Removing the old finish is pretty easy. Paint stripper to soften it up and remove as much as possible of the disolved product. Then take fine steel wool and gentally scrub it down with laquer thinner to remove the remaining residue. The laquer thinner also dries out the wood quickly.

Rule number one I suppose besides wearing rubber gloves etc. Is stay away from using water or water based products on bare wood. You do not want to expand the old fossilized cells it the wood. The steel wool also tends to smooth the surface or polish it to some extent during the wash down.

It does not disturb the original patina of the wood either. Unless you get really aggressive with the steel wool.

Actually by aquiring another set of wood cheap or free. So many sets just get crushed. If you should mess up along the way probably is not as bad if you mess up somehow on the only set you have. There is little reason to mess up unless you do not follow steps.

Old style laquer is the easiest thing for paint strippers to dissolve. To me using the laquer thinner wash is mandatory. Do not sand the wood.

One might get away with a sandpaper in the 1500+ grit range but that's not going to do much as far as smoothing the wood.

I have read that steel wool can lodge in the wood grain and rust before you can get it sealed with stain or clear. I use scotchbrite but it's very abrasive and will remove wood like sandpaper. A light rubbing is all you can do without damage, very light. Don't ask how I know.

You can't level the wood. Don't try it. The veneer is too thin and delicate. The low grain must be filled with clear many times and sanded smooth to produce a high gloss sheen.

The stripping process is a bear. If the stripping compound dries you'll almost be starting over when you try to get it off. You want to catch that stripper when it's ready which requires patients and attention.

Recently a chemical called methylene chloride was deleted from the formula of most stripping products. Those products which our members used a few years back will not work the same now without that chemical.

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

The biggest hurdle in getting the job done, is thinking about it.

Use the lowest harmful chemical you can to get the old stuff off, do whatever is recommended, and get the job done.

The hardest part is getting a nice finish once you apply the varnish. It will take a few coats but the last coat is the hardest.

I loved finishing. The two part clear I used required four days after a coat to dry enough to sand but it can be recoated after it dries to the touch. In 70ish temps that's about an hour and the pot life of the finish is 4 hrs.

I two coated it then sanded to level it a bit after four days then shot another two coats on it. I enjoyed the sanding because I could tell by touch that it was leveling fairly well even after only the first two coats.

I have a piece of zebrano 1/42nd inch coming to attempt to replace one piece of the wood's laminate. If this is successful I may start buying up pieces which have cracked wood and give laminating and finishing them a hobby. This is more my style than turning nuts and bolts.

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

This should work. Pieces on the small size. Too small in area for furniture applications perhaps can be had at reasonable cost. Some veneer houses are really expensive. You probably can steam them over a bad set to get them into better shape to fit the contours on the set they are going on.

I have never seen veneers as thin as what you mention. They should present no problem. I am not sure you actually have to use veneer quite that thin. Although it should make application easier. Many veneers are not flat when you get them. With veneers that thin you have to get them on flat as you do not have the latitude for sanding.

Strippers are not nearly as powerful as they were years ago. Laquer is not a hard finish to attack with even todays stuff. I really believe that the wash and scrub with the thinner has no real substitute.

Someone mentioned the steel wool leaving pieces behind to rust. I have heard this many times and places over the years. At one time people used water to try to clean up may have been the reason. That would start the steel rusting. Do not use water and you cannot really clean up with just more stripper.

The thinner washes all the residue off and out of the surface grain. Then dries out fast. So you are not promoting the steel to rust if any is trapped in there. Or perhaps stainless steel pads can be located.

If not doing this can make or break a job I am not certain. When the part looks pretty clean initially you can see the color of the thinner darken as it is removing all the remaining residue. The reality is you still can get some pieces to practice on and it will make you feel more comforatable.

In my generation many of us were technically scroungers at locating what we needed really cheap or free. It was an acquired art form. I still have the skill set but there just is not the surplus stuff around as much anymore.

I need a couple of hundred sheets of good used plywood soon. Or even surplus new. I will ask around but they have been getting far scarcer to find all the time. The railways used good plywood to block the doors to load grain in boxcars years ago. Then sold the plywood cheap or gave it away for the asking.

I am still up to getting some free or low cost wood veneered dash parts. I think it is all in how you approach doing it. Wreckers with brains will sell things cheap if they know otherwise it is just going to the crusher. Or you are fortunate to have people with cars that will never see the road again in your area.

If you ask the right way usually. You want some just to practice on. I know this probably sounds strange in todays world. Or you can get into a good conversation and leave your request till the end of it. This makes it harder for them to say no.