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 Wood dash refinishing

 Created by: mergedown
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 Posted: Jun 20, 2017 06:53AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Minerva
I agree with your assessment. Maybe a nice high gloss varnish/varathane so it matches the steering wheel? Here is what ours looks like with new veneer from Lee Valley Hardware..about $25 worth. I give ours a coat of old fashioned wood paste wax once in a while to keep it moisturized. and protected.

I used a high gloss lacquer, but it certainly does not match the shine of the steering wheel. I'll have to look at some of the glazes used to get that look. It looks really good, so I'm not complaining, it's just not the look I was hoping for.

 Posted: Jun 19, 2017 04:53PM
 Edited:  Jun 19, 2017 04:56PM
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I agree with your assessment. Maybe a nice high gloss varnish/varathane so it matches the steering wheel? Here is what ours looks like with new veneer from Lee Valley Hardware..about $25 worth. I give ours a coat of old fashioned wood paste wax once in a while to keep it moisturized. and protected.

If it's not Scottish....it's crap! (Cry of the Mini Tartan Owners' Clan)

 Posted: Jun 19, 2017 01:39PM
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Done and installed. It's far from perfect, but it looks pretty good and I'm ok with it for now. I kind of liked the old school 3 clock center mount that was hidden behind the wood, so I could always revert to that look. 

https://goo.gl/photos/k5nrWmhP1o3ymfNu7
https://goo.gl/photos/U9MZqVVPdoa3wRKE6

 Posted: Jun 18, 2017 03:01PM
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I was able to remove all of the old veneer and decided to refinish the base wood. It may not work, but it's an easy option to try.

https://goo.gl/photos/1qmtLzPwm71Zt53N8

If if it doesn't work out, I'll plan to refinish with veneer. 

 Posted: Jun 17, 2017 06:59AM
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US
Triumphs use veneered dashes and I have worked on them a time or two.  

There are glues that are supposed to work well with veneer.  I tried traditionally liquid wood glue (Elmer's in overdrive) and was not happy with the result.  It took too long to dry because when pressing to apply the veneer there was very little free surface area to breath and let the moisture out.  I have heard some people swear by contact cement but I was too afraid to try that.  One mistake with contact cement and you are done.  Other people swear by Belhen type hide glue and an iron (not water based liquid).  Were I undertaking this again I would give hide glue a try on some samples and scraps first.

As for the holes, veneer the whole dash first with no holes cut in the veneer.  Have all the parts of the dash aligned and secured to a backing board so the grain lines up from panel to panel.  Once the veneer is secured, use an Xacto knife to cut out the openings leaving a margin of about 1/8" to the edge of the hole in the dash panel.  My method of final sizing and finishing the holes has been to use large diameter sanding drums and fine grit abrasive.  Working at a drill press, lower the spindle/drum into the gauge opening and lock the spindle in place.  Start the drill motor and work the panel around on the press table gently going around the circular cutout making multiple light passes.  You will see and feel when the drum contacts the material behind the veneer.  

When varnishing the wood, plan on many thin coats with light sanding with fine paper between each coat.  

Above all, work gently and take your time.  Practice with scraps a bit first to develop a feel for the process. 

Doug L.
 Posted: Jun 17, 2017 03:15AM
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Removed my wood dashboard and started to remove the old veneer. I bought some new mahogany veneer and plan to glue it down and stain it to match my steering wheel. Anyone know of any good methods to cut the holes in the veneer with a clean edge?

https://goo.gl/photos/qzHyjEssAZgkqjEWA
https://goo.gl/photos/s2XgGCBMHBPi6qpq7