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Re: Seeking: hatch
By:Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K
Date: 2/14/2014, 11:23 am
In Response To: Seeking: hatch (steve pollack)

Deck has a huge hatch cut out and after seaming together, the hatch doesn't fit.
Any one have experience cutting inside of hatch and heating up to bend it into shape.
Any help would be appreciated

Steve,
How are you! It's been a long time.

The hatch cut outs seldom fit well enough for a good gasket seal.

This what I do.

I remove the inside glass from the hatch cut-out with a heat gun. Clamp the cut-out to a bench. Heat an edge and lift the old glass with a putty knife. Once you have an edge free, grab it with pliers and heat and pull it off. Wear a respirator and work outside if possible because the smell is not sweet and could do you damage.

Go over the epoxy left on the wood with a scraper and heat gun to get down to bare wood. Sand with 60 grit, then soak the wood with a wet sponge until the cut-out is flexible and expands to near the correct shape.

Hot glue a few short strip tabs under the deck opening and place the cut-out in the opening to see if the shape is close.

Scribe a couple short 2x4s to the new cut out shape. Press the scribed 2xs down on the cut-out until they shape the cut-out perfectly to the deck opening. Hot glue the cut-out to the 2xs.

When the cut-out is dry to the touch apply new glass to the inside surface of the reshaped cut-out.

Once the glass has cured KNOCK HARD on the 2xs to remove them cleanly from the cut-out.

Happy Valentines Day!

Rob

Messages In This Thread

Seeking: hatch
steve pollack -- 2/13/2014, 8:32 pm
Re: Seeking: hatch
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 2/14/2014, 11:23 am