Transom Preservative: Mineral Spirits vs. Turpentine

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Johnny

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I just received my new book from Amazon, “BRIGHT WORK - The Art of Finishing Wood”
by Rebecca J. Whitman and found this little bit of new information that may be of interest
for those that like to expand their knowledge in the boating world.
Mineral spirits has been the popular thinner for paints and varnishes for
most of us common folk because that is what is suggested on the product.
Here is a short excerpt from this book.
" TURPENTINE: Derived from the Long Leaf Pine, has a particularly interesting characteristic
as a preservative and antiseptic which it shares with the Oil of Clove, Juniper and other oils
of the same class.
As such, it is also a great preventer of mold and mildew, and will even destroy such growths
in the pores of some woods
.”
It goes on to say how Petroleum Thinners, including Mineral Spirits, Benzine and Naptha
are replacing the age old Turpentine as a thinner in the modern paints and varnishes that
are also derived from distilled petroleum. So with this compatibility between the two,
is why we see on the label of paints and varnishes to use Mineral Spirits as the common thinner.

My line of thought is this: Since Pure Gum Turpentine has the natural ability as an antiseptic,
mold and mildew killer, shouldn’t we be using that instead of the mineral spirits in the so-called
“Old Timers Formula” ?? Personally, I am changing my recommendation of Turps over Spirits.

Your Thoughts are Solicited - - - - - - - -

WaterProofing Formula.jpg




.
 
We SignMakers have used a number of solvents for different applications:
mineral spirits is the most common for lettering enamels under normal conditions.
extreme cold - lacquer thinner will help the paint dry and cure quicker.
hot weather - turpentine and naptha dries slower than mineral spirits giving a better flow.
extreme hot - a few drops of kerosene in the turpentine helps slow the drying process.

after a few decades in the business, we are called "mixologists" and can
adapt to just about any environmental conditions for a favorable outcome.
I have been in the painting industry for several decades and have never heard
of the name "Old Timers Formula" ...... but, we have used that technique on plywood
signs for ever. I just never tied two-and-two together of the mold/mildew killing property
of turpentine until now . . . . it does make sense.
I remember as a young kid, my grandmother would pour kerosene or turpentine over
our cuts, scrapes, rashes, etc. I think that today, it is called child abuse LOL.

so remember - if you use Pure Gum Turpentine over mineral spirits, it will take a bit longer to dry and cure.
but - it seeps deeper into the wood fibers - which is a good thing.
then, several coats of your paint or varnish provides the real protection.
(and the so-called "odorless" artist's Turpentine is steam distilled and modified to elimate the smell.
this is used by little old ladies painting their little old pictures.
 
So Johnny:

Do I gather that all it takes is one coat of the (new) oldtimers formula, followed by paint or spar varnish and you are GTG? I used the turpentine version of the formula.

Reason I ask Is I just laid the first coat down on plywood parts for two different boats (floors, transoms, motor mounts, etc.) , and once it dries a decision has to be made as to whether to add more coat(s) or just proceed to the paint or varnish from here.

Thanks in advance!
 

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My Grandpop would dump terpintine on my cuts and scrapes. Here in AZ it's so hot and dry that standard formulas dry too fast. If using a water based product I spray surfaces with water before I apply. If oil based I paint a coat of old motor oil on first. It makes a nice stain as well to block UV. Spray cleaners like purple stuff all must get diluted 50% or they dry before you can wipe. I learned all this from a house painter. He said the longest lasting latex house paint lasts when you applied it on a rainy day. Let's it soak in. Pre treating your wood with a coat of spirits or oil would do the same thing. It's always been my understanding that turpinetine, min spirits and paint thinner are all the same thing in practical use. The thing to watch out for is anything "low odor" anything that says "water clean up" or any products sold as "Green Enviromentally Safe". Those products do not work. Y'all probably know that but watch out for the low odor mineral spirits. It sucks and costs more. Look on bottom shelf for the good stuff.
 
Stump - wow - that is a LOT of very conflicting and controversial information !!!
in my 60 years of painting just about everything, I have NEVER heard of used motor oil having ANY UV blockers.
[and WHY?? motor oil never sees the light of day except for the two minutes it takes to pour it into your motor].
all of your statements have nothing to do with the above question - of preserving and painting plywood.
if you want to debate motor oil, purple stuff, and all the other "treatments" you mentioned,
please open a new thread and I'm sure you will develop a lot of opinions one way or the other.
you said you learned all this stuff "from" a house painter - - - I don't think I want that gentleman anywhere near my home !!



now - SMF: It is good that you took the time to apply at least one coat of the preservative.
there are very few exterior products on the market that will let you get away with one coat and go.
in my world, I like two coats of thinned product as the primer followed by at least two or three coats of properly thinned product.
either paint or varnish. Raw wood is not protected by one coat of anything alone then forget it.
it is a maintenance item. at least one thin coat every year will keep your painted/varnished projects
safe from the elements until the next year.
I have written several articles for this forum concerning primers and paints. I have been published in several
periodicals pertaining to art, woodcarving, woodworking, wooden boats, dimensional signs, home maintenance, automobiles,
and the list goes from a 1960 Chris-Craft cruiser to US Navy Destroyer to a US Navy F-105 jet fighter.
yes, of course, techniques have changed, paint and primers have been adulterated by the EPA and as much as I try
to keep up with changing times, it is hard to stay on top of the things that work well for folks like us,
just the average blue collar guy.
Thank you for your time to ask..... if you are confused about anything, please send me a PM or email and I will help you as much as you need.

p.s. please don't put used motor oil on anything in your boat !!
application.jpg

Read, Understand and Follow the instructions on the label of all products you use.
Pay particular attention to the safety notes and heed the warnings accordingly.
any rags used in the prepping/painting process that have solvents, oils or paint on them,
should be laid out in the open to completely air dry prior to discarding them





,
 
Thanks. I've put the second coat of the OTF (Old Timers Formula) down, applying liberally. Next is let them dry thoroughly. Then to glue the transom boards together to get the right thickness, bolt the new transom on, and dig out the paint!
 
SmallmouthFool said:
Thanks. I've put the second coat of the OTF (Old Timers Formula) down, applying liberally. Next is let them dry thoroughly. Then to glue the transom boards together to get the right thickness, bolt the new transom on, and dig out the paint!
You should glue the plywood together before applying the old timers formula.
 
Johnny said:
Stump - wow - that is a LOT of very conflicting and controversial information !!!
in my 60 years of painting just about everything, I have NEVER heard of used motor oil having ANY UV blockers.
[and WHY?? motor oil never sees the light of day except for the two minutes it takes to pour it into your motor].
all of your statements have nothing to do with the above question - of preserving and painting plywood.
if you want to debate motor oil, purple stuff, and all the other "treatments" you mentioned,
please open a new thread and I'm sure you will develop a lot of opinions one way or the other.
you said you learned all this stuff "from" a house painter - - - I don't think I want that gentleman anywhere near my home !!



now - SMF: It is good that you took the time to apply at least one coat of the preservative.
there are very few exterior products on the market that will let you get away with one coat and go.
in my world, I like two coats of thinned product as the primer followed by at least two or three coats of properly thinned product.
either paint or varnish. Raw wood is not protected by one coat of anything alone then forget it.
it is a maintenance item. at least one thin coat every year will keep your painted/varnished projects
safe from the elements until the next year.
I have written several articles for this forum concerning primers and paints. I have been published in several
periodicals pertaining to art, woodcarving, woodworking, wooden boats, dimensional signs, home maintenance, automobiles,
and the list goes from a 1960 Chris-Craft cruiser to US Navy Destroyer to a US Navy F-105 jet fighter.
yes, of course, techniques have changed, paint and primers have been adulterated by the EPA and as much as I try
to keep up with changing times, it is hard to stay on top of the things that work well for folks like us,
just the average blue collar guy.
Thank you for your time to ask..... if you are confused about anything, please send me a PM or email and I will help you as much as you need.

p.s. please don't put used motor oil on anything in your boat !!


Read, Understand and Follow the instructions on the label of all products you use.
Pay particular attention to the safety notes and heed the warnings accordingly.
any rags used in the prepping/painting process that have solvents, oils or paint on them,
should be laid out in the open to completely air dry prior to discarding them





,

The best UV for wood is paint. It blocks the light. Next best is stain. It blocks the light. The very best for wood with oil based finish is used motor oil. It blocks light like a stain and allows the oil based product to seep into the wood deeper. The oil carries the oil based coating deeper into the grain and makes a varnish job a lifetime coating. But then again every forum needs the self appointed posting police. Did you come from Iboats? I used the latex as an example because any idiot that has painted knows that and the same exact trick applies to oil based finished but you didn't know that either.
 
well, since I am the original poster, I will say "thank you" for your insight and contribution.
and yes, I do belong to i-boats, the hull truth, wooden boat, fiberglassics, fine woodworking,
the antique outboard motor club and several woodcarving and art sites as well.
also, I am a contributor to https://www.paintingforpainters.com. you might want to check it out.

hope you have a nice day
Johnny

oh, BTW Stump, I was not rejecting your method of motor oil stain in general - - - just on our tin boats, as this is the forum.
I am familiar with the "Uncle Larry's Stain" and "Maine Stain" process but have never used it, never seen it used,
and I do not endorse it because used motor oil has a TON of heavy metals, unburned carbons and other toxic
contaminants from all the fuel burned in the motor. (that is why your oil is black after 5,000 miles).
it may be fine for wood fences, decks, and country barns, but I would not want to trust my health on a cheap
mix when the commercial products (more-or-less) are looking out for our safety. (thanks to EPA).
also, for a wood floor in a tin boat, I doubt very seriously you can find an adhesive that will stick to motor oil or oil stain.
if you want to expand your knowledge of coatings and preservatives, drop by the WoodenBoat.com site and
read about some of the crazy stuff those guys come up with to put on their 100 year old wood boats !!!


.
 
Johnny said:
well, since I am the original poster, I will say "thank you" for your insight and contribution.
and yes, I do belong to i-boats, the hull truth, wooden boat, fiberglassics, fine woodworking,
the antique outboard motor club and several woodcarving and art sites as well.
also, I am a contributor to https://www.paintingforpainters.com. you might want to check it out.

hope you have a nice day
Johnny

oh, BTW Stump, I was not rejecting your method of motor oil stain in general - - - just on our tin boats, as this is the forum.
I am familiar with the "Uncle Larry's Stain" and "Maine Stain" process but have never used it, never seen it used,
and I do not endorse it because used motor oil has a TON of heavy metals, unburned carbons and other toxic
contaminants from all the fuel burned in the motor. (that is why your oil is black after 5,000 miles).
it may be fine for wood fences, decks, and country barns, but I would not want to trust my health on a cheap
mix when the commercial products (more-or-less) are looking out for our safety. (thanks to EPA).
also, for a wood floor in a tin boat, I doubt very seriously you can find an adhesive that will stick to motor oil or oil stain.
if you want to expand your knowledge of coatings and preservatives, drop by the WoodenBoat.com site and
read about some of the crazy stuff those guys come up with to put on their 100 year old wood boats !!!


.

Turpentine is a very old product but made like a biofuel. It's made from trees not oil so it biodegrades faster. Remember as kids varnishing dads boat every other year? Now we have poly and stuff but I think turp biodegrading was part of the problem. I like your turpentine rot killing thinking and bet if your trying to save an old piece for one last "hooray" then it may be the best choice. Paint thinner is just a cheap solvent. Use it the wipe stuff down and clean brushes. Yes it's basically the same stuff but mineral spirits is better refined premium version. It's consistent from jug to jug so it's what you mix or thin paint with. Twisted yes. Clean with thinner and mix with spirits. The most important thing no matter what you buy and they all work ok is to stay away from low oder mineral spirits or paint thinner. It has dry cleaning fluid in it. That fluid breaks down the good oil that carries the paint or varnish. It turns paint to mud and it won't penetrate. It drys and cracks your brushes. It also kills your lungs, throat and throbs your head. I guess in an apartment building your neighbors may not complain but your body and your paint job will if you use it.
Too bad the mention of used motor oil for anything gets cut off at the knees. It's free oil. Free for me jumps it up on the list when it comes to a viable product.
 
Hi All,
I just got done restoring an old victorian house. I reglazed all of the original wood windows and used a 50/50 combo of Boiled Linseed Oil & Turpentine on the wood after I had finished removing the old paint and light sanding. This re-saturated the wood with oil prior to priming with oil-based primer and top-coat of enamel. Worked really well! It prevents the dry oil from sucking up the oil from the new paint and really improves adhesion.
 
None of it is going to prevent rot after a long time. If you really want to prevent rot, Use epoxy. Thin it out the first couple coats and let it soak in. At least it will turn the wood to plastic. BLO is a good penetrator, but it has to reapplied over and over again. Who wants to do that every year.

Stop using sub par wood and use the right finish and you will be not having to replace the wood after 5 years. I use reel marine grade meranti and epoxy and have never had a problem. It is also lighter than the junk Menards and Home Depot wood.
 
Johnny said:
WHY?? motor oil never sees the light of day except for the two minutes it takes to pour it into your motor].


Dunno there... V twins, love em or hate em the oil in some of my friend's motorcycles see a LOT of daylight :) they just keep the oil change pan under them, swab it out from time to time and re-fill the oil and you're GTG!
 

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