Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Have to refinish mine and was wondering if the original wood veneer,for a stock finish, was stained a a light blond or maple colour or was the wood just varnished(shellaced?) with a clear coat? What type of wood veneer was normally used back in the day? Satin or gloss? Thank in advance Karl
-
Hi Guest!
You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
TR4/4A TR4A Dash...was the wood veneer stained?
- Thread starter karls59tr
- Start date
Share this page
Offline
...and some of the original dashes were extremely dark, while others were lighter. Same with Heralds: all over the place! Dashes seemed to become more universally "pale" around the time of the TR5/250/6, GT6 and later Spitfires.
angelfj1
Yoda
Offline
I don't think they were stained. My first TR, a 1967 - TR4A, had an English Walnut (veneer) facia. As the finish aged the varnish became brittle and cracked. I carefully removed all of the old varnish (it wasn't transparent - sort of looked like orange shellac). The resulting exposed veneer was fairly light for walnut, so if a stain was used it must have been neutral, perhaps for sealing purposes only. We refinished the facia with a Danish oil treatment which resulted in a deep satin finish - beautiful. This was my preference. But, if I had used a high-gloss exterior polyurethane varnish,I believe it would have looked very original. Alas - no photos survive.
T
TRDejaVu
Guest
Guest
Offline
I obtained a used one, lightly sanded it back to the veneer and then used Tung Oil on it. That way, if it needs to be touched up, it's an easy job and not a complete refinish again.
Hi Tom So the middle picture is after the dash was stripped and the Tung oil applied? Nice look...it seems darker or is it just in a different light?....is the last pic before the stripping? Ian: does the Tung oil darken the veneer or does it look much like it did when stock?
T
TRDejaVu
Guest
Guest
Offline
Having seen many different TR dash's now, I wouldn't know what is stock any more. I couldn't find a before shot, but I remember that the original finish was quite bad. I would think that it has to darken it a bit, which I know isn't much help. I was looking for something not too dark or too light.
Here's mine, for what its worth.
Here's mine, for what its worth.
vivdownunder
Jedi Warrior
Offline
An option is to go upmarket with the timber dash for a really swish look.
When rebuilding the TR5 I had the dash veneered in burr walnut. It was one piece of veneer split with a central vertical join, so the grain mirror imaged side to side. Multi coated with anti UV lacquer, and the finished result was as good as a Roller or Bentley.
Four years later that car achieved a then record TR5 sale price of $60K.
Viv.
When rebuilding the TR5 I had the dash veneered in burr walnut. It was one piece of veneer split with a central vertical join, so the grain mirror imaged side to side. Multi coated with anti UV lacquer, and the finished result was as good as a Roller or Bentley.
Four years later that car achieved a then record TR5 sale price of $60K.
Viv.
Offline
I chipped the veneer off my TR250 dash, then just lightly cleaned and sanded and finished with clear polyurethane. It did not appear to have been stained or if stained it was a light stain, bur the clear finish made it look quite a bit darker than original and even darker than the earlier TR4A dash, but I like it, don't have any pics, but it is quite a dark, rich look.
tomshobby
Yoda
Offline
karls59tr said:
The first is before stripping it, the second is after the finish was applied. It was the bright sun. The third was after it was back in the car. The camera and sun brightness and angles effected the photos. I used Birchwood Casey products on it. https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/
V
vagt6
Guest
Guest
Offline
On my GT6 I used a light colored walnut and rubbed it with Danish oil (and rubbed, and rubbed, and rubbed . . .).
Looked perfect. The original finish on MKII GT6s was not varnished, but a silky fininsh. Quite natural looking, I like.
Nothing beats a nice wooden dash, IMO. I marvel at some of the upscale Brit cars of the day: Bentley; Rolls, older Jags. Pure beauty. I could sit and just stare at the woodwork for hours.
Looked perfect. The original finish on MKII GT6s was not varnished, but a silky fininsh. Quite natural looking, I like.
Nothing beats a nice wooden dash, IMO. I marvel at some of the upscale Brit cars of the day: Bentley; Rolls, older Jags. Pure beauty. I could sit and just stare at the woodwork for hours.