I am trying to finish the burl wood from my 88 560sl
Looks like lacquer clear and a dye under for the burl finish
Anyone work on these

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[B]Mike Y.
00 sl500 sport
88 560 sl (sold)

So far I sander the clear down some to get the cracks looking better
Now I am getting ready to spray some lacquer over this

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[B]Mike Y.
00 sl500 sport
88 560 sl (sold)

Here is the finisished product if anyone is interested
I sanded it slightly with 400, then added coats of lacquer
this still let the cracks lift back up.
I got some 2 part epoxy clear this worked perfect
color sanded with 1200 and buffed with meguiers

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
[B]Mike Y.
00 sl500 sport
88 560 sl (sold)

Nice work!

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2006 BMW M5 "Heidi" @ 109,000 miles
2005 MBZ C55 AMG "Lorelai" @ 165,000 miles
1991 MBZ 300E "Benzachino II" @ 165,000 miles
1990 MBZ 500SL "Shoshanna" @ 118,000 miles

(On the hunt for a good used M103 engine as of 6/10/23, PM me if you have one to sell!)

This winter I got my first little cracks in a couple of places on my burl wood. It appears to be superficial cracking in the finish, not actually splitting of the wood. They are very thin short hairline type cracks in just a couple of places. I wonder if it will get much worse over time. It is barely noticeable now.

I was actually wondering if it was my firmer suspension that was causing the cracks to pop out this winter. In this cold weather, do you think the jarring from my tighter suspension could be causing things to crack?

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I just couldn't give up on my 1995 E320.

I think it might be like always going back to that same bad relationship with an ex girlfriend.
You feel you love them too much, or you are just too stupid to know any better.



Flickr slideshow of my 1995 E320
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24145497@N06/sets/72157616572140057/

I had slight cracks in mine
Some with larger ones also
I believe its from the changes in temp causing the wood to expand and contract
Thats why I went with the urtheane its great for not cracking plus it holds up to daily wear and thear
I wanted just to try to bury them with some clear and not ruin the original stain, if it didn't work I was going to strip them and start from scratch
I started with nitrocelouse lacquer, but that kept lifting the cracks to the top
When I switched to the 2 part clear urtheane that was the ticket
I wet sanded after last coat with 1500 and buffed I was very happy with the results
I don't Know if any better than the house hold varnish style urtheanes
I do Know it cost me more , but I like the glass like auto finish
I will send another pic with a close up
Don't have one here at work

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[B]Mike Y.
00 sl500 sport
88 560 sl (sold)

Dear Sir, with regards to your interior wood finishings you may find it is cracking due to the change in temperatures over the years, the hot/ cold weather pulling the poor Polyurethane this way and that. By tackling this problem DIY you are putting off the enevatable, a full strip and re-polish, expensive and time consuming, but you cant beat it... think of it like Nail polish, your wife wouldnt rub down her nails and repolish, she would strip the nail first, then apply new it looks and feels good, not that i wear it myself, but you get the idea. The cracks wont go away only worsen, you will always see them no matter what you do, this is due to the spraying process by layers.The reason for the colour staining you refer to...? is actually the colour of the old Polyurethane lacquer its what we call amber, and when applied starting from scratch it coincidently brings out the best in the Walnut/ wood.
Stripping is the best way forward men, take out the various parts... make a drawing of where they came from if you have to and apply liquid stripper to various parts one by one, these are delicate parts as they are veneered will take days to strip, clean off and neutralise with thinners, sand with fine paper and apply and build up finish coat by coat the best way is to spray them professionaly. Best regards, Miguel

Miguel
I tried to find a way to finish the wood over so I figured if I put a coat over
the original it was a good test on what type of paint is best
I found out the the 2 part auto uthereane worked best and easy to buff
I figured I could strip them down if the finish was not correct
I was testing because once i ruined it I had no other dash parts to replace it
I belive if you have slight scratches its easier to scuff them up and coat them over
The new utheranes are strong and they will hold up for a few years without stripping old pieces
I would stip and finish if the cracks are many and deep
If my cracks start to show again I know how to strip and finish
the wood
You always do better the second time

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[B]Mike Y.
00 sl500 sport
88 560 sl (sold)