Re varnish / Laquer.

[Chris01573]

Hi All, I have got a full set of reasonable original dash trim however whilst the ply and veneer is ok some of the varnish or laquer has lifted in places so I would like to strip all of them down and recoat. What would be the best way to strip off the old laquer and if I want to get an oringinal look satin sheen what products have people used ? Many thanks.

[DJT]

I have been successful in removing the original coating by using a hot air gun and scraper. Hot air gun will soften the coating whereby it can be carefully lifted with the scraper. Be careful not to burn the veneer. As for re-coating, there are many options available.

[jbuckl]

I used old school paint stripper & rustins plastic coating (2part) 17 coats.
Rustins product came recommended for this specific application.
3 coats per day seemed feasible , baking at 60 deg c inbetween.
it appeared to be as original & was buffed to a semi Sheen…. Any level of Sheen was possible, from matt to gloss.
But after a few years it seemed to have micro cracks.
perhaps that’s 100% original… but I was hoping for longer

[DJT]

I used old school paint stripper

Paint stripper would not touch the original coating on the ones I have done. Might as well have coated them in baby oil. The first set of wood I did was on my Mk1, and that was back in the day when Nitromoors was actually effective. The current stuff is cr*p.

[jbuckl]

Paint stripper would not touch the original coating on the ones I have done. Might as well have coated them in baby oil. The first set of wood I did was on my Mk1, and that was back in the day when Nitromoors was actually effective. The current stuff is cr*p.

Yes it was old school paint stripper…. Still available from the right places.

[Chris01573]

Thanks all, food for thought !

[Chris O]

I’ve refurbed a few dashboards in the past. It’s very difficult to remove the lacquer without damaging or burning the veneer. I suggest taking it very slowly, using a gentle heat and then using a blunt chisel working at a 45 degree angle across the veneer. It you go along the veneer you risk the chisel digging into it. If any veneer has lifted you can stick it back with superglue. I painted the edges of the glovebox with burnt umber poster paint.

You might want to give the wood a coat of wood stain before using Rustins plastic coating. If you have a light coloured wood, I found that Dartfords amber stain brought out the colour quite nicely. I let the plastic coating dry naturally and could do about 6 coats in a day. When you have around 12 coats on leave it to dry for a few days and then sand with wet and dry. If you want a satin sheen I found that Halfords satin lacquer could be sprayed on without any adverse reactions. Good luck.

[APS]

I have not tried this on a stag dashboard but I have on the wood veneer trim on an old Mercedes. So this might work but then again it might not it, but it may be worth considering.

The veneer trim on the Mercedes is very thin and is glued to aluminium trim which forms the panel. It is therefore really difficult to scrape off the lacquer, one dig too deep will cause irreversible damage. The lacquer on the veneer is hard and the veneer thin so that even sanding is risky.

The method that I used is to use acetone. Wiping the trim with acetone has absolutely zero affect on the old lacquer. However soak the trim overnight in acetone and the following day the lacquer just flakes off.

You need to put the trim and acetone in an airtight container, a container that will not dissolve, otherwise the acetone will just evaporate.

When it came to refinishing I found using a clear lacquer out of a rattle can was best. I did try using varnish but could not get the smooth gloss finish I wanted. Apply lots of thin coats of lacquer. When fully dry, 48 hours, just lightly go through wet and dry, start at 1200 until you get to 3000. Ended up with a high gloss finish.

Because the stag dash is plywood you are best to test my method before delving straight in as I do not know if soaking the stag dash in acetone will have a desired affect on the plywood.

[Sapphire CW]

I’ve done two dashboards the way Chris O explained it. Most of the time, the varnish will just chip off with extremely little pulling up of the slivers. And often without a heat gun. I hand sanded them after popping off the varnish or sand narrows areas where varnish wouldn’t budge. After a light, fine sanding, I would use mineral oil and let dry. Then I start the varnish, dry, sand, wipe process and apply 4-5 thin coats. It looks amazing.
I’ve never tried to add lettering but would like to try that on my next one.
Cheers,
CW