[Public-list] sail track opening the mast holes

[Michael Connolly]

George,
I suggested the small drill, countersink, larger drill sequence to help Jon prevent messing up his new paint job.  A punch or the large drill first would in most cases flex or lift the paint film around the hole to cause it to delaminate.  Jon is then going to be faced with the job of repairing the ragged/torn paint edges around the recently opened holes.  This would be the case if Jon were drilling new holes or just opening up the original holes.  Once the paint is damaged around the holes then the corrosion mess begins.  As we all know corrosion on spars generally begins around the hardware for the mounted fittings.
 
As I said earlier the yard folks who filled in the holes first and did not drill new holes before painting did no good service to Jon.  I question if they were really interested in painting the mast for true corrosion prevention or just wanted the mast to look pretty, at least for a season or two.
 
Anyway, I intend to leave my mast 'natural'.  This way I won't have this reoccuring maintenance headache...............  ;-)

George Dinwiddie <gdinwiddie at alberg30.org> wrote:
Michael Connolly wrote:
> If the original holes were filled with some body filler, "Bondo" or
> some other synthetic resin, then they are not filled with metal and are
> still holes from the Engineering sense.

If the holes are filled with something non-structural, I would suggest 
trying to open them with a punch, rather than drilling.

- George

-- 
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When I remember bygone days George Dinwiddie
I think how evening follows morn; gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
So many I loved were not yet dead, http://www.Alberg30.org
So many I love were not yet born.
'The Middle' by Ogden Nash
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