Dashboard restoration

[nthomas1]

For anybody undertaking a dashboard restoration I've summarised the process below.  I suggest reading this summary, and taking a close look at the step-by-step pictures and descriptions in the blog above.

******** Amendment added in March 2021.  After five years the veneer on my dash has lifted (bubbled) a few millimetres in a couple of places.  In retrospect I don’t think the adhesive that is on the back of the iron-on veneer is entirely suitable for long term application and associated temperature variations.  If I were doing the job again I’d use plain veneer (without the self-adhesive backing) and  apply an appropriate glue and then clamp the dashboard while the glue is drying. **********

ASSEMBLE MATERIALS
- mahogany iron-on veneer, from veneers online.co.uk website (about £15 for a sheet big enough for 4 dashboards).
- large sheet of white paper (to protect veneer while ironing it on).
- wood glue, if needed for repair (small bottle of Evo Stick wood glue from B&Q).
- wood filler, if needed for repair (small tube of Ronseal Multipurpose Wood Filler, Light, Medium Oak, from B&Q).
- Swann Morton surgical scalpel (£3 on Amazon, and 100 blades (about £10 on Amazon) I used about 60 blades.
- plywood off-cut for practicing ironing and cutting techniques, and hole-saw (hole saw is only for cutting holes in the plywood to simulate dashboard openings).  
- sandpaper: 150 grit for sanding cut veneer edges.
- wet&dry paper (used dry): 400  and 1500  for final finishing of cut-outs, and 1500 for lightly sanding the varnished surface between coats.
- small blocks to wrap sandpaper around, for sanding straight edges.
- curved objects to wrap sandpaper around for sanding circular sections: I used a pen, a large tablespoon, and a baked beans can.
- tack rags for wiping dust off surface.
- exterior clear gloss varnish (not water based). I used Ronseal Outdoor Varnish - Gloss - about £7 for small tin from B&Q.  
- good quality 1” paint brush.
***SAFETY***
- be very careful with the scalpel blades as they are extremely sharp, and can cause serious injury.
- safety glasses are advised when using a scalpel as blades can snap under certain circumstances.
- with care, pliers can be used for inserting and removing the blades.  
- specialised equipment is available for inserting blades (about £10), and removing them (about £4).  
- see blog entries below for more details.
PREPARATION
- be careful handling the wooden dash panel - edges can be dry and fragile,  and the thin rear surface can chip away easily (pieces can be glued back on if they come away).
- fill any holes or imperfections - using wood filler, then sand.  Build up filler in small layers.
- repair any de-lamination with wood glue and clamp or place under heavy objects (large books are good) until set.
- cut piece of veneer using the dashboard as a pattern - about an inch over size.
PRACTICE
- use some of the leftover veneer pieces to practice on.  
- I bought a plywood off-cut for 50p from a local hardware store, and cut holes in it with a hole saw (the type used for cutting holes in doors for handles and locks) and sanded these smooth.
- practice ironing veneer to the plywood off-cut using a thin sheet of paper between iron and veneer - have iron set at “cotton” .
- practice cutting out the hole-saw apertures (see technique hints below).
ATTACH VENEER
******* Amendment added in March 2021: See comment in opening paragraph about plain versus iron-on veneer***********
- iron the veneer to the dashboard using a thin sheet of paper between iron and veneer - have iron set at “cotton”.
- move the iron slowly over surface but be careful not to burn veneer.
- put the dashboard under heavy weights (large books are good) for 48 hours.
- examine  edges to confirm that veneer has adhered properly.  
- any edges where veneer is not attached can be fixed by ironing the area again - then repeating the weighting process for 48 hours
TRIM PERIMETER
- place dashboard veneer-side down on a hard surface (piece of wood, or cutting mat) and holding scalpel vertically cut around perimeter, using edge of dashboard as a guide for the blade.
CUT OUT OPENINGS
- with dashboard veneer-side down, hold scalpel vertically and cut around openings, leaving just a few millimetres of overlapping veneer.  
- turn the dashboard over and start cutting the overlapping veneer from within the first opening.  
- start with one of the large circular openings as cutting gets more difficult  with the smaller radius curves.
- carve the excess off in narrow slivers.  Attempting to cut too wide a sliver can result in splintering.
- cut on the down stroke only.  Trying to cut on the up stroke can also cause splintering.
- change blade frequently - I got through about 60 blades in total.
- the practicing sessions (see above) will have shown the best way to hold the panel, and in which direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) to cut.
- once the opening is near to the required finished size the scalpel can be held against the chamfered plywood edge to remove final small pieces of veneer.
- the cut-outs do not have to be completely regular, as the sanding stage will remove irregularities and allow a smooth edge to be achieved.
- fine sandpaper should then be used to achieve a smooth finish. I started with 150 grit and finished with 400.
- wrapping the sandpaper around an object that closely matches the radius being sanded is a good approach. I used a pen, a large tablespoon, and a baked beans can, depending on radius.
- use sandpaper wrapped around a flat block for sanding straight edges.
- may need to tidy up areas where the glue backing on the veneer is too visible, by carefully scraping it away with a finger nail.  As shown in the step-by-step photo sequence earlier in this blog.
EXAMINE FOR DETACHED VENEER
- after all cut-outs have been made, the dash should be examined to see if the cutting process has caused the veneer to lift away from the plywood backing in any places.  
- I found three areas where this happened, and I repeated the hot ironing process just on these areas and weighted the dash down again for 48 hours
VARNISH
- lightly sand the veneer surface and wipe with a tack-rag.
- apply first coat of varnish very, very thinly, to avoid that it wets the veneer too much and causes buckling.  
- adjust your angle of view to see light reflected on the varnish in order to see any areas of puddling of the varnish, and brush these out with a dryish brush.  
- leave for a day, then lightly sand with 1500 grit paper and apply second coat.
- repeat this process another 3 times giving 5 coats in total, or until you are happy with the finish.

Good luck!

[davidwheeler]

Lovely job, Norm.   I have taken the liberty of posting this summary on the Technical Information thread.

[Richardb]

As someone who can just about recognise which end of a screwdriver to use, just wanted to say thanks for sharing, it has been really enjoyable to watch and learn!
Richard

[DavidLaver]

My surprise was the number of blades you got through.  Was that on a "better safe than sorry" basis?

[nthomas1]

My surprise was the number of blades you got through.  Was that on a "better safe than sorry" basis?

Very much so David.  I was so concerned about the blades going blunt that I changed them frequently rather than waiting until I could detect any bluntness.  I used 2 to 3 for each opening, and got through quite a few practicing. They were relatively inexpensive so I played safe! I've kept the used blades so that they can be used for future less critical work.

[Parisien]

My surprise was the number of blades you got through.  Was that on a "better safe than sorry" basis?

I've kept the used blades so that they can be used for future less critical work.

Word of caution........in my career using endless scalpel blades, the biggest risk of injury was the fitting and removal of scalpel blades, hence a policy of single use (infection purposes) and the use of a special implement to hold blade whilst fitting or removing same!

They can inflict horrific injuries!

P

[nthomas1]

My surprise was the number of blades you got through.  Was that on a "better safe than sorry" basis?

I've kept the used blades so that they can be used for future less critical work.

Word of caution........in my career using endless scalpel blades, the biggest risk of injury was the fitting and removal of scalpel blades, hence a policy of single use (infection purposes) and the use of a special implement to hold blade whilst fitting or removing same!

They can inflict horrific injuries!

P

These are wise words Frank.  I was very, very careful handling the blades and I devised a rather Heath Robinson way of loading and unloading them, but was conscious all the time that a small slip could be very dangerous.  You mention an implement for fitting and removing.  Is such a device readily available, and if so, where from?   

[Parisien]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0082CW90M/ref=mp_s_a_1_1/254-6179918-5827767?ie=UTF8&qid=1484687715&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=scalpel+blade+remover&dpPl=1&dpID=310c-SlU8vL&ref=plSrch

This for removal and disposal, single use

P

[nthomas1]

Thanks for that.  Is there anything to aid insertion of the blade - I actually found that more difficult than removal?

[Parisien]

Yes, let me find a link


Will copy when next on computer....phone not playing ball


P

[the.cern]

I always use a pair of pliers ....... and a lot of care!!!!

It has all been very informative Norm and your preparation and practice has been well rewarded!!

[Parisien]

https://www.pearsondental.com/catalog/product.asp?majcatid=41&catid=2391&subcatid=1129&pid=58670&dpt=0

http://www.sklarcorp.com/scalpels/blade-removers/blade-removal-forceps.html

The first allows the simultaneous raising of the rear locking element at the same time as sliding the blade off.


Safety first, second and third guys!

P

[stanley sweet]

I've been using scalpels for years - back in pre-computer days they were essential for artwork in studios. Couple of things - you were quite right not to skimp on them as they are pretty cheap. The other thing if you are doing difficult cuts is to watch your eyes. Quite unbelievably, but true as I witnessed it myself, at college a friend was trying to cut a curve through thick material. The blade bent and snapped in half and pinged off the lens of his glasses. He then put another one in and it snapped and pinged off the other lens! He didn't wear glasses all the time so it was a lucky escape.

[Parisien]

Indeed Stanley, when used beyond their design tolerances, like everything else they will fail too!

Safety goggles as well then guys if considering anything more robust than skin, human tissue, paper and thin cardboard!


P

[nthomas1]

Thank you Frank and Stanley for the additional safety comments. 
I've gone back in and incorporated a section on safety in my summary above.