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sled
Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 6179
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 Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:06 am Post subject: Refinishing a 1961 sk692A SO-23 Westfalia |
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I decided to make a project thread chronicling my efforts to refinish the interior of my westy, as there is very little info on here when it comes to working with these old cabinets and paneling. Plus I really like reading other peoples project threads so this may be entertaining for others.
like I mentioned in this thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570493&highlight=sk692a my bus was unfortunately stored outside on the wet side of Washington state with ZERO glass installed and only a deteriorating blue tarp covering it for 8 years. I can only imagine how much nicer the veneers and substrates would have been if it had remained inside for that time, BUT that was not the case so we deal with what we have.
In this thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=341539&highlight=west%2A , Jerome did an incredible job refinishing all of his cabinets and paneling with new limba veneer. While this is beautiful, it is costly and I just want to see what I can make happen with the 53 year old veneers.
ok so here are some photos of what condition things were in prior to any work.
and here are some photos of disassembly
In this photo you can see a portion of the seat base that hasnt seen the light of day since it was installed in 1961. Later I will get more into the original/natural color of the limba
the green clamp goes out the drain tube, and the red clamp goes to the water pump
my crusty broken elephant dick
Bosch water pump I will be making some new gaskets for
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drive your split.
Last edited by sled on Thu Mar 20, 2014 10:01 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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srfndoc
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Joined: August 21, 2010
Posts: 3275
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:21 am Post subject: |
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Considering how long it was exposed to the weather it does not look that bad. Looking forward to updates!
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RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches |
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sled
Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 6179
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:27 am Post subject: |
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Ok now we get into actually working with the wood. I decided to tackle some cabinet doors first, as they are small and the veneers appeared to be in pretty good condition with minimal delamination or water staining.
as you can see in this photo, they are not horrible, but they are not great. The grain has become very muted and the finish has dulled or is wearing off.
I stripped all the hardware off, including the hinges, and carefully removed the anodized aluminum edge trim. This stuff is so flexible that as long as you don't kink it, you can re-install it perfectly, as it was all straight originally.
Ok so there are many ways to remove old finish, whether it is paint or a 'clear' finish. sanding is an obvious method, as is chemical stripping. chemical stripping is nasty and doesnt always yeild the best result. Sanding can be quick, but it makes dust and old finish dust is not good. The method I chose is to use a cabinet card scraper. When re-finishing, or working with a new project, I feel that scraping is far superior to sanding, sanding has its place dont get me wrong.. When you sand you are essentially grinding away the wood, and closing the pores of the wood in the process. When using a properly burnished card scraper, you are slicing off thin shavings of wood, leaving a perfectly smooth finish that is ready for finishing without any sanding. An analogy would be using a cheese grater to slice a tomato as opposed to a sharp knife.
here is a door after trim removal and careful scraping to remove all the old finish and to get down to clean wood. Be careful as these veneers are thin. Next to an untouched door.
here is the scraped door showing the sheen, with sanding the surface would be very dull, but the scraper leaves such a clean surface it glows naturally.
some photos showing the original grain patterns
ok so there are many finishes to choose from. I chose natural (clear) shellac as it is easy to work with, dries fast, gives the wood a wonderful glow, and is possibly something Westfalia used originally. My guess is that they used lacquer, but I didn't want to try to set up and spray all my finish, and I don't like to brush on lacquer
here are two coats on the doors with only scraping, no sanding.
now I'll just clean the aluminum trim, brass hardware, re-install and they're done!
I have the cabinet these doors belong to almost done being scraped and will post when I have finish on it.
stay tuned for much trickier work involving delaminated/damaged veneers
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drive your split. |
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brad2thabone
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Joined: February 06, 2011
Posts: 111
Location: Midland MI
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kombisutra
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2003
Posts: 4127
Location: San Anselmo, 10 miles North Of San Francisco
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Great thread. Will be watching from over here... |
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Braukuche
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Joined: September 03, 2004
Posts: 10999
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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Nice Jake. I'd say that wet weather was less harsh on the wood than the three decades of Arizona dryness was on mine. Doors look great by the way.
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Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now |
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Cuņado Wear
Samba Member
Joined: December 10, 2006
Posts: 1142
Location: The "O"
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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| srfndoc wrote: |
| Considering how long it was exposed to the weather it does not look that bad. Looking forward to updates! |
x2
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| Bulli Klinik wrote: |
| I may be a little late to the party, but what the hell is Cunado Wear? |
Looking for front kick panels for late 63' Deluxe Basalt Gray
60' Double Cab
63' 15 Window Deluxe |
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Z
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Joined: June 15, 2003
Posts: 2517
Location: galveston, tx
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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Wow...nice work. Can't wait to see more. |
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jjjjack
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Joined: August 08, 2005
Posts: 1013
Location: Gainesville, FL
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earlywesty
Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2004
Posts: 2357
Location: In the woods, Ontario
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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| looking good Jake! |
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Stocknazi
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Joined: June 18, 2004
Posts: 5150
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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Cool idea for a thread
Interesting about the sandpaper vs the scraper, never heard of that before.
Would steel-wool have the same effect on the veneer as sandpaper?
Why did you choose not to brush on a lachour finish?
Look foward to seeing how the scraper tool you are using will work on the more water damaged parts of the interior.
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WANTED:
58 Westfalia cabinet knobs (3 needed), roof rack, and (7) privy tent poles (silver painted).
"When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty."
"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God."
Thomas Jefferson |
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Stocknazi
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Joined: June 18, 2004
Posts: 5150
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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I just saw the hole someone cut in the wardrobe cabinet.
Very curious how you plan to repair this; I have a similar hole cut in my cabinet i would like to make go away.
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WANTED:
58 Westfalia cabinet knobs (3 needed), roof rack, and (7) privy tent poles (silver painted).
"When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty."
"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God."
Thomas Jefferson |
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zuggbug
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Joined: June 17, 2008
Posts: 3479
Location: Anderson SC
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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Awesome thread, and the timing is perfect, as I am wanting to do the same to my cabinets
Thank you for starting this thread
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SOUTHERN INTEGRITY AIRCOOLERS
58 15 window
56 westy |
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slow36hp
scott wimberley
Joined: August 09, 2004
Posts: 3113
Location: mukilteo washington
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type47fan1
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Joined: December 03, 2011
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Location: McDonough GA
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grailoc
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Joined: March 25, 2004
Posts: 1441
Location: FRANCE and now QUEBEC city
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grailoc
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Joined: March 25, 2004
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Location: FRANCE and now QUEBEC city
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pondoras box
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Joined: March 22, 2004
Posts: 1220
Location: Eerie PA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 6:06 am Post subject: |
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Awesome work, woodworking and refinishing is an art form that I have yet to master.
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Looking for anything from Hal Casey Motors out of Hamburg New York, from license plate surrounds to matchbooks.
1961 23 Window (Bobo)
1965 11 Window (Zelda)
1965 13 Window (Lucas)
1957 Oval ragtop
1988 Cabriolet VR6 conversion
Plus a lot of other rusty junk |
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vw7266
Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2004
Posts: 3038
Location: the point, ohio
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| Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 7:49 am Post subject: |
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| nice work jake! |
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Big Bill
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Joined: June 21, 2005
Posts: 1782
Location: Santa Rosa, Ca
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| Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:46 am Post subject: |
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| I will be following this thread, as I have from when you first got your bus. It is one of my favorite buses here on the Samba, quite a transformation from when you found it. The cabinets and seat/bed bases really dont look that bad(at least in the photos) but the roof and door panels look like they will be a challenge. Cant wait to see the finished result. I refinished a SO-23 kit a few years back and wished I had known about the scraper you are using, you are correct the finish on them is very thin. |
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