I should have learned lessons from knives... in my car restoration!

[Justin.Mercier]

So I'm about 14 months into a complete frame off restoration of my old Triumph TR6, with all the mechanical stuff done, and just body work and re-assembly to go. Well, last winter I re-did the wooden dashboard with some nice yew burl. I finished it with a marine spar varnish from System Three, because it had a nice level of UV protectant in it. Well... I should have stuck with the finishes that I know from my knife handles instead. I pulled the dashboard off the shelf a couple weeks back to test fit some gauges and whatnot into it... and the finish was soft, and i left a finger print in it. Apparently this is common for marine spar varnishes, as the malleability offers greater protection in a salty wet environment. The marks in the dash were not repairable without re-finishing the whole dash. I spent several days sanding back down the whole dashboard, and instead am using tried and true rub-on Formby's Tung Oil Finish. It's perhaps not as 'long lasting' in a potential outdoor object (convertible wooden dashboard) but, it's very easy to fix any problems, and fixing issues doesn't require sanding back down to bare wood.

I guess the lesson learned here is... stick with what you know if the result is important. Experiment on lesser projects before potentially ruining 100$ in show grade veneer and materials.

the dash is looking good again, but I'm only 2 coats in with the Formby's, so i've got a good week of applying layers to go.

I've been just lurking for a good while, while doing the car project, so happy new year to everyone too !

 

[tedinatl]

Very nice project! Would love to see the car when it's all done. The tung oil will certainly bring out the beauty in the wood, but it might take a fair amount of upkeep. Did you consider using some type of epoxy coating on the dash? You can get the pour-on self-leveling type that will actually penetrate the wood and make about a 1/16" thick coat on top of the wood which can be buffed/polished and will be completely waterproof and UV resistant (it is more commnly used on wooden counter tops, but for your application I would think it should do really well).

 

[fast14riot]

Umm, I have never had a spar varnish soft enough to hold a fingerprint. That doesn't sound right. They will stay a little soft so the spar can flex and not pop the finish off, but not even soft enough to really leave fingernail marks. For non-marine brightwork, like this dash, I have had auto shops just spray clear over it and it has held up fine. A friend of mine even had his whole boat done, bottom and all.

I am not familiar with that species of wood, but is it an oily wood?


-Xander