Sampson Boat Covideo

Fitting/Polishing Bronze Knees - Wooden Boat Rebuild (EP82)

October 3, 2020 · 29 min · 540K views · Sequim, Washington

What this video covers

The restoration of the 110-year-old yacht Tally Ho centers on casting, fitting, and polishing bronze structural components, including hanging knees, lodging knees, and floors.0:20 The team produces approximately two bronze pieces daily at the foundry.0:28 To ensure structural integrity, the crew shapes the visible faces of the hanging knees before fitting them to the boat, then cuts a notch into the beam shelf to accommodate the knee’s radius rather than grinding the bronze to a sharp corner.4:22 For the aft-most floor, where space constraints prevent through-bolting near the stern tube, the team installs a bronze drift—a 3/4-inch rod with dimpled surfaces for grip—driven into the wood and secured with a peened nut.19:28 Meanwhile, the crew manufactures 3,800 copper rivets for hull planking using a specialized machine.25:52 Final finishing of the bronze parts involves grinding, sanding with progressively finer discs up to 3,000 grit, and polishing with three distinct compounds.26:09

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