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refinishing wood wheel

napa 1

napa 1

Donation Time
Finally found some time to work on the wooden steering wheel for my Le Mans. I stripped off all of the old flaky varnish, followed by a fine sanding. The wood rim is in perfect shape and ready for finish. Now, any recommendations on what product and how to apply the new finish? It looked as if there was a stain used under the varnish originally. It is a Les Leston wheel and by the way, that was some tough varnish used by the factory.

Thanks
 
Ken Ellis

Ken Ellis

Donation Time
Since you probably don't have tinted windows, then UV stability of the topcoat would seem prudent. There are various 'spar varnishes' used in boating woodwork that you might consider. I believe 'spar' is a sailing mast reference, and 'varnish' is often used to refer to polyurethane products as well. UV-rated poly will not be period-correct, I'm sure, but it will probably be durable and non-yellowing.

Don't have any input on stain, though... A place like Woodcraft will have a blinding array of colors, plus dyes, etc. for the choosing.

Good luck!
Ken
 
R

RickC

Donation Time
John,
Many varnish's will darken the color of the wood some what when applied, so you may not want a stain (not as much with polyurethane). You can check this by wiping denatured alcohol on the wood to give you an idea of the color. You also might want to use a sanding sealer to give you a smooth surface and seal in any impurities (white shellac will work). If you plan on using a stain make up some test samples so your sure you like the color. The various types of stains can be a bit confusing, some are harder to work with than others I would probably suggest a wipe on oil base stain that you can control the depth of color using mineral spirits on a rag.

If you are going to use a polyurethane, the one caution is that it's very hard to strip off if this has to be done again in the future.
Rick
 
C

Chuck Ingram

Donation Time
I agree that the sealer will darken the wood.However a light coat of stain will keep the color looking the same longer than if done without it.
I definitly would not recommend white shellac.At anytime if moisture should get to it it will most likely get a white blush.There are varnish base sanding sealers that are excellent.The advantage is the similar base of the sealer and finish material.Thin the first coat a bit and when dry follow with a full coat.Sand well or use a buffing pad to be smooth.apply 2 full coats of Spar varnish.Most have an Ultra Violet ban included.Wet sand smooth and clean well.Apply a very light coat to bring back the gloss.
Have fun
 
H

howard

Donation Time
Spar varnish will have a yellowish tint to it- the thicker or amount of coats, the yellower. Should be okay against whatever stain you use... just be aware. The bluish-white film caused by moisture is technically called "bloom" to artists. I don't know about spar varnish being susceptible to bloom, but many picture and shellac varnishes should only be applied when there's low humidity. Usually need to make sure it hasn't rained in the previous 24 hours/isn't going to rain in the next 24.
 
R

RickC

Donation Time
Chuck,
Good point on the sanding sealer, the brain was not functioning.:eek: My background is in antique furniture and hopefully moisture does not play a part.

Rick
 
C

Chuck Ingram

Donation Time
RickC said:
Chuck,
Good point on the sanding sealer, the brain was not functioning.:eek: My background is in antique furniture and hopefully moisture does not play a part.

Rick
Click to expand...


We all seem to get that non brain functionig momnent at one time or another.
My son does French polish on some of the guitars he builds so you will appreciate that type of finish
As to wood finishing I was a commercial painter for all working life.I painted amost 50 years.The last 30 was self employed and wood work was my forte.The more moldings etc the better I enjoyed the job.My basic job was
5 coats of lacquer and if I didn't like the look it got 1 or 2 more. I was pretty exclusive to a few custom builders and never was short of work.Matching stain or new to old was just a simple part of the job.Not like today when if its not in the book they try the computer and it can't match stain too well at all.
Are you repairing antique furniture as well as refinishing?
 
R

RickC

Donation Time
Chuck Ingram said:
We all seem to get that non brain functionig momnent at one time or another.
My son does French polish on some of the guitars he builds so you will appreciate that type of finish
As to wood finishing I was a commercial painter for all working life.I painted amost 50 years.The last 30 was self employed and wood work was my forte.The more moldings etc the better I enjoyed the job.My basic job was
5 coats of lacquer and if I didn't like the look it got 1 or 2 more. I was pretty exclusive to a few custom builders and never was short of work.Matching stain or new to old was just a simple part of the job.Not like today when if its not in the book they try the computer and it can't match stain too well at all.
Are you repairing antique furniture as well as refinishing?
Click to expand...

Yes, I do repairs as well as refinishing. I had a restoration business for about 15 years but got tired of having to take in projects I did not enjoy working on just to pay the bills. So now I have a different career and work on true antique furniture for my own pleasure.

Rick
 
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