Cloudy Clock Glass

[RRoller123]

Well I finally got tired of the cloudy clock glass, but I admit that I wouldn't have done anything about it if the time adjustment knob hadn't broken. So, I sent the clock out to Palo Alto Speedometer, and for $69 bucks, they both repaired the clock and put in new clear glass, and the bezel retainer is not the least bit bunged up. Just an FYI, but for me this is a really good price to get this all resolved. Their process time was only a couple of days.



Now it is back in the newly re-veneered dash, and shortly will be back in the car and I will be back on the road! Yahoo!

[Zippy]

Very nice. Do they "restore" the clock for that? I mean go through it to make sure any gears are not worn out or full of dirt or whatever? I really like the veneer too. Is that actual burlwood glued to the orignal dash?

Al

[RRoller123]

Thanks! Not sure what their protocol is once they open it up, but they had to take it apart to fix the time adjustment. The fact that the glass retaining cowl wasn't all bunged up made it worth it to me. I guess thay have some sort of tooling to get it off without damaging it. (?)

The dash is Madrone Burl veneer from http://veneersupplies.com/ Best supplier around! Yes, glued onto existing dash wood.

Sand the existing dash piece really well and clean with mineral spirits. Small custom press and platen:



Press it up with wax paper on top, the glue (titebond2) will seep through the pores in a few spots, but sands off easily.



Trim it close (like 1/8") with an Exacto/Razor knife:



Then sand it close with 220. Be really careful, chipping is the enemy of veneer.



I finish with 2-3 coats spar varnish, then 2-4 coats of wipe-on poly, sanded between coats. No stain, I hate stain. Natural wood only. Then Boston Polish wax as the final coat.

[Wheel]

Really nice work on the dash wood, looks great.
Personally, I have always liked the look of the Burl wood, great depth and rich look.

A few curiosity questions for you. I have dabbled in some woodworking, but not so much in the finishing area, usually just apply a few coats of a water-based product like Flecto Varathane, with a light sand between coats.
1) What is spar varnish? oil-based?
2) What is poly? I assume polyurethane, oil or water based?
3) What is Boston Polish Wax and why do you apply after the the other finishes? Do you have to re-apply this wax sometime in the future?
4) Would contact cement work instead of the titebond2?

[RRoller123]

Really nice work on the dash wood, looks great.
Personally, I have always liked the look of the Burl wood, great depth and rich look.

A few curiosity questions for you. I have dabbled in some woodworking, but not so much in the finishing area, usually just apply a few coats of a water-based product like Flecto Varathane, with a light sand between coats.
1) What is spar varnish? oil-based?
2) What is poly? I assume polyurethane, oil or water based?
3) What is Boston Polish Wax and why do you apply after the the other finishes? Do you have to re-apply this wax sometime in the future?
4) Would contact cement work instead of the titebond2?

Thanks for the kind words. Spar Varnish is also known as Marine Varnish, and it basically is formulated to never fully cure hard and brittle, so it can withstand the expansion and contraction of maritime vehicles without cracking. You have to wait a few days before sanding each coat, or makes a gummy mess. Minwax makes some, as does Varathane, etc. It is really good for the automotve application, where extremes of temp and humidity are maybe even worse than at sea.

Poly is Polyurethane. I use oil based.

The Boston Polish is just a brand that I like, it is really good for furniture and leaves a nice patina. Should be available at HD, Lowes etc. It is colored slightly amber so imparts that to a finish as well. I use it exclusively in my cabinetmaking business. Leaves the surface very smooth, but not overly shiny, which I like. I am not a big fan of gloss finishes in general, but that is just my personal preference. You don't have to do this, but it adds a really nice smooth feel and some small added protection. I do it for the tactile smoothness, which the passengers notice immediately, especially on the glove box door. (The first thing everyone does when they get in the car is run their fingers across the dash, hah hah! odd). I haven't thought about adding more wax but I guess we could do this each year as a cleaning regimen. 2 coats were initially applied.

I have never used contact cement except in plastic countertops, so I am not qualified to comment on this, but with glue, you have the opportunity to position the veneer somewhat before tightening the clamps, and the press will get the air bubbles out. I suspect that this might be a problem with contact cement so I wouldn't use it. If the veneer happens to lay down mispositioned, or with a crease, I think you are screwed with the contact cement. (?)

FYI: A friend of mine has a later model Pantera and his original dash is clearly Madrone Burl. I have been told that it was used on a few other high end cars, but I haven't verified with absolute certainty any others. It has more of an amber tint to it than the various walnuts.

Pete

[Zippy]

Thanks for the info about the clock.

The dash looks very nice. I like the idea of using a veneer over the original material. I might do that someday.

[Wheel]

Thanks for info

[fiat218]

Well I finally got tired of the cloudy clock glass, but I admit that I wouldn't have done anything about it if the time adjustment knob hadn't broken. So, I sent the clock out to Palo Alto Speedometer, and for $69 bucks, they both repaired the clock and put in new clear glass, and the bezel retainer is not the least bit bunged up. Just an FYI, but for me this is a really good price to get this all resolved. Their process time was only a couple of days.



Now it is back in the newly re-veneered dash, and shortly will be back in the car and I will be back on the road! Yahoo!

I fixed mine ,myself, bezel came right off and snap back in, I got plex glass what did they replace it with

[RRoller123]

Feels like glass on the replacement. Mine wouldn't come off without a lot of prying and obvious damage would have ensued, so I stopped immediately and let them do it, primarily to keep my children from learning a whole bunch of new curse words.

[fiat218]

Feels like glass on the replacement. Mine wouldn't come off without a lot of prying and obvious damage would have ensued, so I stopped immediately and let them do it, primarily to keep my children from learning a whole bunch of new curse words.

I wanted glass too ,but the clock stem goes thru it and they they could not drill thru glass, I did not argue the point so pled glass works

[RRoller123]

Holes can be drilled in glass, it just needs to be done veeerry carefully.

[fiat218]

Holes can be drilled in glass, it just needs to be done veeerry carefully.

< mine

[focodave]

RRoller123,
That's beautiful work.
You are, obviously, a true craftsman.
Tastefully done!
Dave

[RRoller123]

Well I certainly appreciate the kind words, but I am kind of a hacker mostly. My cabinetwork business is primarily architectural built-ins, where there aren't a lot of curves or veneers to work. But I sure do respect those reader submissions in the back of Fine Woodworking Magazine each month. Man! There are some truly talented furniture makers out there, I just am not one of them. My younger Cousin, Owen, is just starting out in the wood world, and I am donating to him my entire decades-long collection of FWW mags. Hopefully he will take it far further than I did!

[dmwhiteoak]

Pete, did they acaully repair the clock also? My adjusting knob is also broke from inside the clock but the clock still worked. Now it doesn't work at all and was wondering if maybe they could fix it.