I plan on woodgraining my dash. has anyone here done this? if so, lets see some pics. I have an idea what Im going to do, just would like to see some different techniques,etc if you have em.
Do a search. There have been a number of threads on the subject. I'm considering the same for my Morris Minor, not only the dash but also the inside A-pillars, the sheetmetal over the doors and windscreen, and the inside door sheetmetal. Apparently there are two methods. One is available as a kit and involves transferring ink from a profiled master using a roller. Apparently that is how it was done in the factories back in the day, and many consider it the right way, indeed the only way if you're restoring factory woodgraining. The other involves hacked-up brushes, some deftness of the wrist, fine judgement, and a degree of trial and error. Despite the ease of getting it disastrously wrong this latter method has always appealed to me more than the other.
Stellar does a super wood grain paint job. See link - http://www.stellarrestorations.com/service_woodgraining.php - for pictures, and how they do it.
I met a painter at the Portland Roadster show Sunday who does some great looking wood graining, I got his card because I am thinking about having a dash insert and my window moldings done. Bob Hill who used to paint in Yakima, Wa was one of the best at it in the country before he got sick.
Dave who goes by the name Nostalgia Works on the HAMB does woodgraining. His process is a water decal type that gets clear coated over and comes in a variety of woodgrains and colors. He did a dash in a Packard we were working on and it looked great but I don't have any pics. I'll see if I can get some or get Dave to post some of his work on here.
This is Dave from Nostalgia Works....our process is called Hydrographic Transfer printing (also known as water transfer printing, liquid immersion, cubic printing). This is not a decal...it's an inking process by which we float specially formulated ink patterns on top of water. Once the film is activated...the item is then dipped through the ink and a chemical reaction occurs with the base coat, etching the pattern onto the base coated part. After it dries...it's sealed with automotive grade high or low gloss clear coat for a long lasting durable finish. We have many different patterns to choose from and you can check it out on our web site at www.nostalgiaworksmd.com, and view some of the items we have dipped in the picture gallery page. You can also find us at www.myspace.com/nostalgiaworks, and www.camospace.com/nostalgiaworks, for more pictures and information. pics. of the 37 Packard trim and dash pieces attached
That water transfer process fatabone is talking about is "Immersion Graphics". They can do an enormous variety of color and pattern combinations at very reasonible prices. Look here for a sample: http://www.immersiongraphics.com/patterns.html The place that did my dash seems to be out of business otherwise I'd recommend them. Rather than wood I wanted a stone look, but they can do anything with the process: Oops Dave- didn't mean to step on your toe- we must have been typing at the same time. Your stuff looks beautiful!
Hey....no problem...your dash looks badazz....we'd like to see this system become more prevalent in the hot rod and vintage rod world. Plus....it's a lot of fun to do!!!!
I never even considered this before, but now you got me interested. Here's some videos on youtube, including a guy that did it on his metal garage door
Jdee, here on the HAMB, works for Grain-it Technologies, and does it the old factory type method. Engraved plates, ink transfered onto a roller, then roller to the part. he has a nice website, and sells kits so you can do it yourself. The kits are available with your choice of wood type, and color. I've got one and even the first time I used it, it came out great. A lot of shops use his kits. I believe he'll even make custom plates for you, patterns like snakeskin, money, clovers. etc.
This is a glove box for a 1937 Nash that Dave from Nostalgia Works did for me as a test to see if I liked it.
Dashboard shmashboard, don't stop with just the dash, I did the whole car! Foam brushes, little foam rollers with squiggly marks melted into them with a starter shim, gel wood stain. Urethane yellow primer as base coat for the "maple", a carmel base coat for the "mahogany". Easy and fun. I'd rather do it myself than pay someone else.
Brian, do you have any pics of the rollers or brushes? I have a project that I may try some graining on. I bought a couple of graining tools, but haven't had much luck at making anything that resembled lumber.
Here are a few pics of the woodgraining we do at Alternative Automotive Design in Colorado AADSOCO.com
I have the kit from JDee, and I can tell you how NOT to do it. It's alot harder than you think, if you are trying to go for the 100% stock Ford look. Since I tried the first time, we had a baby, so it hasn't been real high on the priority list. Someday though... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=288467
Woodgraining.com JDee and crew can do it for you, to perfection. Or sell you the tools to do it yourself.
Sorry Django, That waterbased stuff really was hard to blend. Things are much easier now. I put most of our videos up here... http://www.woodgraining.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=11 Thanks Jdee
Nice job! I had a 50 Chevy wagon and also did it myself using gel stain. I didn't use rollers, instead, I used cheese cloth. The result was a bamboo look. So, just run down to your local Home Depot, pick up you need and do some practice runs until you are ready to tackle your dash. In short, it is very easy to do.
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