Door capping refurb Vitesse

[Paul H]

What’s the best procedure to refurb the passenger door capping on my Vitesse , the pic shows the worst section where a layer is peeling . Does that mean the capping were originally veneered 

Paul 

[johny]

Yes everything veneered and if its just varnish coming off then with care they can be revarnished. However if the veneer is damaged either previously or during the process then re-veneering is the only answer for a look as good as original... 

[Gary Flinn]

Paul

I believe the capping's and dash were both veneered, that looks like you will have to carefully remove all the old veneer and then re-veneer them and re-varnish if you want to have a go yourself?

People have got excellent results similar to the original finish by using a Plastic type coating, I can't remember the name of it (Rustin's maybe?) but I'm sure someone will advise or do a search on the Forum Site

I sent mine away to be refurbished by a Company called Chapman & Cliff who are ex Rolls Royce guys and they made an excellent job of the capping's and the Dash, but your probably talking around £200 to get both capping's done these days, or more if you have a saloon☹️

Regards 

Gary

[Pete Lewis]

cant remember mine   (a 1964 vit6)  being veneered but sanded down and many coats of varnish  made them very presentable 

they were certainly hard wood all through .with no peeling just needed a refresh 

try one nothing to loose many use rustins wooden floor varnish sealer  for a  depth of gloss 

Pete

 

[NonMember]

1 hour ago, Gary Flinn said:

using a Plastic type coating, I can't remember the name of it (Rustin's maybe?)

I've used Rustin's Plastic Coating to re-varnish Vitesse door cappings, a Spitfire dashboard, some extra bits I added in, etc. and always got good results. It's not quite the stuff they originally used but it looks close enough. Apply plenty of coats!

[Casper]

+1 for Rustins Plastic Coating.  Technically it isn't UV resistant and after 15 years my dash is starting to deteriorate slightly.

C.

[PeteH]

I believe I used Marine Yatch Varnish on my Vitesse. But it was some years back.

Pete

[Badwolf]

I like (Rustin's) Danish oil. Just wire wool the surface and apply with a cloth for as many coats as you think fit. Fine wire wool between coats and finish off with a couple of coats of wax polish.

[Paul H]

Assuming you don’t replace the veneer do you use wood stain before applying varnish 

Paul 

[Pete Lewis]

yes 

pete

[daverclasper]

19 minutes ago, Paul H said:

Assuming you don’t replace the veneer do you use wood stain before applying varnish 

Maybe depends on the finish you want?

[Paul H]

2 hours ago, daverclasper said:

Maybe depends on the finish you want?

Replacing the veneer will be a pro job because of all the contours of the capping ? 
Paul

 

[PeteH]

Hi

My FIL, may he RIP. An old time french polisher, used to steam veneer to get it to fit complex profiles. Held in place by whatever means he could find. Weights, elastic bands, cramps, anything, until dry enough to glue, using the old fashioned "Fish Glues". Finished with "shellac" and wax polish, on Antique furniture, you would not tell it had been ever repaired.

Pete

[daverclasper]

Did they have a veneer?, mine didn't appear to. After fine sanding, I just used common garden varnish, a good few coats (not flatted in between), and some fine wed/dry flatting to a smooth finish. No polish. A few folk asked where I had, had it done!.

Depends on what you enjoy doing/spending, I guess. 

Edited September 2, 2021 by daverclasper

[NonMember]

1 hour ago, daverclasper said:

Did they have a veneer?

Yes, originally. Certainly the ones on both my Vitesses had veneer on the front face, as did the spare I refurbished for the current one. But the base wood on the door cappings is quite a decent wood, so you can live without the veneer, really. The dashboard is a different matter - very thin veneer over cheap plywood.

[Wagger]

The cappings on my '68 Vitesse are not veneered. I sanded them down carefully because two were slightly 'Bowed' and re-varnished using Yacht Varnish. My can is 30 years old and I found it better than anything else when practising on a 'Woody' Morris Traveller.

[Pete Lewis]

im sure my 64 were solid wood capping's    even had body numbers chalked inside

pete  

[Paul H]

29 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

im sure my 64 were solid wood capping's    even had body numbers chalked inside

pete  

Here’s the body numbers on mine

Paul 

 

[Patrick Taylor]

The 'ground' (underlying wood) is mahogany, with walnut, or black walnut as the veneer. I removed the brittle lacquer, but it took some of the veneer with it, so I filled the missing parts and used iron-on veneer, which gives an instant tack. Then coat upon coat of Rustin's Plasticote. I also did the dashboard; photos show after and before (posted them in the wrong order!).

[Patrick Taylor]

46 minutes ago, Mathew said:

Looks good, what are the seats from?

They are Bond's own; I think they were based on GT6 frames, but reworked.

[TomL]

On 01/09/2021 at 22:11, Paul H said:

Replacing the veneer will be a pro job because of all the contours of the capping ? 
Paul

 

On the capping, only the front face is veneered (American Walnut I recall).  The top face (with indent for the quarter-light latch) is the base hardwood.  You also see this harwood at both ends.  I think that Triumph did not stain the veneers.