Accidental contamination of wood. | SouthernPaddler.com

Accidental contamination of wood.

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crkdltr

Well-Known Member
Mar 3, 2009
114
0
Well, I messed up a spot on my TV build. I was adding motor oil to the lawn mower and not thinking about a little drip on the edge of the bottle I set it on the bow of my TV. I have not fiber glassed it yet. So now I have a spot on non-critical part of the boat where motor oil seeped in and is now the size of about a silver dollar. So will I have to cut this contamination out and splice in a non-contaminated piece of wood or would I do ok to sand and rub some kind of chemical on it and then glass over it?
 
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Jimmy W

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2006
611
1
north georgia, USA
I haven't ever tried it, but I would try cleaning the area with a solvent like acetone. Then maybe try a good cleaner/degreaser. After that dries, try a saturation coat of epoxy on the area and see if it sticks. Watch out for the acetone and keep it away from any flames and in a ventilated area.
 
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seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
dunno what kind of plywood you're using but the oil probably didn't penetrate past the face ply, so inlaying or just backfilling is a good possibility

on the other hand, it'll likely mostly clean but will remain discolored - no problem if you intend to paint

put some oil spots on some scrap plywood and test whatever technique you like before trying it on the good panel
 
G

gbinga

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2008
736
2
Hoschton, GA
seedtick said:
put some oil spots on some scrap plywood and test whatever technique you like before trying it on the good panel
Click to expand...

That's sensible advice.

I'd be awfully surprised if you couldn't correct this problem with some acetone. If you give it a good rinse with some solvent and allow plenty time to dry (which won't be long with acetone), it should be fine.

Another thing you could do if you want to go all-out is to scrub the spot with a paste made of laundry detergent and a bit of water. Suds it up and let it sit for a while (like an hour or two), and then rinse it off with plenty of water, working it with a scrub brush while you rinse. I've got some nasty oil stains out of my driveway like that.

The natural reaction with an oil stain is to go after it with solvent, but soap and water will do anything the solvent will if you are patient.

George
 
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