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I have spent some money (read more that I like to say) and a lot of time
trying to remove the old caulk in the teak deck seams. I tried some tools I
already had, a screwdriver made like a reefing tool, a 3" 12 volt circular
saw, and my old trusty Sears 7" circular saw. Although I had various results
with each tool, I ended up with tendonitis in my shoulder, elbow and my index
finger. Sore as hell yet undaunted, I revisited some old Trawler lists and
learned of the Fein Multi-Master as a potential candidate to cure my physical
problems and get the old caulk removed. I quickly went to the Internet and
found the company and the contact form (http://www.feinus.com/contact.cfm). I
told them of my problem. I got a very quick telephone response. The nice
caller told me that the tool was originally made to remove caulking in many
industrial applications. With such success, they decided to create a smaller
version for less industrial applications and also created many types of blades
and knives. The caller told me to try their caulk knife that comes in three
sizes based on the width of the deck seam. From a local dealer I purchased the
tool, and two knife sizes (product 200 is 3mm wide and 201 is 4mm wide). The
tool was $199 and the knives were $50 for each. Ouch.
I went to Sheer Magic right away to try out the tool before I lost the
receipt. It took me 30 seconds to put on a knife and I found that it stripped
away the caulk in short time. Curiously, the Fein tool did not rotate, it
vibrated. I had to go over each seam a few times to get it right and with each
pass, all the old caulk and oakum came flying out. It even cleaned the sides
of the teak plank making it ready for the new cotton bond breaker and caulk.
Although it was still a job, the effort was just a minor fraction of my
previous manual attempt. And yes, my right arm feels much better now.
I strongly recommend giving this tool and knife strong consideration. I now
plan to use the other blades when I remodel our kitchen during the winter
non-boating months. Sadly, the kitchen is but one item on the honey-do list.
Joe Goldsmith
Sheer Magic
1973 38' Chris Craft Coho Aft Cabin
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