Woodgraining dashboards

[Woodie UK]

Saw a recent mention of dashboard woodgraining and thought I'd throw in my two cents worth.

Here in the UK I've tried painting and rubbing on grain pattern with resonable success and I'ven visited Grain-It Technologies and tried one of their ink-based kits. However, during research for my new book on restoring and building wood-framed vehicles (due out next month) I stumbled across the process sometimes known as water transfer printing, hydrographics or just 'dipping'

Using a huge warm water tank and decal similar to those you applied to model kits in your youth, the process can apply any one of literally 1000s of wood grain patterns and color variants to any surface (such as metal, glass or platic) that has been suitably prepared.

I was so taken with the process that I wrote a six-page feature on it for Classics Monthly, a UK car mag, which feature the dashboard from '36 Ford woodie getting the burl walnut treatment.

The process is extremely fast and the result is instant. Once coated with varnish of your joice it's ready to put back in the car and enjoy.

I've got loads of images of the process and here's one of my own dashboard literally coming out of the water tank.

Colin

[Mike in AZ]

looks great....cost??....thanks....Mike

[Woodie UK]

I was quoted approx £250 for the dash and the inner windshield surround (which is about $350 in your money). Seems a darn sight cheaper than other methods.

Here's a shot of the decal being floated onto the surface of the warm water.

Colin

[OLD...BILL]

Is the dash in the tank, as the decal is floated ?? looks like it in there ?? and the other pic, the glove box opening, is that piece cut out and used on the glove box door ?? as to maintain pattern / woodgrain ? and can you post the paper you wrote?? thanks ... OLD....BILL

[Bruce/CT]

Hi Colin,
Looks GREAT!! I would love to read that article. Where can I get the decal? Have you done garnish moldings yet?
Thanks,
Bruce/CT

[swoopNZ]

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I have had 3 x '39 dashboards done.
Not quite the original grain pattern but makes a beautiful job.

[mrtexas]

https://sites.google.com/site/mrtexa...e/woodgraining

[Mike in AZ]

pretty cool....thanks....Mike

[Woodie UK]

My experiance, here in the UK, was excellent, but then again I was writing about the process for a magazine so they did pull out allo the stops!!

The company said they would ideally like to handle the entire process, including stripping the original dash, painting the basecoat, etc as that's the only way they could guarantee the final result.

However, they worked with me to advise base coat colour (which I sprayed myself) and did the waterfall piece and garnish mouldings right then and there. I've got images of the finished dash back in my '36, but I just can't locate them among the 1000s of images stored on my external hard drive at the moment...

The feature appeared in Classics Monthly magazine in the UK in the Jan 2013 issue. I looked on the mag's website and it looked like you might be able to download thast issue of the mag for a nominal charge.

I believe that the water transfer printing process originated in the US, so there must be tons of outfits offering the process.


I also wrote about the process (and other woodgraining methods & results) in mjy new book, due out next month - check out:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...ied%20vehicles

[grain-it]

Hi this is my Woodgraining
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13866891@N08/

[grain-it]

Hi this is my Woodgraining
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13866891@N08/
Jaime Torres

[47Merc]

If you check out Juliano,s hot rod parts they do this type of finish. They also have a video of a steering wheel being done

http://www.julianos.com/wood_grainpic.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOdXxAA65Xk

[ford nut]

after watching the hydro-printing video and listening to the music, I felt like arranging flowers. I hit the mute button before I went all gay. no disrespect, but the sound of the guys working would have been better.

[wga]

The tailgate in the '49 in the avatar is the fine work of Jaime Torres.