Garnish Molding Mahogany Woodgraining

eystein

eystein

Well-known member
Did some mahogany woodgraining using the ink-transfer kit from grain-it technologies.

It really took a lot of practice and trial and error on extra pieces, but in the end I think it turned out well.

The major points of experience for me was :

- Wiping off excess ink doesn't work. The ink that you wipe off will slightly discolor the base coat, which will show up in the end result. Therefore I adopted the practice of both rolling INTO and rolling off the blending paper when joining two adjacent strokes end to end.

- Blending two adjacent strokes together require an extremely light touch of the pinpointed blending brush. After dipping the brush in ink I would have to wipe off almost all the ink before putting the brush to the molding. If not, the lines would be too thick.

-The lock-down coat didn't work for me, it just messed up things, seemingly blocking the function of the smear coat. I found it was much better to just be patient and allow some proper drying time (a week or so) between the process steps.

Finished it off with a semi-gloss clear coat to mimic the original pyroxilin coating which was not buffed out.

In any case, it was a very interesting process, and the customer service of Grain-It-Technologies is unparalleled. Whatever the question, Evan at Grain-It would listen patiently and go to great depths to help me out on the phone.

Happy woodgraining !
 

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I just finished doing my cabriolet dash using Grain-it Technonogy. I agree it is a great product and great service from Evan. It is pretty much the original process used. Nice job.

The key for me was lots of practice before starting on my "real" piece. Buying the larger plates helps minimize the difficult task of blending. I started in February and was not ready to do my "real" piece until August. Even on my dash, I did it twice before I was satisfied enough to go onto clear. Not being a restoration, I used a combination of Crotch Mahogany and straight grain mahogany, and changed colors a bit to better match the tan Bedford cord.
 
Those look lovely! I will need to woodgrain my car's moldings sooner or later, and I'm glad that someone is selling tools and materials that I can use.

Doug
 
Very nicely done! Woodgraining is another art I will have to learn in the restoration of my Cabriolet. Unless you would like to do mine....after all, my great grandmother was Norwegian so we are probably related, you know.
 
Thanks for all the nice comments. I think that this is for me much of the motivation of this hobby - to use the work on the car as a vehicle for learning new skills - one by one.

Grain-It makes a very nice set of equipment, however, as Russ also said, you will also need to practice and develop the skills needed. -But then again, that's the fun of it !

Greg, it would be interesting to do a "Norwegian" Cabriolet in the US, however, I'm afraid that the cost of shipment back and forth together with customs formalities would kill us. I looked at the album in your personal folder. Nice Car !!
 
I saw a Model A dash done in a DIFFERENT manner: After spraying the base coat, with a STIFF brush, he brushed the last coat of base color, as if he were painting "grain". After drying, he sponged on a DARK BROWN & wiped off the excess, then later, sprayed on a clear coat. Even through the clear coat, it left a "RAISED" grain look.
Bill W.
 
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