Reply To: Window frames

I too had plain painted window surrounds on my Light 15 and decided to have a go at wood graining myself.

Scumbling covers a multitude of techniques, and wood graining is the version that you are looking for. DIY is possible for the sort of simple effect needed in a Slough Traction.

Get a fan type paintbrush from an artist shop, paint the frame with a base coat, probably a yellow ochre sort of colour, let it dry and then overpaint it with a fairly dilute layer of brown which tones in with your dashboard. Then get your fan brush and lightly go over the top coat before it dries and you will, with a little practice, get a grain type effect with the ochre base showing through where the dry brush drags through the top coat. Practice on a piece of scrap before you commit on a  window surround and experiment with different shades to get the right effect.

I am sure that I have previously come across an article in the technical archives on this technique, but couldn’t find it when I last looked.

I used acrylic artist’s paint, which dries moisture resistant, but can be wiped off whilst still wet if you don’t like the effect and want to try again. When thoroughly dried out, I sprayed it with a  coat of clear lacquer to seal it. The result was very effective and has not degraded over the last couple of years.