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1956 Capri Deck Seam Caulk Removal

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motoryachtsoco
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1956 Capri Deck Seam Caulk Removal

Post by motoryachtsoco » Mon Sep 28, 2015 7:05 pm

What a knuckle buster!

The only way I've figured out how to remove the old deck seam caulk is with a heat gun and 3/32 screw driver then follow up with a Dremel 107 bit to clear out most of the residual. Then shop vac, folded 100 grit sand paper, shop vac again. It is a war of inches! The material in the seams for the most part is rock hard and firmly attached. In a few places it is brittle and pops right out. But that is the exception.

This is no ordinary caulk! Apparently in the 70's Durham's "water putty" was the go to product to fill these seams when refinishing was called for and it worked amazingly well. As long as you didnt need to remove it or mind the fact it yellows.
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George Emmanuel
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Re: 1956 Capri Deck Seam Caulk Removal

Post by George Emmanuel » Mon Sep 28, 2015 7:32 pm

I just finished removing the deck caulk from my 1955 Sportsman. I learned a bunch of new cuss words doing that! Especially when the dental tool I was using would pop out of the groove and leave a scratch on the deck.

There is a product called Un-Hesive that I bought that worked remarkably well in loosening the bond of the caulk. You spray it on the seams, wait about 20 minutes and then start the removal process. I used a dental tool to break the bonds on the sides and then would pull the caulk strip out. It really helped! Part of my issue may have been the previous restoration did not wait until multiple build up coats of varnish to install the caulk. In other words, I think it went on raw wood, and that aided the adhesion. Once I removed the caulk I used a sharpened scraper to remove the remaining caulk on the edges. Prior to all that I built and machined a base for my Makita panel saw that would use a cleaned caulk groove as a guide for the saw. I used 2 blades with a spacer between them to get a 1/8th cut. But the saw rotates upward against the wood and that causes chipping, so I scuttled that idea.

Per the company that makes the product, it does not affect the wood. But I did a thorough wash, then sanded before applying the stain and so far it seems fine. Google "Un-hesive" for a supplier.

It is not an easy task. I spoke to a well known restoration shop before starting the work and their suggestion was to scrap the idea and replace the decks.

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