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Re-laminating dash

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J

Jere

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I am in process of re-laminating the dash of my TR6. I am wondering what the heck the factory used on the edge of the facia board and cubbie box door. Any suggestions are appreciated!
 
I used a hot horse glue,which was recommended in one of books I researched. It comes in powder form. I cleaned my surfaces, dampened the veneer to where it was flexible and brushed the glue on evenly. I then used a hot iron(no steam)to smooth things out. Place a damp towel between the iron and the veneer.
Much care needs to be taken when cutting the holes and edges out. Make sure you are happy with everything before cutting. Once the holes are cut it's nearly impossible to go back.
I didn't have any problems with my edges. I sealed them with urethane and then painted brown.
 
Can a person lightly sand the original dash and then put a couple coats of poly over it sanding in between coats?
 
I went to a hobby shop and got a small bottle of Floquil "roof brown", a railroad model color. It matches the original color very well and is a paint made with very fine pigment so it covers well and lays without leaving brush strokes. I painted it before the last coat of finish.
 
On the GT6 I refinished the original veneer with urethane varnish and I touched up the edges between panels with brown enamel paint. On the Spitfire project we needed to make a new center section. My son chose teak for the veneer. Once applied we cut the openings, sanded it all, and coated the panels with marine spar varnish. The edges were painted with brown enamel as we had done for the GT6. Our brown enamel was whatever the hardware store had.
 
I "sanded" mine with fine steel wool, then applied Danish oil (don't remember the exact kind - anyone know?), which really made it look original.

The Danish oil didn't leave it shiny, but very satin-ish and glowing. The original dash wood was <span style="text-decoration: underline">not</span> shiny or glossy like a polyurethane finsh or laquer, etc., does to it.

Lots of rubbing. Apply oil, rub with a soft cloth, vigorously. Do it again, and again, and again: you get the picture. After a case of carpal tunnel syndrome, my dash looked terrific! :cryin:

It's not easy to get the original finish off. Takes careful sanding with fine paper or steel wool, etc. It's worth the effort, tho'.

Let us know what you decide to use . . .
 
Lots of choices and types on ebay. Watch the sizes though, as many listings are for small pieces.
 
Call your local lumber or specialty lumber stores to see if they carry it or know of someone locally who carries it.
If you purchase a woodworking magazine, I'm certain there would be sources advertising. I bought burled walnut veneer in a very nice store in Charlotte, Michigan. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name.
Just found the name: L.L. Johnson Lumber Mfg. Co. & Johnson Workbench www.theworkbench.com .
 
I got the teak for the Spitfire from an eBay seller and I believe paid about $20. As Roofman said, read the product description carefully regarding the size.

In the category of "learn from my mistakes", plan your work carefully and use the biggest, heaviest weights you can to make sure things press together well. Paul Tegler has some information on his web site about making and veneering dashes.
 
What options are out there for people or companies who do refinishing? I'd like to have mine done (by someone who knows what they're doing).
 
Basil, I think most reputable wood working shops (maybe a cabinet shop) or furniture restorer can easily do this job.

To me, the key is approximating the original dash wood color and finish. Many of the Spits/GT6s used French walnut wood, which is not dissimilar to some types of teak. The finish is NOT high gloss, but satin.

Of course, you already know that. Also, from time to time there are a couple of vendors on eBay that sell unfinished replacement dashes, some with an extra hole for another gauge. All you have to do is apply the finish.

The dash is a huge focal point on the car, the eye is automatically drawn to the dash. It's worth getting right IMHO, and well worth any effort to do so.

Please let us know what you do, and post pix!
 
I did mine about two years ago while doing the resto on my TR6. I sanded off the original veneer then relaminated Walnut utilizing Ultra-Cat pre-catalyzed resin veneer adhesive that is mixed with water. In order to not have any delamination, <span style="text-decoration: underline">you must use pressure</span>. I built a jig to sandwhich the dash between two pieces of plywood and applied pressure by tightning all of the nuts. See photo of jig.
Then I gave it multiple coats of MARINE grade spar urethane since it has UV inhibitors in it. After it was dry (at least a week)I rubbed it down with Rottenstone and water. It will come out like glass if done right.
 
Finished dash
 
Finished dash
 
jerrybny--my TR250 dash had the original varnish coat cracking and coming off, the venner below was fine, I flake and heat gunned off the varnish or whatever the original coating was, and applied clear polyurethane, it worked very well, but it did come out much darker than the original, I like the look, but thought you should know that is how it turned out for me, I also went with a gloos finish, I don't know if that is what made it look darker or not.
 
Maybe a couple of coats of clear wood sealer before the poly would prevent color change?
 
Gliderman8 said:
I did mine about two years ago while doing the resto on my TR6. I sanded off the original veneer then relaminated Walnut utilizing Ultra-Cat pre-catalyzed resin veneer adhesive that is mixed with water. In order to not have any delamination, <span style="text-decoration: underline">you must use pressure</span>. I built a jig to sandwhich the dash between two pieces of plywood and applied pressure by tightning all of the nuts. See photo of jig.
Then I gave it multiple coats of MARINE grade spar urethane since it has UV inhibitors in it. After it was dry (at least a week)I rubbed it down with Rottenstone and water. It will come out like glass if done right.
Click to expand...

Any chance I could talk you into writing up a step-by-=step with pictures and adding to our Wiki? I might like to try that!
 
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