For 'sparking' plugs I like Champion (don't recall the gap but whatever the
manual sez is what I use).
For the dash refinish I'll give you my .02:
Staining is an art. The best thing to do is experiment on a spare piece of
wood. Maybe you have some leftover veneer. The final 'look' will depend on
how finely you sand it, if you use a colored filler, the color of the stain
and finally, what the 'varnish' makes all that look like over top of it.
Fine sanding is critical to a great finish. Use the finest grade sanding
'paper' you can get, maybe finish up with 000 steel wool or a 3M very fine
sanding pad.
I think using a contrasting grain filler looks nice (black for a light wood
and tan for a dark wood). It really pops out the grain and makes it come
alive.
The final stain color (darkness) will depend on how many coats you put on,
to a degree. There is a big difference between the first and second coat,
diminishing returns thereafter. It also depends on how the wood absorbs the
stain and what color the stain is , of course. Like I said, trial and error
is the best indicator.
The finish coat could be glossy polyurethane. I might try a tung oil
finish, though. It is easy to apply and dries fairly quickly. To have a
thick finish though, you need to reapply several coats. I apply this with
my fingers, (no brush marks). I have used tung oil on several walnut shift
knobs with no problems, it seems to be durable enough for an auto interior.
(I never understood why the shift knobs weren't designed to match the dash
color/finish, or vice versa.)
One of the most important things you can do to end up with a great finish,
is to make sure you don't get dust, dirt, etc. on the dash while it is
drying. Try to put it someplace, under a cover if possible, to avoid
airborne particles.
Spark plugs are so much easier....but they don't look as good.
Terrence Banbury
> ----------
> From: Bill Kelly[SMTP:bk54@erols.com]
> Reply To: Bill Kelly
> Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 1:01 AM
> To: Kevin Rhodes
> Cc: Spitfire List
> Subject: Re: Spark plugs and dash refinishing
>
>
> Kevin,
>
> Um, if it's too light for your liking, stain it!
>
> Start with something light - Minwax Ipswitch Pine looks great on maple
> in my Herald. Err on the side of yellow - every replacement dash I've
> ever seen except mine :> is too brown.
>
> Give it a couple days to air our, then apply 6 coats of water-based
> polyurethane, with a satin finish, such as Benjamin Moore "Stays Clear"
> in the Low Lustre flavour. Use foam brushes. The water-based stuff won't
> yellow or crack like standard polyurethane. Hand sand after coat 3
> dries, with 150 grit paper. It's going to take 3 coats to seal the
> grain. Allow at least half an hour between the first 3 coats, and an
> hour for coat 3 to dry before sanding.
>
> Hand sand again after coat 5 dries, with a very fine grit paper. Give
> coats 4 and 5 an hour each to dry.
>
> After coat 6, wait 24 hours before you put it in the car, to let the
> finish fully harden.
>
> If you choose standard polyurethane, recognize that it will add a yellow
> hue to the finish. Also, change all references to 'hours' to 'days'.
>
|