The original posts on my 1983 boat were bedded in a material the HR yard called "Liquid Metal". Over the years, the posts on either side of the lifeline gates have worked themselves loose from people using the top of the stanchion as a handhold while getting on or off the boat. While removing the varnish (for good) from my cap rail, I decided to re-bed these two posts.
I was able to get the loose posts out by drilling with a foot-long 1/8" drill bit around part of the post and then I broke up the bedding material enough to finally pull the post up out of the cap rail. I then cleaned everything up and re-bedded with thickened epoxy. The important tip I have to share is to be very careful when you put the posts back in. Changing their angle even slightly will cause the location of the top of the stanchion to change significantly and in my case requiring one of the the lifelines to be re-cut to make up for the difference. I would strongly suggest pouring the bedding epoxy to within a 1/4 inch of the top and then reinstalling the washer mounting plate to keep the post steady and in the proper position while the epoxy cures. Then, you can pour the final amount of epoxy to bring it level with the cap rail.
Despite the need to re-cut one of the lifelines, I am glad I did this to the posts on either side of the lifeline gate. These posts used to be very loose and are now rock solid - giving a much more secure feel when getting on and off the boat.
A picture of the stanchion post just prior to re-bedding is below.
 A view of the stanchion post prior to rebedding. |