The Inside Job

The unexpected spring snow melted quickly this weekend, so it was back to the grind.  Next step, stripping the rock-hard white paint out of the inside.  I'd already blasted away the loose chips last fall with a power washer.  Now I'd try out the drill attachment Tool Guy suggested from Home Depot.

It was a synthetic wheel meant to be a high speed sander / stripper, and it DID work better than the chemical paint stripper.  But after quite awhile working on a relatively small area, I got back to wondering how long it would take to do the inside of this 18-foot boat.  SO... another trip to Home Depot to look at power tools and attachments.

I'd heard about stripping paint with a torch, and was quite a bit leary about applying flame to an old wood boat.  But in searching through the isles I ran across an electric heat stripper - adjustable temperatures from 200 to 1100 degrees F.  I also picked up some more drill attachments that looked like they had the potential for removing mass quantities of old paint in a hurry.

By the time I got back from Home Depot it was fairly late in the day.  The olde Volvo wouldn't start in the parking lot.  Luckily Tires Plus was right across the lot and open on a Sunday, and engine work is included in the "plus" part.  Even got a ride home with the two dogs and new tools, so I guess that was lucky.  So... next episode I'll try to discover the quick and dirty way to strip the inside of This Olde Boat.

Until then remember, life is a grind so get some tools!