Do you know what is the OEM wood trim finish on the Zebrano wood? mine ihas mostly peeled uff. What is a good way to strip off the rest? I am thinking just putting on a non gloss Tung oil or Watco oil finish. How do you think that will look?

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

http://server1.serverway.net/~boostd/Wood/

1982mb 240d 617.950 4speed no aldl
1991bmw 325I <e30> bistein sport susp,susp tech bars,4:11lsd,soon to be m50..

How about putting new veneer.. Instead of zebrano.. A burl walnut..

I have used this procedure several times and it works perfectly. If you have the patience to go through the stripping sequences you will be rewarded with what looks like a brand new console.

I re-finish furniture/gun stocks/neat or fine wood projects for fun...yeah, I can be a pervert! I but I do enjoy this type of work.

Just a hint on stripping...apply the stripper, NOW wrap the piece in plastic wrap (trash bags work great) and let it sit, soak, and strip. The plastic keeps the stripper from drying out and makes it work much better. Just peel the plastic back and strip a few inches, repeat.

Junk credit cards make good scrapers, they won't scratch the wood. Wear good rubber gloves!

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Mark
1983 300TD Wagon
Even a broken watch is right twice a day

Now that is a good tip. The reason I read forum for!!!! That would have save me probably 7 applications of stipper. That Urethane layer is really thick. I tried Rosewood color it come out a little light on color but i actually prefer it to the darker zebrano...

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Aquilae non capunt muscas! (Eagles don't hunt flies!)


1979 300SD Black/Black MBtex239000mi
1983 300TD euro-NA. White/Olive Cloth-MBtex 201000mi. Fleet car of the USA embassy in Morocco
1983 240D Labrador Blue/Blue MBtex 161000mi

Remember not to sand the veneer. That would remove any natural patina the wood has.
After washing your pieces well of any stripper residue with laquer thinner. Make sure to allow enough time for the wood to dry out. The one time I ignored this the new finish developed hairline cracks.
A good replacement finish is catalized laquer. It is really tough and will present a nice finish with many coats. You may have to rub it out a little of course. It also should not tend to dry out and crack. You see this finish commonly on wooden kitchen/dining room tables in the last few years as it also does not become stickey or break down easily.
I personally do not thing urathane finishes with no hardeners are a good ideal. Yet everyone to there own inclinations. It also never hurts to get a piece from a junk car and do it first to see if your expectations are met.

Tell us more about that catalized lacquer... what brand what place to buy it... more details, more more... passing out on thinner high...

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Aquilae non capunt muscas! (Eagles don't hunt flies!)


1979 300SD Black/Black MBtex239000mi
1983 300TD euro-NA. White/Olive Cloth-MBtex 201000mi. Fleet car of the USA embassy in Morocco
1983 240D Labrador Blue/Blue MBtex 161000mi

I have been refinishing/restoring antique furniture for more than 30 years and the best way to strip has already been mentioned.....the plastic bag route. One thing should be added...use a semi paste. I would rag off the old finish and not scrape or sand. By ragging you preserve most of the original color. Stain does penetrate the wood and by scrapping or sanding you'll remove that original color. To help bring the original color back out, try brushing on a coat of golden oak stain. It is has very little in the way of pigments and tends to not change the original color but does seem to enhance it. Go with a thinner base or water base stain as an oil base stain will fade. If stripped correctly i.e. no scrape or sand, I think the original color/patina will be left in the wood and it will look fine. Save ya a step too.

Pre cat lacquer is super durable but boy is it finicky. By that I mean it tends to fisheye more often than regular lacquer, the room temp has to be perfect, the humidity has to be way low and what ever you do, do NOT make a mistake. You'll strip it again if you make one mistake as you cannot touch it up and blend it back in like you can with regular nitro cell lacquer. It will have to be sprayed to obtain many thin coats thereby actually building a thick finish. Actually any finish you use will have to be sprayed for best results. I would use a gloss to match the original.

Your idea of Watco is a good one but it will darken the color somewhat and you will have to recoat it in the coming months so personally I wouldn't use that but it is very forgiving. Also the sheen of the Watco or tung oil isn't comparable to the original finish.

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks for all the exc tips. The chips that has peeled off is not clear white but a translucent brown so it adds a darker color to the trims. Only the glove box and center dash trim and ash tray are not cracked or peeled. I assume I should refinish these pieces also even though they don't need it because trying to make them match would not be an easy task?

It is not that important to me to refinish it to original OEM look. As long as it look nice and pleasing and is durable and easy to maintain I am happy.

What about French polish? I have always wanted to try it. I don't think it is the best because it is alcohol based and does not do well with water, but it is easy to touch up and can be polished to a glassy sheen. What do you experts think? Dumb idea?

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Oohh I forgot to ask this: What is the procedure to remove the 5 wood trim pieces above the ash tray? I don't want to chance breaking anything.

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

"What about French polish? I have always wanted to try it. I don't think it is the best because it is alcohol based and does not do well with water, but it is easy to touch up and can be polished to a glassy sheen. What do you experts think? Dumb idea?"

Not such a dumb idea but a whole lot more work than a spray finish and you'll get the same results and a much more durable finish with pre cat.

I'd like to know just what the factory finish is. I think it must be nitro-cell lacquer because at the time of manufacture I don't think pre cat was available. If it is regular lacquer it sure held up well.

Cheers,

Bill

You now have the benifit of an experienced furniture refinisher on board. A friend of mine in the business only uses the pre catilized laquer finish for the last 10 years or so.
Why not strip the pieces and try to find a furniture refinish guy in your local area to spray them? Probably the small quantity of finish material you need is not available without buying far more than you need.
What would you do with all the surplus material left over anyways? You can check the price out if there is a small refinisher in your area again. Ask around.
Make sure you strip and wash them down well first though. Should be quite inexpensive and you get his application experience. I would also ask the same guy the best local stripper to use. Some of these guys really try to help out and he may even sell you a little of what you need reasonably if asked.
Use nothing water based or requiring a water rinse in my opinion. You will also be suprised how the laquer thinner washes off all the stripper residue. The only caution to go careful in my opinion would be to spare attacking the glue between the veneer and metal backing.
No reason the trim pieces cannot come out looking like new and far more durable than they were originally. At little expense as well.

If the original finish was laquer it sure stood up unusually well. It was not the present reinforced laquer product I believe either. I always thought it had the look of unhardened urathane. Even if laquer. Thick normal laquer likes to shrink and crack over time I believe.
I do not remember seeing a 123 dash area when only one or two years old. Plastic manufactured woodgrain filled the gap about that time on a lot of cars. I only did a 114 coupes wood but it turned out quite well with little effort. Sometimes I even suprise myself.
The reason I think it wise to stay away from water base products was to stop the wood absorbing moisture and swelling. Then slowly shrinking back over time causing problems with the finish. Or even worse affecting the final finish right away.
Your furniture guy might recommend a sealer before final finish when he sees your pieces. So try to talk to one of them at least. This is not rocket science.
You can get a really comparable to original quality finish with a little guidance. As a poster mentioned use the gloss material. Not the flat or semi gloss if there is one. The hardened clear coat material applied to cars is another alternative that is quite hard. I just do not know anyone that has tried that. It too should be a hard unsticky finish with good gloss. You really do not want any type of soft finish as the protection of the veneer is important in my opinion.
Let us know how you do as there are a lot of us out there that might consider doing our wood if a few members found it not too bad a job. A lot of these cars could stand the wood trim done over. Perhaps somewhere between a sticky and an oil thread could result from your efforts.

Does anyone have an updated link for this one?

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1989 300E 144K