> Watch out for that steel wool. It may leave some steel powder behind, when water hits the steel the result is rust spots. Very unsightly.

I recommend bronze wool.

> A few spots? A lot of spots? How wide? How shallow?

> You might try sanding with a fine grit paper or sanding cloth
> that is very flexible. Put a few sheets of plain cloth (muslin, flannel,
> what have you) under the sand paper when you put it on your sander,
> so that the paper is flexible and can flex a bit into those depressions.
>

> Or, try going over the area with steel wool, or loose sanding
> grit ( like the stuff used for polishing, or tumbling rocks) using
> a soft cloth pad or a pad on a sanding wheel. The idea is to change
> those pits into areas that may be shallower than the surrounding resin,
> but still merge in smoothly.

> Think of the process as one of trying to feather-in each depression
> into the surrounding area. Stiff sandpaper can cause the depressions
> to look like sharp-edged pits because it just scrapes across the tops
> of those pits. A softer medium, like steel wool, or a powder medium,
> like the loose sanding grit gets into those pits and wears away the
> edges so they blend into the surrounding area.

> You don't want that glossy surface at the bottoms of those pits,
> anyway. You want to scuff things lightly so the finish has something
> to bite into.

> If you use steel wool, remember that the stuff frequently has
> a light oil coating to keep it from rusting. You'll have to carefully
> clean off the remains of that coating and any remaining bits of broken
> steelwool fibers before you varnish. Same caution for using loose
> grit abrasives: clean things well.

> If you have a few pitted areas that you are particularly worried
> about, before you go for the sander, mix up an ounce of resin and
> go over the whole boat, just putting a drop into each of those pits.
> The drop will fill in the depression, and some will ooze out, leaving
> an excess amount that can be easily sanded down smooth. This process
> is analogous to spot priming your house before painting it. you jsut
> hit the areas that really need it, and then blend them into the surrounding
> areas with gentle sanding.

> A couple of coats of paint or varnish should cover all but the
> worst cases. If they are already imperceptible, head for the finish,
> not more resin. If there are still a few spots you can touch up those
> areas only, and sand things smooth before applying the final light
> coat.

> Whether you keep working on the resin coat, or touch up the finish
> coats is your choice. How much work do you want to do? If you put
> on a thick finish coat it will flow into those pits, but it may also
> run and sag -- which means more sanding.

> On the other hand, if you put on several thin coats each one
> will help to gradually fill in the depressions, but you stand to do
> a lot more sanding to remove any high spots, or bug specks.

> Personally I'd work on those pits in the resin and get things
> a bit smoother before finishing. Since you don't have any glass cloth
> on the deck you can sand into the wood a good 1/64 th of an inch,
> and still be in wood that is protected by the resin. That stuff soaks
> in quite deeply. I doubt that you will have to actually sand that
> deep, though. My practice would be to put on a coat of resin, which
> would soak in, and might raise the grain. I'd then sand that flat,
> which would mean cutting into the raised grain. A light application
> of resin for a second coat should then sit on top and level itself
> pretty well, so I (hopefully) would not need much sanding to prepare
> for the varnish.

> Paul Jacobson

>