Scraping Teak

I've scraped a lot of teak in my time, but never considered using heat.

My primary, and usually only scraper is a Red Devil.

It has easily replaceable blades that can be sharpened. The secret to a successful scrape is a razor sharp blade that's pulled, never pushed. The blades that come with the handle are good, but I like them better after I've taken a file to them.

I position the old blade in the vice so I can use the vice face as a guide, running the file over the old blade with a diagonal swipe, often touching the vice face with the file. This way I end up with a new blade that's consistently straight so the surface I'm scraping does not become irregular from the blade. A light finger on the blade will tell you when it's ready.

For those hard to reach areas, a modified blade is occasionally in order. Grinding the blade to a point and sliding it slightly out of the handle lets me get into tight places.

Proper use of the scraper leaves the surface clean and smooth. Only very light sanding is required prior to re-coating.

The three things you want to remember:
Sharp
Flat
Pull

And if you're sharpening your blades aboard, beware. Those tiny filings that you take off the scraper blade with your file will quickly leave a rust stain on your light colored deck.