Hmmm... toasting okoume. Curious....

I've toasted (with) champaign or whiskey, toasted bagels and rye bread for breakfast.

Years ago I 'toasted' sugar pine carved into reproduction decoys. Used an oxyacetylene torch for charring the surface, then ran 'em under a flap sander to knock off the charcoaled softer grain leaving the harder portions elevated. Then a quick shellac bath as a sealer / primer before painting.

Then a shower and change of clothes for me, in that this is a Very Messy Operation that throws a lot of fine, fairly sticky black dust all over everywhere around the operation and operator.

I'm not sure toasting okoume would do what you're suggesting.

From what-all I've seen of it the grain's not that apparent and, as it's mosly rotary-cut veneer used in ply, what grain there is is gonna be pretty flat. I'd also be majorly concerned about doing something with the heat needed that would adversely affect the glue bond between veneers even if only on those on the side you want to toast.

Simply using an alcohol stain to darken the wood isn't enough for you? 

Oh and marshmallows when we had a fireplace for making S'Mores. Forgot that.   

i have heard of the technique...but not seen it applied to okoume. 

do you have a picture of some boat you saw that had the technique applied that inspired this.  if so, would be really cool to see the picture.

the other thing you can do is just do an experiment with a scrap piece of okume and see what happens and if it to your liking.  nothing wrong with trying new things....that's how we advance the art :)

h

h penned:

"the other thing you can do is just do an experiment with a scrap piece of okume and see what happens and if it to your liking."

True enough, and good advice (as usual from h) I admit. Something I'd not considered when I added my comment above.

"nothing wrong with trying new things....that's how we advance the art :)"

Same, while I'd hold that testing is A Good Idea.

How would such treatment affect subsequent application and later peformance of epoxy?

Adding fiberglass changes how the resulting surface finish appears?

Would that new textural effect require a change to how one would have to approach finishing?

How challenging would sanding such a textured surface be?

Experience is gained by testing new ideas. Experience that then can lead to a satisfactory outcome, where ignorance of same could render a project functionally short-lived or worse, unsafe for use.

I'd cut that sample piece in half after toasting, then boil one half for an hour, see what happens.

thanks spclark,

i would add, with a lot of respect, that i generally follow spclarks formula above and learned a lot when i have been pushing into an area that had not been explored before.

my wife once asked why i carefully kept scraps from building....and i tried to expain their value as "free" test material for new ideas.   so i am really curious about this toasting idea and can you get an interesting/aesthic effect and not compromize any of the other things you need to do.

my only other comment is that when i boiled to confirm i did not change the properties of the glue, that i simultaneously boiled a test piece of okoume that was not 'toasted'  as my 'control' piece to see if the non-toasted piece was effected relative to the toasted piece :)

h

That's certainly a lot to consider. I hadn't even thought about what effect that toasting the grain would have on the glue between layers. I'll have to look into this further. I did keep all of the temp forms and scraps so I've got a bit to experiment on.

   As far as being enough, I suppose that an alcohol stain would be enough, but at the same point wouldn't a plastic boat be enough?

JoeK ponders:

"...but at the same point wouldn't a plastic boat be enough?"

Perhaps for some (the hardware store I work in part-time started selling plastic kayaks earlier this spring; I was asked to figure out then fabricate some means to display them) but maybe not so much for those who gather here to trade tips and get questions answered about their endeavors building what CLC makes available.

I wish only to 'think through' the process beside you, basing my thinking on what I've learned doing similar operations, then contrasting that with what my experiences have been while building two boats (the first from plans 49 years ago, the second a Waterlust kit over the last 18 months) in my lifetime... so far.

Make no mistake, I'm not suggesting you abandon your desire to 'see what happens' when you 'toast' an outer layer of okoume ply then remove what material you can that's been degraded. Please share with us what your findings might be!

I desire nothing less than you have success with your project and that you can enjoy it safely for many years.

(And thanks h for your vote of confidence. Your experience is of inestimable value as is your willingness to share it with others like myself. You've taught me much with your posts here, for which I thank you.)

   Oh for want of an actual keyboard rather than a cell phone screen. Please do not mistake anything I've said as dismissal or intended disrespect. I am truly grateful for all of the advice and insights that everyone has given me throughout this process. Being on my first build I have no room to refute or disregard any words of wisdom from more experienced builders. More I am simply making the comment that it seems as though most of us do not seem to be the types that go for the easy strategy. Most of my colleagues think me a bit eccentric for building what could have been more easily purchased. Which, I suppose, would have been easier if I had simply been looking for a run of the mill boat.

Yep, you're one of us then. Welcome, enjoy the frustrations in figuring out your own paths.