Screens(mesh)

[johnp]

Does anyone use screens at the top of the stack? I had a hot amber land on m nicely varnished deck and leave a burn mark.

[barts]

My experience with such is that if they're fine enough to stop embers, they plug pretty quickly, esp. with an oil fire just being started. However, this may not be an issue for you; it depends on what you're burning. We had a steamboat meet at Donner Lake (near Lake Tahoe) where we were required to use mesh as spark arrestors to reduce the fire risk of the surrounding forests.

- Bart

[Lopez Mike]

In the nineteenth century the railroads fought this problem a lot. Unfortunately the solutions they came up with were pretty awful looking.

Google "Cabbage Stack" to see how bad it can be.

[S. Weaver]

In the nineteenth century the railroads fought this problem a lot ...

Hah-hah! Nineteenth, schmineteenth. Back in the summer of '76, I remember trudging the right o' way under the blazing July sun on firewatch during a dry spell. Our dear 4-4-0, which could imitate a Roman candle at night, was happily setting fire to the brush hither and yon.

As Bart says, there is no quick fix. Mesh size will be a balancing act between capture and clogging. I am sorry about your finish.

[barts]

What one needs to realize is that a yacht finish, esp. with a steam power plant, is a labor of love... and that historically the vast majority of steam propelled craft were "rough and ready". I find that minor damage is much less obvious, and more easily repaired, with an oil finish rather than layers of varnish.

- Bart