Woodwork (burl) on 89 560 SEL

[hbofinger]

Hi,

I am trying to do some wood restoration on our 560 SEL (W126). Ever since someone broke into the car to steal the radio there has been a nasty chip in the wood around the climate control system. I have gotten a new piece, but it is somewhat darker (it is brand new). So I want to stain the ashtray and the wood surrounding the gearshift to match the newer piece (and the burl shift knob I got, which is as dark as the new OEM replacement wood).

So I got a shot ashtray cover on eBay to experiment with and perhaps sacrifice. But for the world of it none of the varnish removers will work on it, nor will acetone. Does anyone know what compound these burlwood pieces were finish with? What will dissolve this? Has anyone here done their own restoration?

Thanks!

[oldsinner111]

If one could sand it maybe.I tried stripper and wood came up.If I had a belt sander thats what I'd try.

[bolomiester]

If the other wood is good, DON'T STRIP it. Most likely it looks lighter because the factory finish has become slightly "milky" from UV rays. Take it out of the car and wet sand it starting with 600 grit, working up to 2000 grit, clean it throughly than rub it out with rubbing compound and finally polishing compound then a coat of good wax. The color will look much darker. Basically you'll be treating it the same way you would tired paint.

Use plenty of water during the sanding steps but be careful about getting it under the edges of the factory finish, it has a tendency to lift if you do. Also, small steps in sandpaper grit size is much preferable to big jumps.

If all else fails the factory finish can be stripped with "aircraft" stripper, available at a lot of auto parts stores. My local Autozone has it. Even so it will work slowly and will take several applications to remove the finish. Put it on, then leave it overnight (12 hours). It won't work the way you are used to. After 12 hours the finish will look "crystalized" and can be scrapped off. Go slow, and don't use more than neccessary.

NEVER SAND. MB veneers are very thin. You'll go through to the backup wood very quickly.

[johnathan1]

Lots of good finish removal info...but what about re-applying the finish. Does anyone have any tips on products or technique?

[bolomiester]

I've tried a number of products, with mixed results, including automotive clear coat, and good old cellulose laquer, but the best by far is a marine grade, traditional varnish from Z-Spar. I use the 1015 captain's varnish thinned about 15% to start and building up several coats. The later ones thinned 10%. Depending on the temperature you may need more or less. Practice first, with an old piece! To get a feel for it. You want it to flow out nicely but not run. I use a disposable "Preval" sprayer, and lightly sand between coats. After the final coat has dried for about 2 weeks I rub out the finish with 3 grades of pumice stone then rotten stone using a hard felt pad.

The final results are stunning, but it will take a lot of time and a lot of work. However, the finish is very durable and UV resistant.

[hbofinger]

A couple of things:

1. I bought an experimental piece I could sacrifice, so there is no harm done at all yet. I won't move on to the real thing until I have this figured out.

2. I used to have a sailboat with lots of wood - mast, boom, gunnel, etc. So stripping and re-varnishing was a yearly experience. Naturally, the Z-Spar advice to the actual refinishing rings true to my heart. The idea is to put something on it that expands and contracts with heat/cold.

3. I also used to have a grand piano with a very glossy finish, made in Vienna, Austria, with "B" being the first letter of its make. I heard that the finish this company innovated (and is now widely used) was a particularly gruel finish to re-work, since it is close to composition of nail polish. The funny thing is that this finish, hard and glossy as it is, also cracks the same way, sporadically in a few spots, with long, almost straight lines, or if curved, very clean. So I am beginning to suspect that this is the same material. Wish I knew what it is.

I'll go to Autozone and try the aircraft stripper. I am not sure if it is the varnish that makes the wood look lighter, or if the wood itself bleached. I will post my findings.

Thanks again!

[bolomiester]

I bought my '89 300 SE last March, and the wood was really nice except for cracks in the finish of 3 pieces. The biggest crack was in the finish of the glove box door, which was several inches long. It took awhile but I eventually found an uncracked one on ebay as well as an uncracked ashtray, both at decent prices. While they had no cracks in the finish, they were dirty with light surface scratches. I gave them the sand and polish treatment I described earlier and they came out very nice and definately darker. I'll take a photo later today and it comes out good, you'll clearly see the color difference between the untouched finish and the sanded and polished finish.

[hbofinger]

Well, the aircraft stripper worked perfectly on my test ashtray handle I got from ebay. It has not damaged the actual veneer, so on this piece I am happy with the removal results.

Now here comes the challenge: As I wiped off the remaining loose varnish and ended up with bare wood, my paper towel I used became discolored. In other words, the wood was stained prior to varnishing at the factory.

Since the wood looks just like my untouched varnished back piece when wet, I was first wondering if just putting on the helmsman varnish would return the reddish tint. I did not. It made the burl look very pretty, but a more natural greyish color.

Enter the staining experiments: I cleaned up the piece again, and then tried red chestnut as a stain. Too dark, even with just a thin coat. Then I tried red mahogany - can't tell yet. The my hardware store suggested I try a water based varnish, since the piece looks closer to the finished piece when wet. Tried that - nice, but still not the same finish.

Does anyone out there know the right stain? The piece I am comparing my experimental finishing job to is completely free of any bleaching or varnish problems. I know because it is the back plate to the ashtray handle, and part of it was covered by the actual handle piece that was screwed on to it, i.e. the area never saw any sunlight!