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Been on holiday this week so thought I would have a go at the the dash wood. I re-veneered the ski slope a few weeks ago with burr walnut and was very pleased with the result. The dash wood was quite orange looking which I assume is fading and I wanted to see if I could get it all to match a bit better. Here is the before and after. Thoughts please. PS I haven’t done the door inserts yet.
Rob.
recently did a quick refinish of my XJ's dash and door pieces but they really need to be re-veneered (if that's a word). What is the basic process that you used and where di you acquire the veneer, if I may ask?
The only bit I re-veneered was the ski slope all the other parts I actually sanded all the old lacquer off as paint stripper these days is rubbish and didn’t do anything to the old finish. Took an age to sand off with a sander and finishing by hand. You do have to be careful as it’s easy to sand right through the veneer. I tried to stain the glove box as best I could and then refinished with aerosol polyurethane varnish. This is the ski slope I re-veneered a few weeks ago.
Rob.
Looking good - if you get anywhere near the High Peak I could find a job for you
10 out of 10 for getting stuck into this - I need to but I'm not going to - the last revarnish / lacquer I tried turned into an almost black mess - but it was supposed to be clear. My varnish has cracked and gone cloudy in some places.
Do you know if Jaguar used varnish or was it some sort of lacquer I can't see Jaguar doing the sand, varnish, sand, varnish - rinse and repeat until the finish is like glass - I've often wondered how they and the likes of Rolls Royce achieve these finishes on wood.
Do you know if Jaguar used varnish or was it some sort of lacquer I can't see Jaguar doing the sand, varnish, sand, varnish - rinse and repeat until the finish is like glass - I've often wondered how they and the likes of Rolls Royce achieve these finishes on wood.
When I toured Browns Lane back in the 90's it was a single polyester ( not polyurathane) finish that is catalytically cured and then polished with a polishing wheel. Lacquer and varnish are cured by solvent evaporation, the polyester finish is a 2 part cure, like an epoxy. Over time, the finish yellows and discolours. I have not toured Rolls Royce, but I have toured Bentley in Crewe and it was a similar process. The finish is sprayed on fairly thickly, cured with UV light in about 45 seconds, then polished with a polishing mop and compound.
The veneers are very thin, in the order of slightly thicker than a sheet of paper; so are very easy to sand through if you are trying to remove the old finish by mechanical means.
I had mine done by Gdk veneering. GED used to work for Bentley before starting on his own. He told me they lacquered and sand multiple times. Results are superb.
That stuff Jaguar used is as hard as hell. Paint stripper won’t touch it. The worst bit to do was the glove box lid must have taken me a couple of hours to get all the old stuff off. I have just got to finish polishing the glove box lid today and jobs done. I will tackle the door inserts when I have another week off work.
Rob.
And the finished job. The match does look closer looking at it with my eyes not a picture. Still a million times better than the faded and lifted original lacquer. Just the door trims to do.
Rob.
Cheers Greg much appreciated. I do spend quite a lot of time detailing then car but I do enjoy it. To me that’s one of three things that classic car ownership is all about. The other two are tinkering and driving.
Rob.
I have a cracked ski slope so need to replace the veneer on that although all the other woodwork looks good so will leave. Where did you get your veneer and how did you replace it on the ski slope? I remember seeing something on TV (Wheeler Dealers?) where they had to use a vacuum pump and sealed plastic bag arrangement to get the veneer to form to the contour of the ski slope.
I used 4 pieces which mirrored each other and glued them to the slope with 2 pack araldite. Don’t use aerosol adhesive as it doesn’t work. The veneer will move and split with the expansion of the metal slope don’t ask me how I know. To fit the veneer to the slope I used 4 bits of ply I had laying around cut down to size and my vice and 4 small clamps. You do have to work fast as the glue goes off quickly. The hardest part is lining up the 4 bits of veneer and taping together with masking tape. You will need dead straight cuts. It’s quite doable just take your time. Total cost to do mine was around £45. I finished mine with multiple coats of Plastic-kote aerosol polyurethane varnish. I tried satin which is nice but when I did the rest of the wood I gave it a few coats of gloss to match. Once the final coat is dry (24 hours)wet sand with 2500 grit paper and then machine polish. I used my battery drill with a small foam pad and Meguiars Ultimate Compound then finishing with Autoglym Super Resin Polish. Have a go it’s a very satisfying job. PM me if you want a chat over the phone.
Rob.
The picture of the slope in my post is finished in the satin. I have tried other finishes such as clear lacquer etc but found this the nicest to use by far.
Rob.
I used 4 pieces which mirrored each other and glued them to the slope with 2 pack araldite. Don’t use aerosol adhesive as it doesn’t work. The veneer will move and split with the expansion of the metal slope don’t ask me how I know. To fit the veneer to the slope I used 4 bits of ply I had laying around cut down to size and my vice and 4 small clamps. You do have to work fast as the glue goes off quickly. The hardest part is lining up the 4 bits of veneer and taping together with masking tape. You will need dead straight cuts. It’s quite doable just take your time. Total cost to do mine was around £45. I finished mine with multiple coats of Plastic-kote aerosol polyurethane varnish. I tried satin which is nice but when I did the rest of the wood I gave it a few coats of gloss to match. Once the final coat is dry (24 hours)wet sand with 2500 grit paper and then machine polish. I used my battery drill with a small foam pad and Meguiars Ultimate Compound then finishing with Autoglym Super Resin Polish. Have a go it’s a very satisfying job. PM me if you want a chat over the phone.
Rob.
Rob - many thanks for the comprehensive reply. I'll have a think through and decide if I am going to give it a go.
Dash wood
