Grinding away at the dead and crusty

Sunday was a good day for grinding more of the outside finish, and I found it goes faster the more you get the feel for the grinder in your hand.  I also learned to DRAG the grinder instead of pushing it.  You end up with fewer gouges that way.

Using a fine grinder pad wasn't especially productive or useful.  They just wear out faster.  You can tell when the pad is wearing out when it either is taking the surface off slower, or you start to make burn marks on the wood.  If you're making burn marks, you're probably just taking stuff off with mainly friction, like when you have a dull blade on a circular saw.

I now have the old finish off of the sides, the back end, and the top of the bow; also the gunwales and splashboards which are made out of oak and are a lot harder than the cedar strips of the rest of the boat (duh).

So I'm thinking next to start on the inside of the boat, which I'm expecting to use a drill with an attached stripper tool on it.  It's about an inch or so wide, and hopefully it will fit down between the ribs and all that old white paint will come off.

At the end of the day, while gazing at what I'd accomplished (back to the Zen thing), I realized that the process could be a metaphor for renewal in a human sense.  I haven't developed the details of what is to learn there, but it's something about when you get older and have endured weather (and maybe some neglect) and your outside is a bit dead and crusty...  but inside you still have that beautiful and original construction material with it's living color and scent and feel.

Maybe you can (comment) tell me what it means to you...  Technical project suggestions welcome also!

Happy Boating!