Building the Lazarette Hatch (Pt 4)

September 23, 2019

I wanted to keep things moving forward with the restoration, at least touching a bit everyday, barring any required travel.  So I grabbed the lazarette hatch to trim the excess material from patch that was protruding from the profile.  With the router and a flush cut bit, I trimmed the nearly all the excess away, leaving only a small amount that the round over bit would trim flush.

With the flush cutting bit having its pass, I replaced it with the round over and made another pass.  The repair was successful, and at least would add a bit of character to the aft hatch.

With a bit of hand sanding to blend the repair in, I called it successful.  I returned the tools and the hatch to the shop to prep for the sealer coat of Epifanes varnish.

I thoroughly wiped the surface with a rag and acetone to clear the surface of any remaining sanding residue.  I then prepared a small cup of varnish and thinner at a 1:1 ratio.  The highly thinned varnish penetrates deeply into the grain, serving to protect the wood along with the subsequent rounds of varnish.  Those subsequent rounds of varnish will be thinned only by 20% to 30%.

A picture of the starboard side of the hatch, with repaired area visible, but only slightly.  In the background, the forward hatch is just visible, and shows itself in a much darker hue of teak.  These natural materials are beautiful in their own right.

Total Time Today:  1 hr