with cloth and put it back for drying! You can easily see the difference the leach agent made.

Note: wear gloves! It’ll take loads of lotion + some days to get my hands back in shape.

Next step … Epoxy!

In Beer-Germany, you rather not lose such a bet 😉