>Anybody have any experience refinishing the wood dash on a Spitfire 1500?
Sure.
>Is that going to get my anywhere near an authentic finish?
I think the choices are: 1. Authentic 2. Nice. Pick one.
For Nice, just strip off the old stuff with one of those softener/strippers,
maybe apply a little stain, and use (my favorite) a clear polyurethane
"varnish" to get a really smooth, tough, good-looking finish. I darkened
mine a little with a good quality rub-in stain, and used a "satin" finish
polyurethane. Looked great, and I bought a new little "SCCA Champion" plate
to stick on where the original, worn-out one was. But non-authentic.
Authentic: If I recall correctly, the dash is coated with real *shellac*,
which is the stuff made from tree sap or bug guts or something like that.
It makes for a really boss-looking thick coating, but it yellows with age
and cracks easily. But if I were to do it again, I think I would go with
Authentic anyway, just for good measure.
Hasn't this been discussed a few times before? Has someone catalogued and
archived this discussion?
Lee M. Daniels - Laboratory for Molecular Structure and Bonding - Texas A&M
daniels@lmsbvx.tamu.edu | DANIELS@TAMLMSB.BITNET | (409) 845-3726
"Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug."
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