Sperry_22 Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Hi Guys At last I've plucked up the courage to restore my dashboard on my TR6 which has got all the signs of age, such as cracking lacquer and the effects of the sun as well as damp. It looked like the veneer below would have suffered and I would be looking for a new dash. However once I’d removed the copious layers of lacquer I found the veneer to be in great condition and well worth keeping. The only problem is that the veneer has faded unevenly from one side to another. The big question is what's the best colour stain or dye to restore an even colour back into the teak veneer before I start building back the layers of lacquer again. Not sure what Triumph used originally and it seems hard to find a correct shade. If anyone has any ideas on what best to do that would be great as I’m only going to get one go at getting this right. Thanks Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Welcome Tim. Sun bleaching usually only affects the very top surface, have you tried sanding the veneer face with 320 grit W&D? That's all I did when I restored mine & it came up as new. Use a flat wood bock when you sand, only sand with the grain & be careful not to overdo it as the veneer is quiet thin & it’s easy to go through it on the edges! Use a synthetic lacquer to get the deep lacquer look, oil based varnish or cellulose will craze over a period of time if you apply it too thick. If you need to, tint the lacquer rather than stain the wood directly as it rarely looks right. Make sure you remove excess lacquer from the gauge recesses as you go or the gauges won’t fit & you’ll find it much harder to ease them out after the lacquer has hardened. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
badshead Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Tim I can recommend 'Rustin's Plastic Coating' a two pack cold cure lacquer that will give you an excellent and very tough deep gloss finish without too much effort. It's widely available. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 (edited) Tim I can recommend 'Rustin's Plastic Coating' a two pack cold cure lacquer that will give you an excellent and very tough deep gloss finish without too much effort. It's widely available. Blimey can you still get that stuff; I lacquered my O level pass woodwork coffee table with it in 1965! From memory I think it should be ideal. Edited October 20, 2008 by Richard Crawley Quote Link to post Share on other sites
badshead Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Blimey can you still get that stuff; I lacquered my O level pass woodwork coffee table with it in 1965! From memory I think it should be ideal. Richard You're showing your age ! Yep, it's still readily available - I got my last lot from Axminster Tool Centre http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_...e=1&jump=44. It's good stuff - easy to achieve a good finish and very hard wearing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sperry_22 Posted November 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2008 Hi Guys Thanks very much for the advice and sorry for not getting back sooner, Yes Richard I like the idea of just carefully sanding back the veneer to even out the colour and avoiding having to use a stain or dye. This will keep it simple and original although I still like the look of those Walnut dashboards. I have also acquired a batch 'Rustin's Plastic Coating' and a supply of Wet n Dry from 360 to 1500 grit that should be fine enough to get a really nice final finish. The next hurdle now is to find a good time to sneak the whole lot into the house to apply the 10 or 12 coats of lacquer its got too cold out in the garage now for this type of thing. The wife will never know! The other problem is now you guys have helped me find Axminster “Toy” Centre I can’t help ordering Dewalt type stuff that’s got nothing to do with the TR, no harm though. Thanks again for the advice and if it looks good enough I will post some photos of the finished masterpiece Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hi Tim, clearly the excuse for varnishing the dash in the kitchen is that the finished article is for the living room, so that you can insert glasses etc into (like a coffee table but with holes). Women clearly wouldn't understand this (tongue stuck firmly in cheek) and when you've finished it simply declare it's not good enough for the house so stick it on the car. Please tell us how you get on as I have not actually tried this one!! Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ragtag Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 I have also acquired a batch 'Rustin's Plastic Coating' and a supply of Wet n Dry from 360 to 1500 grit that should be fine enough to get a really nice final finish. Hope it didn't come from the Dockyard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
steve26 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Hi Tim, I too am planning to refurbish my dashboard due to cracks in the lacquer. Unlike you I really do not like the walnut replacements. I hope to achieve a match same as original. This would also blend with my wood rim wheel better than walnut. I would be very interested to hear how you got on with the 'Rustins'. I asume as you planned to work in your kitchen, you applied by brush rather than spray. Did you sand after each coat? Were you happy with the result? Look forward to your, or any other 'Rustins user. Steve. Hi Guys Thanks very much for the advice and sorry for not getting back sooner, Yes Richard I like the idea of just carefully sanding back the veneer to even out the colour and avoiding having to use a stain or dye. This will keep it simple and original although I still like the look of those Walnut dashboards. I have also acquired a batch 'Rustin's Plastic Coating' and a supply of Wet n Dry from 360 to 1500 grit that should be fine enough to get a really nice final finish. The next hurdle now is to find a good time to sneak the whole lot into the house to apply the 10 or 12 coats of lacquer its got too cold out in the garage now for this type of thing. The wife will never know! The other problem is now you guys have helped me find Axminster “Toy” Centre I can’t help ordering Dewalt type stuff that’s got nothing to do with the TR, no harm though. Thanks again for the advice and if it looks good enough I will post some photos of the finished masterpiece Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trfella Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 The burning question is whether anyone will attempt to do any work to the gauges whilst it is all apart? Bit by bit I seem to be stripping the car down to my dismay, and I am contemplating removing the dash to install a volt meter where the rheostat is. If I am to do this, I almost certainly will need to do something to the wood, so the Rustins stuff seems to be the one to use. I think there comes a point where you have to say enough is enough, but at the same time if I am going to remove everything I'll only kick myself later for not doing something with the gauges. Decisions..decisions! The wife will kill me if I take any more of the car apart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bob-menhennett Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Tim So long as you understand that whatever you say and do.. the wife will always know that you are in the wrong, you'll be fine. Surrender gracefully just accept it is the way of the world. So do you want a short chastisement for " taking more of the car to bits " or comments each time she travels in the car, to the effect that " the instruments look a bit dirty/ poor in that nice smart dashboard , when are you going to clean them up" ? Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
glasgow4a Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Richard You're showing your age ! Yep, it's still readily available - I got my last lot from Axminster Tool Centre http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_...e=1&jump=44. It's good stuff - easy to achieve a good finish and very hard wearing. i am not having any success in obtaining rustins plastic coating as yet, but my query is how much is required as the stuff only seems to come in 250ml or 1ltr cans. i would have thought 1ltr was far too much, any thoughts on this, thanks ian walker glasgow 4a. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trfella Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 i am not having any success in obtaining rustins plastic coating as yet, but my query is how much is required as the stuff only seems to come in 250ml or 1ltr cans. i would have thought 1ltr was far too much, any thoughts on this, thanks ian walker glasgow 4a. I seem to remember my Father using this many, many moons ago. So it is still considered top dog eh? What is recommended for a decent finish on a TR dash - spraying or brushing? I would wire wool to achieve a semi matte finish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jersey Royal Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 i am not having any success in obtaining rustins plastic coating as yet, but my query is how much is required as the stuff only seems to come in 250ml or 1ltr cans. i would have thought 1ltr was far too much, any thoughts on this, thanks ian walker glasgow 4a. Hi Ian, According to there literature i litre will cover 13-15 sq metre 1 coat, so 250ml will cover a quarter of that. So 250 ml should do for app 3.5 sq m so you should have plenty to apply two full coats to a Tr6 dash. Looking into it myself. Cheers Guy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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