Restoration of Walnut Car Dash
Robert Foster
As part of the restoration of a 30 year old Lotus Elan, the bur walnut dash
is out of the car and restoration started.
I have removed the varnish, which was cracked and badly chipped, to find
that the veneer is also cracked.
What next? Should I lightly sand down the veneer? How do I deal with the
cracks? How best do I deal with this matter? How best to finish the dash -
one "expert" has recommended 7-9 coats of poly' varnish, whilst another has
suggested one thick coat of polyester (?) sprayed on by a professional and
then buffed to a shine - any thoughts?
Step by step instructions and any comments welcomed.
Robert
Norwich England
jd roland
a hard shine. I would not ruin a extensive restoration with a less than
original finish on a car like that. Contact the national antique car
organization or a Lotus club to find out what was orignally done. There
must be data on the original manufacture of the car. Multi part poly (US)
will yellow and not give the clear look of the original.
It is also possible that it is a hand rubbed oil. I don't think so but
someone might have tried to seal the dash with a varnish of some type over
an oiled finish. That would crack as discribed.
The "cracks" in the veneer may be moistened, and reglued into place if done
carefully. It takes patients. The seams may need to be sanded. but that
may have to wait for the first few coats of finish.
A single coat of poly is a clear (yellow) joke.
But, then again, for some folks it's ok. Good Luck!
jdroland
Robert Foster wrote in message <95Ud2.3288$fG6...@news-reader.bt.net>...
joe blow
wrote:
Jaguars (at least from 1989 onward) are coated with clear lacquer--the
same type used for clear coating the cars. This lacquer makes an
excellent finish because it has UV blockers.
Unless you get the veneer to law down flat and unless you fill the
cracks you are wasting your time coating it with anything. You are
going to have to get a smooth surface, without cracks, in order to
apply a finish.
If any of the veneer is raised up from the substrate you can glue it
back down with alphatic (carpenters') glue. You will have to apply
pressure for 30 minutes or so when you do this. When all your loose
veneer is properly glued down you might consider using shellac sticks
to fill any cracks. These are available from finishing suppliers in
an almost infinite range of colors. Sticks can be blended to come up
with the exact color match. However, the use of shellac sticks will
require a little practice.
If it were mine I would take it to a Jag or RR dealer. They can't
charge you that much to finish a board if you have it stripped of
gauges and out of the car. If you live near a major metropolitan area
you can probably find a fine furniture finisher to do it for you. You
should, however, purchase the clear lacquer from an automotive paint
supplier as it will have the UV blockers you are going to need to keep
the wood looking good for years.
Good luck
CWard96624
>Step by step instructions and any comments welcomed.
>
Ive seen Entire Books in the Auto Restoration section of my library devoted to
restoration techniques on Wood dashes in Cars like Rolls,Bently,etc So why not
check them out? Wood in a car is subject to Heat/Cold and vibration thus
needing lotsa TLC
Duke of URLs
>Step by step instructions and any comments welcomed.
Start with:
http://www.wood-dash.com/
http://www.silverwingweb.com/wooddash.html
http://www.beromi.com/products.htm
If you plug the words, wood dash restoration, into InfoSeek you'll get
a buncha hits.
Keith Bohn