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The internal window surrounds on my Slough built Light 15 are painted a rather nondescript mid brown although the windscreen surround has a painted wood grained finish
Whereas I am aware that French cars had painted metal dash and surrounds, it was commonplace in many pre and immediately postwar UK cars to paint areas of metal trim to represent woodgrain. Given that this car has a wooden dash and a grained windscreen surround I have frequently wondered if my Light 15 would have started life with this kind of finish on the door surrounds as well?
Does anyone have this kind of finish on their cars?
Yes, the Slough cars had wood-grain effect window surrounds. My ’53 Light 15 had these in very poor condition. I attempted to reproduce the grain and as my artistic skills are zero was not happy with the outcome! They are now a “wood” brown colour.
There is a tool that helps recreate the wood grain effect. I used to know the term for this kind of finish but it is slipping my mind at present. I know you need to put on a base coat first then you work the top coat.
Scumble?
@traction39 wrote:
Scumble?
I was going to say that but I think that is another type of finish with paint.
Yes, scumble is usually the glaze, a flogger is used to “remove” it…sounds easy, but needs practise….
Scumble? Flogger? What do those words mean? ❓
@L.Lewis wrote:
Scumble? Flogger? What do those words mean? ❓
Typical English words. Meant to confuse those not in the trade of decorating many years ago. Scumble is a type of varnish. Flogger is the name given to a tool that is used to create the effect of woodgrain using paint.
Have a look online for Dulux Brushwood or Ronseal Paint and Grain. They can be used on house radiators so would assume that they should be OK on Traction Window frames.
There is an item on wood graining in my local club magazine and the person who submitted it couldn’t find the right colour ‘kit’ for his car so used a Dulux Satin paint, then a coloured varnish on the top of it to get the desired colour.
Seems like a lot of trial and error required to get it right so it may be worthwhile talking to a local painter/decorator who has wood graining experience. Sometimes getting a professional to do tricky bits is well worthwhile 😉
Those Dulux and Ronseal ones are pretty straightforward to use on flat surfaces but I would think a nightmare on the shapes we’re looking at! I’m at the same situation myself as the originals are scruffy but I’ve been procrastinating whilst I think of a way of doing it. (Other things have taken a higher priority!). Any good tips gratefully received!
Thanks for the language lesson. There are people that do woodgraining that specialise in cars but I know it’s not cheap. Me, if I was in that situation I think I would pay as they can do a better job than I ever could.
Is there a transfer that can do this? Used the carbon fibre film on some parts for a kit and the result was stunning.
@bazessex wrote:
Is there a transfer that can do this? Used the carbon fibre film on some parts for a kit and the result was stunning.
Have you seen the transfer film dipping that has been done on several of the car shows. They just clean up the item (normally wheels) and dip them into the film and pull it out and voila! – looks like wood…. or a tiger… or carbon…. or bibles.. you get what I mean.
@tripyrenees wrote:
@bazessex wrote:
Is there a transfer that can do this? Used the carbon fibre film on some parts for a kit and the result was stunning.
Have you seen the transfer film dipping that has been done on several of the car shows. They just clean up the item (normally wheels) and dip them into the film and pull it out and voila! – looks like wood…. or a tiger… or carbon…. or bibles.. you get what I mean.
That was the system I was referring to.
Lots of ‘woodgrain vinyl wrap’ available on line if you ‘Google’ it, here’s 1 example http://www.metrorestyling.com/Wood-Grain-Vinyl-Sample-p/smplwood.htm however I’m not sure there is anything out there that would look like the original Citroen paint effect