# Brightwork

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{{Short description|Polished and varnished wood or metal of a boat}}
{{for|the American thoroughbred horse|Brightwork (horse)}}
[[File:1928 Chris Craft Cadet.jpg|thumb|A 1928 [Chris-Craft](/source/Chris-Craft_Boats) Cadet; the company is known for [runabouts](/source/runabout_(boat)) with extensive brightwork.]]
[[File:17 brass cannon July 76.jpg|thumb|Bright brass cannon of [HMS ''Bacchante''](/source/HMS_Bacchante_(F69)).]]

'''Brightwork''' also known historically as "bright work" refers to the exposed and [varnish](/source/varnish)ed wood or metal work of a boat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sailingspartan.com/2019/06/23/brightwork|title=Brightwork|publisher=Sailing Spartan|date=June 23, 2019|access-date=March 10, 2022}}</ref> The metal is usually [brass](/source/brass) or [bronze](/source/bronze) that is kept [polished](/source/Polishing_(metalworking)), or stainless steel, which requires less maintenance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/brightwork|title = Brightwork Definitions &#124; What does brightwork mean? &#124; Best 6 Definitions of Brightwork}}</ref> In the past, due to the environmental exposure experienced by boats, [corrosion](/source/corrosion) and [UV](/source/ultraviolet) damage made maintaining brightwork both [Sisyphean](/source/Sisyphean) and extremely labor-intensive. However, with the development of improved UV-absorbers and filters in the chemical composition of the various marine varnishes ([spar varnish](/source/Spar_varnish), [polyurethane](/source/polyurethane), or linear polyurethane), this work is not as intensive as it once was. Varnished finishes are maintained by sanding and re-finishing,<ref name="Wittman1990">{{cite book|author=Rebecca Wittman|title=Brightwork: The Art of Finishing Wood|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sTP1ndssg0AC&q=%22tropics%22|year=1990|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-157981-0|page=100}}</ref> and metalwork is maintained by polishing.

==Popular culture==
The demanding labor of brightwork maintenance has been a storied part of maritime life for some 250 years, since before the days of William Mountaine and ''The Seaman's Vade-Mecum'' (first published 1744). As a result, it is occasionally referred to in the broader culture. For example, in the song "When I was a Lad" from the [Gilbert and Sullivan](/source/Gilbert_and_Sullivan) comic opera, ''[H.M.S. Pinafore](/source/H.M.S._Pinafore)'', in which Sir Joseph Porter, the [First Lord of the Admiralty](/source/First_Lord_of_the_Admiralty), recounts that he climbed the political ladder in large part by his ability to "polish up the handle of the big front door". [Lord Nelson](/source/Horatio_Nelson%2C_1st_Viscount_Nelson) might have cast a jaundiced eye on such an attitude, but surely those brave boat owners who persevere in completing their own brightwork varnishing project will feel that they have "gained the most splendid and decisive victory", albeit one that was perhaps "dearly purchased".

== References ==
<references/>

Category:Nautical terminology
Category:Sailboat components

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Brightwork](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightwork) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightwork?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.