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BJ8 Wood Dashboard Refinishing Tip

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Andrew1

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Hi Gang:

I am posting this to help anyone who has decided to refinish their BJ8 wood dash.

I did considerable research on this topic here on the forum and elsewhere, but the important task of scraping or chipping the original shellac finish is a tough job and makes the veneer vulnerable to blade slip damaged. I goofer a couple times

I found a better way!

With a small heat source such as a butane lighter ( I used a BBQ lighter a propane torch is too hot) apply from a distance the flame's heat to the finish in a small 1 inch areas. Moving often, bring the heat closer until the shellac surface turns opaque. I tried a heat gun but the surface heated waas too broad.

The surface will then "pop" and peel away from the veneer safely. For resistant pieces of finish, while hot, gently slide a flat zazor blade under the peeling surface which will now easily seperate from the veneer. Should take 2 hours total.

Thats my tip from learning the hard way.

Andrew, Toronto /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/canpatriot.GIF
 
Hi Andrew, thats one way to do it. However, Using Aircraft Stripper and a plastic scrapper makes short work of the varnish removal.---Fwiw--Keoke
 
HI TH, When I redid mine my sealer coat was Lacofrench- French Lacquer.The hand rubbed top coats were Man-O-War Varnish. The original finish was a varnish. However, To just freshen up the dash wood, probably rattle can shellac from home depot is your best bet, cuz what you are thinking ain't gonna work---Keoke
 
Looks like a PO installed a dash made of solid Mohogany and 3/4" thick. Is walnut venir still the wood of choice for new dashes or is solid walnut the way to go and what should the thickness be?
 
Hi John,
I started from scratch using Baltic birch plywood. ½” thick, nine layers and very rigid. Similar to what was used originally. I used a solid piece of Mahogany for the glovebox door because I wasn’t wild about the brown paint around the edge. I would think a solid wood dash would be more prone to warping or cracking.
 
If the finish is shellac, steel wool and alcohol works well to remove the old shellac. (my experience is not dashboard restoration, but door restoration...)
 
Hi John, Walnut veneer was the original choice in that period. A single sheet was used so that the grain patterns were matched [Mirrored] on both halves of the panel.Similarly, if splicing [Book Matching] was required the grain patterns were not altered.These latter process can be seen in the Jaguar cars of that period. I have no experience with solid dash panels.On the other hand,all dashes on British cars I have encountered use a plywood veneered construction.
 
My concern is the possibilty of chipping the edge of the vineer on the glovebox door. Am I to assume that the edge of the door was painted brown? I thought that with the pieces of wood being fairly small that warping/splitting might not be a serious problem.
 
Hi John,
Here’s a shot of the backside of the glovebox frame where you can see the color of the paint. I’m not saying that solid wood will warp or split, just that there is a better chance of that happening over plywood. When I made the door, I tapered the top edge a little. So if the door is closed, the back edge is lower than the front. That gave me extra clearance as the door swings closed, but the seam looks good once it’s shut.
151393-gloveback.jpg
 
GregW,
Thanks for the picture. I concur with your concern about warping/splitting. Plywood is more stable. I read somewhere where the door was cut at a 7 degree backcut to achieve exactly what you found. Does the plywood have walnut on both sides so when you open the door the inside is finished walnut? Thanks and have a good day!

John
 
Oh Boy, it’s been a while since I looked at the original door. I’m pretty sure it was veneered both front and back. Here is my completed glovebox. As I mentioned above, the door is a plank of Mahogany, veneered both front and back. For the opening of the box, I ran a strip of Mahogany veneer to hide the plywood instead of using paint. I chose Mahogany because it had a similar color to the Lacewood, which is what the face of the dash is covered with.
151408-glovebox.jpg
 
No John, there is no history of the veneer being damaged on the glovebox door when opening or closing. This is probably attibuted to the fact that the door is not a close fit within the panel's apperature.The back side of the door is also veneered. The exposed plywood laminations around the outer edge are painted a pleasing brown color to hide them.---Fwiw---Keoke
 
for anyone interested in obtaining walnut [burled ]if you so like or any other type wood veneer or solids,heres a couple of very good sources,Rockler-@rockler.com,Constantines-canstantines.com,and ML condons in white plains n.y.you can get anything from lacewood to african movinga,in book matched piecec if you like,ive taken the the finishing cources at constantines,given by "floyd rosini-restorers and conservators of fine antiques"including the [french polishing]segmant,it did not demonstate using 'fire' as a removel mechinism,it did prove that buying a {sealer} is totaly unnecessary,the stuff thats being sold is nothing more the what your final coat should be with minor needless variation a waste of money,they didnt sell this stuff when king 'loui' had all his guys rubbing and buffing his furniture, and it still looks great today,steelwool is a big no no,it might be ok for large things such as doors but on such a small piece as a dash,the microscopic pieces that will brake off will rear thier little ugly heads in the final buffing,very difficult to remove even with a 'tack'cloth,"aircraft stripper"as keoke mentioned,is about the best thing to use for removing old finishes,dont forget to nutralize it with some alcohol or water.for adhearing veneer to a surface i always use 'weldwood' contact cement.the original stuff,not the blue 'envir oh mentaly'friendly junk,good luck finding this if you live in califonia.i agee that plywood is the best all around choice for this application,solid in such a small piece wouldnt be that subject to warping but eventually the grain will split towards the center of the piece. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Is the door and the dash the same thickness of 1/2". Thanks again.

John

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes John,---Keoke
 
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