Treatment for Old Wood

O

Ole Lou

Senior Member
Does anyone have a recommendation on what to use on the old wood inside old Fords, mine is in a 32 coupe. Anything to help preserve, protect or rejuvenate old dried out but solid wood. Most of mine is too good to replace with new wood. Any suggestions?
 
A product called Git ROT works well for dry rot. 2 part epoxy.I have used it on boats. I have some that I'm going to use on a couple pcs. on my 37. You can get it at West Marine.
 
you can force git rot into joints to tighten them up,drill a small hole into the joint and force in with hyperdemic needle tube, you do not need the needle. I also use it around boats and have used it on woodies to tighten weak and loose joints. If you are looking for something to just brush on to make it lees dry look, use any good wood preservative
 
If the wood is otherwise in good condition, just use something like a urethane clear. The 1st coat will probably sink right into the wood, use two or three coats. Use a flat finish urethane if you prefer for more natural looking
 
I use Linseed Oil, it takes rubbing in a lot of light coats for it to soak in good, but it is very waterproof. When is the last time you saw a 70 year old M1 Garand rifle stock that was rotten?
 
LeBaron Bonney sells a product called Kwik Poly - a restorer friend uses it on dried wood - once cured, joints are tighter and it takes nails like virgin wood.
 
Ralph Moore's suggestion of linseed oil is good if you don't mind the smell.
Mix 50/50 with mineral spirits. Apply several light coats, allowing to soak in.

Bruce

Works good
Lasts long time
 
Kramer's Antique improver works well, but is expensive. I like the smell, some don't. It's some sort of turpentine/linseed oil mixture.
 
Ole Lou,
What does it look like now, is there any remaining finish? Is the wood grey and raw or sanded and looking fresh? UV rays are a big problem so find an outdoor finish such as a marine spar varnish. Oils will work if they have and outdoor rating but will need redoing more often. Remember oily rags will catch fire if left in a pile, dispose of them properly.

Bill
 
Brush on a 50/50 mix of Val Oil, or Penetrol and clear mineral spirits. Add another coat, or two for real thirsty old wood. When dry, top with paint, spar varnish or polyurethane.
 
There is no last forever treatment for wood. All of the above will work. Wood is porous so it will absorb top coatings but they will only penetrate so far The more modern urethane and epoxy resins are the strongest if you are on the verge of rot. If you have truely rotten sections, it is still better to either replace the whole rotted part or remove only the rot and splice in a new piece to restore a partially rotted part. The Boatlife Git-Rot works well for small partial surface rot sections to bring strength back to some degree but it is limited to how much of a percentage of rot is present as to how much strength is restored.

If your woods original finish is gone but it is in otherwise serviceable condition. Surface sanding and application of any wood preservative is better than none. If your car is well stored and operations in adverse weather are avoided, just an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
 
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The Boatlife and other wood revival products are nothing but thinned epoxy. You can make up your own mix by diluting regular epoxy with laquer thinner. Apply to the end of the wood where the grain is exposed, or brush directly on the wood brace itself.

The same will also work on new, replacement wood. By treating new wood with thinned epoxy it will prevent the wood from absorbing moisture, which is the cause of the rot.

Virtually all new wooden boatbuilders are treating wood this way. It makes the wood much more durable and longer lasting.
 
Thanks to all for your time and effort of answering my questions. My wood, as a whole, is still solid, but I wanted to treat before furhter work is done in restoration.
 
Epoxy will keep out moisture but has no UV blocker. I build cedar kayaks that are covered with epoxy but have to be coated with spar varnish or other UV blocking finish. Sunlight will turn the wood gray and break it down under epoxy, no water needed.

Bill
 
Being more of a woodworker than metal worker for 64 years, I can speak with some experience.There are at least as many opinions about wood finishing as there are about which motor oil to use.
If the wood is still in good condition, you probably don't really need to do anything. After all, it has held up for 50-60 years with nothing but the factory finish. If the parts are not exposed to sunlight, there is no need for UV protection.
That said, a coat of polyurethane varnish certainly won't hurt and may help preserve your wood.
 
As posted by a few members, the 50/50 mixture of Linseed Oil and mineral sprits worked best on the interior of my 48 Woodie. Use 0000 steel wool to scrub the wood. This will held pull up that old nasty grime. The oil will soak into scratches as well.
 
The linseed oil/mineral spirits may work well, but could cause problems with the upholstery material if it is not sealed off. Much of the upholstery in a 32 coupe tacks to the wood. The cardboard panels have the potential to "wick" some of the linseed oil into the panels and eventually into the upholstery. It also smells when it gets warm. Just something to think about before making a decision to treat the wood.
 
TJ said:
The linseed oil/mineral spirits may work well, but could cause problems with the upholstery material if it is not sealed off. Much of the upholstery in a 32 coupe tacks to the wood. The cardboard panels have the potential to "wick" some of the linseed oil into the panels and eventually into the upholstery. It also smells when it gets warm. Just something to think about before making a decision to treat the wood.
Click to expand...

I vote for Quick Poly as well.
 
Many Boat restorers use a product called CPES made by Smiths. It is a clear penetrating epoxy sealer(CPES) that saturates the wood. Wood must be bare or the CPES will act like a paint stripper.
As was stated earlier you can make your own or buy it ready to use.
 
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