Really must do something about the woodwork in the old car. It's all easily removable. Got a quote of 250 gbp for having it re-done. The actual wood and veneer looks fine - it's just the 'varnish' which is cracked and peeling.
But how to remove it without damage to the veneer? Modern paint strippers simply don't, as it were.
Angle grinder! Then re-veneer. Whenever I've done this (sundry Triumphs) I've replaced them with a newly veneered panel, with better veneer.
It's also quite easy to simply make a new panel from scratch. This is useful for installing new switchgear or radios. I also tend to move the ignition keys down to a Saab-style transmission lock.
For a finish then I use either French-polished shellac (looks great, retouches easily in the future) or Rustins acid-cure floor varnish, as it's hardest and resists keys.
How old is the old car? Do you know what finish we are talking about here? If it's very very old, I'd associate finish checking with cellulose nitrate in which case I'd try and dissolve it with cellulose paint thinners (though to be honest i would have expected paint stripper to make an easy job of removing it first).
Another finish that was common in the 70s was polyester. This continues to harden with age and the cracking and peeling you describe is a common symptom. Opinion in my circle (which covers polyester-sprayed electric guitars in particular) is that a heat gun is the way to go here.
Nick
=A0 London SW
I've done this on wood door trims and dashboards when helping a friend restore late 40s/early50s cars, and Nitormors did the job. However they've removed the stuff that worked from Nitromors now, haven't they?
Cheers Richard
1985
The sort of paint stripper you can buy these days won't touch cellulose - I've tried it - unlike the Nitromors etc of a few years back.
Right - I'll give that a try.
I can buy NOS panels, but they're not perfect.
It's not a complete dash like Triumph used - just panels of wood.
I'll keep a note of that.
in which case maybe re veneer them after either sanding or dissolving the old shit off. Id soak in acetone - if that dissolved the glue so be it, if its any spirit based varnish it will strip it. If its polyester - give up and sand. Or use heat gun.
BTW - to strip it, I use wire wool. Use several grades of it - maybe
0 or 00 top start with, then 000 to finish. 0000 is for rubbing down during your re-varnishing. Final rub before refinishing is done with 3M or Webrax plastic scourers.Don't use steel wool around wood containing tannin (oak or chestnut), as the iron gives blue or black staining afterwards. Some people claim walnut can be an issue too, which makes it a problem for dashes. Use plastic, bronze or stainless abrasives instead. If you must use coarse steel wool to start, vacuum it afterwards to get the ferrous dust out.
There surely must be a chemical etc which will remove the varnish without necessitating re-veneering? I'd be surprised if the firm which quoted 250 for the lot replaces the veneer.
well it depends on how the veneer was applied: It it was done with PVA and pressure or hot glue or something like cascamite its will be happy with acetone.
But that will dissolve all the old varnish if its cellulose.
A guy who's doing up a property near me uses: Starchem 5 Ltr Paint Stripper 'Synstrip', and says it's what Nitromors used to be.
I bought a gallon on ebay to strip paint from wood - absolutely disgusting stuff but works for my purposes.
Might be worth asking for a jam jar full from your local repairers and giving it a go?
Rob
Nitromors was methylene chloride, which can still legally be bought, just not lablled as paint stripper. It is however toxic enough to make some precautions essential. When stripping I prefer to avoid it.
NT
I'm happy enough to do it outdoors. Thing is it actually worked. Modern Nitromors doesn't. Even although it is still an expensive product.
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