What type of veneer - dash renewal
Discussion
After the various parts of the dash (dial surrounds, and glove box lid) have been languishing in the boot of the wedge for a while due to cracked lacquer, I have finally got round to trying to make them presentable.
Initially I was going to go down the stick on vinyl route that someone else on here did, but after a bit of careful work with the aid of a heat gun and a scraper, I have got the lacquer off the main dash piece and glove box lid, to reveal that the veneer underneath is pretty much fine, and just needs re-coating. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the switch panel, so I am now trying to identify exactly what type of wood is on the other parts to get something that vaguely matches.
In the pics below, the glove box lid has had a number of coats of clear lacquer (not yet been flatted back and polished, but looks pretty good to me), the main dash has not had anything yet, so is the bare veneer.
So if anyone knows what it is, that would be a great help, and save me buying various things that are going to be wrong. From what I can tell, I think its a walnut burr, though not completely sure.
Cheers!
Initially I was going to go down the stick on vinyl route that someone else on here did, but after a bit of careful work with the aid of a heat gun and a scraper, I have got the lacquer off the main dash piece and glove box lid, to reveal that the veneer underneath is pretty much fine, and just needs re-coating. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the switch panel, so I am now trying to identify exactly what type of wood is on the other parts to get something that vaguely matches.
In the pics below, the glove box lid has had a number of coats of clear lacquer (not yet been flatted back and polished, but looks pretty good to me), the main dash has not had anything yet, so is the bare veneer.
So if anyone knows what it is, that would be a great help, and save me buying various things that are going to be wrong. From what I can tell, I think its a walnut burr, though not completely sure.
Cheers!
Been there done it. I actually replaced all the panels i.e made up a new glove box and dial panel and just replaced the veneer on the switch panel. The closest I could get was burr walnut with an oak stain applied then several coats of varnish and its as close to the original as it matters to me. Kept the originals as well.
I stripped mine, recovered the glove box and centre consul with Burr walnut and used yacht varnish, which isn't a perfect finish, but certainly acceptable, and I am sure I could get it better again. The veneer on the dial surround was fine when the lacquer had been stripped, so I just flattened and re-varnished that. It isn't a perfect match, the dial surround isn't burr walnut, would be difficult to get a single piece long enough, but nobody really notices until I point it out. Certainly a decent job for not a lot of money. and has lasted 3 years without lifting.
Apparently Guitar varnish, which is available in a spray can is a really good finish. I bought some bur walnut and tried it but couldn't get it right. However this was probably down to my impatience more than anything else.
In the end I cheated and sent all the dash panels, door trims and handles to be Hydrograpghic coated. Very pleased with the finish and most people think it's real wood.
Might have a small bit of bur left how much do you need?
In the end I cheated and sent all the dash panels, door trims and handles to be Hydrograpghic coated. Very pleased with the finish and most people think it's real wood.
Might have a small bit of bur left how much do you need?
Wedg1e said:
On the early Tasmins it was a real burr walnut on plywood panels. Later cars had a Formica derivative glued to a steel plate.
Thanks Ian...With your wealth of knowledge you just answered a question for me....
Im now bored of the red trim that i put in and will be changing it..
Cheers...
mrzigazaga said:
Hi mate...That definitely looks like English burr walnut ..Its normally cut from the same piece so the same pattern is present.
I actually attended a veneering course when I had my Tasmin as I wanted to reveneer the panels 'properly'.The guy who ran the course said that upmarket makers like Rolls-Royce used consecutive sheets of veneer so that the pattern would be symmetrical within the car; the Tasmin's door pulls were mirror-images of each other but that was about it - the dash and glovebox lid certainly weren't mirrored.
I bought a veneer hammer, pearl glue and a few sheets of walnut but never did get one decent result on test pieces so I gave up and sold all the tools on Ebay. Guess I'll leave the wood-bothering alone and stick to big hammers
The biggest problem was getting round very tight curves; the Tasmin door pulls were about an inch square and the veneer just wanted to split no matter how much I wet it. In the end I blagged some solid walnut offcuts and made new pulls from them but the resultant visible pattering was along the grain rather than across it so it just looked like some random bit of wood.
The 'instructor' did say that you should veneer both sides of a wooden panel as otherwise when the veneer expands and contracts it warps the 'ground' wood.
Wedg1e said:
Rolls-Royce used consecutive sheets of veneer so that the pattern would be symmetrical within the car; the Tasmin's door pulls were mirror-images of each other but that was about it - the dash and glovebox lid certainly weren't mirrored.
They were but got muddled up and fitted to the wrong car...
Im still impressed by what Glen and Graham has done with the vinyl..Looks really nice...I can't wait to see it in the flesh...
LCC is the best place to go and have your bits re-veneered ...Outstanding quality....
The paint looks neat...Not sure about the chequer plate as dash material though...Sorry Tony...Not a fan of that or the carbon fibre dashes....
Im going to experiment with the wood effect vinyl and the water based varnish...Hydro-graphics is another good option.
mrzigazaga said:
...Hydro-graphics is another good option.
I actally have some hydrographic film in bur walnut and the activator spray. I tried it on a jam jar lid a few times and it came out looking pretty good but needs to be lacquered on top as the finish comes out mat. It's a very easy and quick process but needs some practice, especially on bigger pieces. Otherwise it comes out looking like my grandmothers skin. I'll have another go soon and post the result to see what you think.Tony. TCB.
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