Dashboard clearcoat/lacquer?

[<50miles]

Hello Everybody,

Me again. A few weeks ago I was looking at the dashboard in all its glory and decided it should go to somebody with far more skill than I have. I could do it, but it would look awful in comparison to the body. So I brought it to an experienced wood furniture refinisher to have them look at it a couple of weeks ago. Today the refinisher finally had a moment to discuss the project so I drove over. A big part of our discussion was trying to determine if it was originally coated in clear coat or lacquer. We both think its clearcoat. Does anybody know? In addition, what have people used to stain the teak back to its original colour?

Andrew

 

[JFENG]

It is not teak but European walnut, unless a PO changed the wood.

And lacquer is one type of clear coat, so it’s not clear coat OR lacquer.

No offense intended, but your questions make me suspicious if this furniture refinisher is knowledgeable about wood and wood refinishing.

 

[<50miles]

Hello Bfeng,

It’s all good. Thank you the information. The wood is original. Do you know what stain/oil was used on the wood?

Andrew

 

[aearch]

you can use any clear product
myself after i stripped the original finish
i just left them raw and then just applied
TUNG OIL
it will protect the wood and gives a beautiful satin finish,
then i reapply every two or three months
works like a champ and i always have ACCESS TO THE WOOD GRAIN
if i need to fix a spot that gets banged up or whatever.
looks super good with the stain finish
go ahead and try one piece -so how you like it
ok
can post a pic if wanted

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[e9john]

Hello Everybody,

Me again. A few weeks ago I was looking at the dashboard in all its glory and decided it should go to somebody with far more skill than I have. I could do it, but it would look awful in comparison to the body. So I brought it to an experienced wood furniture refinisher to have them look at it a couple of weeks ago. Today the refinisher finally had a moment to discuss the project so I drove over. A big part of our discussion was trying to determine if it was originally coated in clear coat or lacquer. We both think its clearcoat. Does anybody know? In addition, what have people used to stain the teak back to its original colour?

Andrew

I think from the wording of the question Andrew is looking to get the wood looking original.

 

[aearch]

apologize for the double posting

you can use any clear product
myself after i stripped the original finish
i just left them raw and then just applied
TUNG OIL so then i can have access to the wood
all the time
if it gets hit of banged up
i can repair it very simply.
then reapply the tung oil again
also i reapply every 3 months or so to keep it looking new

 

[CSL177]

Mercedes, BMW, Rolls-Royce and Jaguar ALL used nitro-cellulose lacquers.

I've restored early 911 and Mercedes dash wood using nitro as sold to luthiers, but there are excellent AP lacquers in current use by major guitar makers.
AFAIK, the walnut in our cars wasn't stained but I could be mistaken... mine looked absolutely perfect simply finely sanded before finishing with a small detail gun.

Here's a shot of a 280SL I restored for my wife a few years ago... original Mercedes wood, carefully stripped of OG finish, nitro lacquered and no stain.

Sorry for the non-BMW content, it's the only decent digital photo I have of wood that I've personally refinished.

 

[JFENG]

Hello Bfeng,

It’s all good. Thank you the information. The wood is original. Do you know what stain/oil was used on the wood?

Andrew

I’d agree with RHD resident experts, no stain. Saying that, most clear wood finishes from back in the day had a light honey tint. The PO of my car used a light brown wood stain, and I think it is too dark (looks horrible).

If you go with a water based clear finish, I would precede with a very light application of a tint similar to grade A maple syrup. Maybe go even lighter.

If you use a oil based finish (a nice satin varnish), no tint should be needed.

I haven’t seen a nitrocellulose lacquer in 30 years, and would not use it on my e9 because Its too fragile. At a minimum I would use an synthetic base “lacquer”

 

[Stevehose]

Satin

 

[bavbob]

To find original wood that only needs a clearcoat refurb is rare. Surmise the substrate may need to be looked at also. I vote satin as well.

 

[<50miles]

To find original wood that only needs a clearcoat refurb is rare. Surmise the substrate may need to be looked at also. I vote satin as well.

Hello One and All,

Thank you everybody. I have passed the information/advise to the refinisher. Previous the refinisher and I had agreed on using one of the door wood trim pieces as a trail for whatever treatment the dashboard would receive.

Andrew

 

[m5bb]

I did mine and used a different wood similar to the original Walnut with little more pattern and interest. Etimoe.
But regardless of your wood we are dealing with wood that is exposed to heat, moisture and your wife lipstick and hair brush rolling around next to that beautiful wood.
Since it's a car why not use a car product that UV and moisture won't bother. It's also very hard so hopefully the lipstick and brush won't bother it either.
I used basically clear coat for automotive paint. Has to be sprayed and is a two part mixed coating.
You can get in many types of finishes like satin which is basically what the original was.
BTW, I made my gear shift knob and brake handle cover from the same wood. Also the door lock pulls.
I Roundel in the gear shift knob is dyed veneer.
Gary

 

[Cornishman]

I think that the original was a satin, cellulose lacquer. The idea being that it could be applied quickly as it dried so quickly and was cheap and easy to use in a factory.
I used a spirit based stain to try to even out any colour discrepancies that occurred over time and with damage to my original wood. I bought a couple of quality rattle cans from a specialist paint shop, I think they were described as K2, whatever that is. They sprayed really well compared to a standard rattle can.

 

[HB Chris]

Cans were 2K or catalyzed where each can has a button on the bottom that when pressed releases the catalyst into the mixture. They are good for 24 hours or a bit longer if kept in the fridge.

 

[Markos]

This seems like a solved inquiry. My replacement dash is in the garage and has original wood. If needed I can snap a few closeups of the wood, along with the area behind the cowl that has never seen sunlight.

I don’t plan to replace the wood in my car, but I’m curious to know if I should treat it. I’m inclined to do nothing, or perhaps a wax.

 

[bavbob]

No wax, it will just melt with any heat. Oils are beautiful on porous (no clear coat) wood but IDK on a dash, imagine it is labor intensive to clean from non-targeted areas.

Dave can chime in but wood finishing can be overwhelming.....1) choose hard wood type 2) choose stain (or no stain) and water or oil-based 3) choose finish type which includes patina and number of coats. Do you want grain to remain or do you want a smooth surface? Do you use grain fillers before you finish. It goes on. It's about as difficult as redoing your kitchen!

All I knew was that I love grain and don't like glossy smooth surfaces so I used a quarter-sawed walnut veneer and a single coat of satin, oil-based poly. Old trick is to rub it with a piece of a brown paper bag a few days after it is dry to make it smooth without scratches.

 

[Stan]

Cans were 2K or catalyzed where each can has a button on the bottom that when pressed releases the catalyst into the mixture. They are good for 24 hours or a bit longer if kept in the fridge.

I used 2K when I refinished a wood steering wheel.
Came out great!

 

[JFENG]

Paper is an excellent fine polishing material.

 

[dave v. in nc]

No wax, it will just melt with any heat. Oils are beautiful on porous (no clear coat) wood but IDK on a dash, imagine it is labor intensive to clean from non-targeted areas.

Dave can chime in but wood finishing can be overwhelming.....1) choose hard wood type 2) choose stain (or no stain) and water or oil-based 3) choose finish type which includes patina and number of coats. Do you want grain to remain or do you want a smooth surface? Do you use grain fillers before you finish. It goes on. It's about as difficult as redoing your kitchen!

All I knew was that I love grain and don't like glossy smooth surfaces so I used a quarter-sawed walnut veneer and a single coat of satin, oil-based poly. Old trick is to rub it with a piece of a brown paper bag a few days after it is dry to make it smooth without scratches.

View attachment 122340

I can't agree more with Bavbob's comments. You do need to know what you want before you start, i.e., make a plan, keep it simple, but realize that short cuts usually are just that. I'm really from the school that you are only going to do this once, no reason not to do it right.
Color, veneer specification/figure, sheen, are all subjective. If you want it to look factory, there are only a few options to make it look that way, however. Just look at the parts of your dash that the sun hasn't seen (under the grap bar on the ends, under the lip of the gauge rings) to see what your dash was like day one. And remember that this finished product is going into a hot, cold, humid, and dry car, not a temperature and humidity-controlled living room. YMMV.

 

[<50miles]

Hello All,

Beautiful work.
So I am still working away on the dashboard. 16 hours of removing the original lacquer has given gave us an idea of the damage. All is good except for the wood around the instruments and one horizontal wood strip above the driver's door. I am thinking about getting a local refinisher (touches up coffins!) to try to duplicate the grain, however, I was also thinking about trying to get as close to the original grain as possible. Does anybody know, or have experience with, a company that has veneers as close as possible to the original European/French Walnut?

Andrew