Look what I just got from the UPS truck - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Chad300tdt · #31 10-14-2008, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 79Mercy

did you photoshop that?? JK. It really looks great, looks like alot of time was put into it. But I have the rare burl wood.

Thanks.

I could make an unfinished base for you and include the black cups. Then you could locate some burl wood veneer and finish it yourself.

EDIT: Oh yeah, there's absolutely ZERO photoshopping on the pics, not even color correction or sharpening.

MTI · #32 10-14-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

It will also take a few weeks for me to make them due to the curing times for the MANY layers of varnish required to match the look of the wood in the car.

That's because Mercedes doesn't use many layers of varnish. The "anti-splintering" coating that they use is more akin to a poured resin coat.

Chad300tdt · #33 10-14-2008, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTI

That's because Mercedes doesn't use many layers of varnish. The "anti-splintering" coating that they use is more akin to a poured resin coat.

Yeah, those bar top resin kits cost too much money for this project, but I considered going that route first.

Hatterasguy · #34 10-14-2008, 08:00 PM

If you went with a wood finish like Sikken's you could probably build up faster. You can use the classic at first if you need to darken it, than go to the clear.

Bristol is actualy probably pretty close to what MB used. You also won't be able to get it that flat.

bill murrow · #35 10-14-2008, 09:35 PM

Whatever you do use precat as the topcoat and use a water base stain underneath.

Precat is tough as nails and water base stain will not fade in the sun.

omegabenz · #36 10-16-2008, 03:36 AM

looks good chad. It kinda looks like the little board they put ginger and wasabi on at the sushi restaurant! =)

BrierS · #37 10-16-2008, 04:24 AM

Chad,
Please add me to your list for a 123 holder (at your new price) and if you decide to venture into the 124, I would purchase one for my 300TD.
Thanks,
Steve

KarTek · #38 10-16-2008, 05:51 AM

That looks very nice, Chad. When I saw the first picture, I had no idea how it was supposed to look when finished...

So, are the cup holders not present in the factory setup? What's in that spot originally?

Chad300tdt · #39 10-16-2008, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omegabenz

looks good chad. It kinda looks like the little board they put ginger and wasabi on at the sushi restaurant! =)

Maybe I should contact the local restaurants.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrierS

Chad,
Please add me to your list for a 123 holder (at your new price) and if you decide to venture into the 124, I would purchase one for my 300TD.
Thanks,
Steve

Thanks for the order Steve.

I'm working on getting w124 and w126 consoles for mockup.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarTek

That looks very nice, Chad. When I saw the first picture, I had no idea how it was supposed to look when finished...

So, are the cup holders not present in the factory setup? What's in that spot originally?

Thanks Evan.

There is just an empty tray there:

KarTek · #40 10-16-2008, 12:15 PM

I see... My car has an arm rest in that spot with storage underneath and a funky (expensive/fragile) deployable cup holder...

wbrian63 · #41 10-16-2008, 03:13 PM

All of the wood in W140-chassis cars is zebrano (or burl, or even rarely birdseye maple) veneer bonded in layers with thin aluminum sheeting. They use some sort of epoxy resin as a binder between the layers.

However, their stuff is a sandwich of multiple wood/metal layers (if I remember correctly).

Regardless, NICE work - coming from one accomplished woodworker to another of obvious talents.

Question - what did you use for the substrate? Plywood, MDF, solid wood, particle board?

Also - what did you use for the finish - it looks wonderfully glossy and free from surface aberrations like orangepeel.

I've always read when veneering, that you're supposed to veneer both sides of a surface - usually the underside is done with a cheaper species of wood. This is supposed to prevent cracking and warping due to uneven moisture transmission. Did you veneer both sides?

However, if you were to use a plywood substrate (specifically a non-voiding product like Baltic Birch or Apple-ply), which is really just a bunch of layers of veneer, I personally think the double-veneer route wouldn't be required.

MDF is a good alternative, because it's dead flat and really heavy, which would be a bonus in stability for the holder. Since you're using cup-type inserts and not trim rings, you wouldn't have to worry too much about subjecting the MDF to moisture in the event of a dribble or small spill. However, a big spill that could come into contact with the MDF if not cleaned up IMMEDIATELY, will cause the MDF to swell permanently and that will destroy the smooth surface you've worked so hard to attain.

Nothing offered here is in the form of criticism - I've just got some questions for projects like this I'm wanting to attempt. I need something just like this for my newly acquired 450SEL 6.9 - but the rest of the wood in the car needs so much work I've got many other projects ahead of that in the queue.

Again - looks first class - fitting of the vehicle in which it is installed...

Chad300tdt · #42 10-16-2008, 03:36 PM

Thanks wbrian63.

The cup holder in the pics was made using solid wood. I didn't veneer both sides because I thought the wood was thick enough with small enough dimensions to avoid any problems. I also coated the whole piece with Helmsman Spar Urethane in addition to the multiple layers on the veneer. The wood has the grain running perpendicular to the grain in the veneer too.

Achieving the smooth surface was easy but time consuming due to applying the urethane, waiting for it to cure, sanding it smooth, wiping it down and repeating until it closely matched the appearance of the wood in the car.

I believe I'm going to make all the future cup holders from MDF which will be completely varnished to seal it ... I already thought of spills, as my wife has spilled her coffee in every vehicle she's owned so far.

I'm also going test to see if Goldspar will be a better choice for the finish as far as building up layers faster.

wbrian63 · #43 10-16-2008, 08:14 PM

Probably for small dimension items like this you're right. Sealing it on all sides will help to combat splitting, and the 90 degree orientation of the veneer to the substrate will help as well.

More and more I'm doing work using man-made materials, like MDF, MDO, Melamine, etc. Even the best places to get hardwoods are fighting a losing battle to provide decent quality lumber at a reasonable price.

Some of my projects I've had to allow for 40% waste due to lumber that twists, checks and warps after I get it bucked down to near useage size. I used to be able to buy lumber and cut the parts down to within 1/4" width and 1/2" length (cutting off 2+ inches at the ends) - allow it to rest for a couple of days and then do the final machining. Now, I don't dare go any closer than 1/2" on the width to allow for re-jointing the edge to get what was once a straight piece back to straight again.

What's worse is the buggers plane everything down to just over 1/32" large in thickness. I used to be able to count on buying S3S 4/4 lumber and expect to get something close to 7/8" thick. Plenty of meat to allow for twisting and still be able to joint and plane it back flat again. Now, I frequently find the higher priced stuff (Maple, Walnut, Cherry) is just over .800 thick when I take delivery. That leaves me under 1/16" if I want to get .750 as my final thickness. Usually I end up settling for .700 or even as thin as .675 for stuff I indended to be .750.

Too much off thread...

Most of the furniture I build I use water-based lacquers from a place called Target coatings. You can buy it online, and I "think" it's pretty UV stable. I think the place is in MA. Sprays right out of the can with normal tools. I have a SATA HVLP conversion gun I use for big work, but I've also sprayed it with my cheapie Craftsman touchup standard (meaning 90% in the air and 10% on the part) gun with very acceptable results. In warm weather (which we have a lot of down here in Houston), it dries to a sandable state in about 40 minutes. It does tend to yellow very slightly over time, but doesn't seem to progress much. That yellowing adds a warmness to any wood it's applied over. The best part about the stuff, at least as compared to Polyurathane is that it has 100% burn. By that I mean that it's a solvent for itself, so each coat bonds with the previous by slightly softening the previous layer. Touch-ups are a breeze, and there's no required sanding between coats except to remove dust nibs and other foreign particles. Dries hard as a rock after about 72 hours.

To minimize the fuzzing that you can get with water-based top coats, you can slightly dampen the wood with distilled water and allow it to air dry, then sand very gently with 220 grit. You can do this even if you're using an oil-based stain. If you're doing a lot of coats, you can omit the water step because you'll eventually bind all the grain fuzz up in the finish layers.

Keep the good work coming.

One other question - what did you use to adhere the veneer? (poet & don't know it)

Chad300tdt · #44 10-16-2008, 08:48 PM

I haven't had to deal with those lumber issues, since I mostly build with MDF and paint the pieces. Most of the wood working I do is lamp bases, frames and light boxes for my stained glass work.

I need to get a jointer/planer for some other upcoming projects. I'm going to be building some furniture pieces with glass inlays and I don't want to use MDF for any part of those. I plan to do all the joinery with biscuits, dowels and dovetails where appropriate.

Thanks for the tips.

Oh yeah, I glued the veneer using Weldwood Contact Cement. After looking into it, I figured that would hold up well under the conditions inside a car. It was really easy to work with too. I rolled it on both surfaces, let it dry and used a slip sheet between the layers that I pulled out as I rolled the veneer on. This helped make sure I didn't trap any air bubbles under the veneer. I used a J-roller and rolled it on as hard as I could.

I want to get a vacuum bag system or put one together myself in the near future. I'd like to be able to work with curved surfaces more easily.

BodhiBenz1987 · #45 10-16-2008, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill murrow

Whatever you do use precat as the topcoat and use a water base stain underneath.

Precat is tough as nails and water base stain will not fade in the sun.

I used precat (ML Campbell Magnalac) on my entire wooden console and it's held up great through one hot summer. I guess winter will be a big test. It was not that hard to apply and easy to work with in terms of color sanding.

Chad ... cupholder looks great. I'm starting a cupholder project of my own currently. I think mine will be a one-cupper with zebra veneer on the top and MB Tex (at $36 a yard!

) around the sides. Shape depends on what me and my $15 power dremel can manage. I bought my zebra for the boost guage panel in the pic above from eBay, but this time around was actually was able to order a nice little pack from a local Woodcraft for $10.