woodgraining

[Niel Hoback]

If I remember correctly, the panel is the part of the toe pan that fits across the top of the pedal slots. Its been a few years since I saw it, but others may have the same thing. Pictures would require carpet and padding removal. Maybe in a month or so.

[David Maxwell]

...and I'm pretty sure a couple of sections from the dash could be cut to fit that piece. Still, very interesting that someone would use a dashboard for source metal.

If I remember correctly, the panel is the part of the toe pan that fits across the top of the pedal slots. Its been a few years since I saw it, but others may have the same thing. Pictures would require carpet and padding removal. Maybe in a month or so.

[claybill]

david...absolutely no offense taken. i love this forum and respect all responses. integrity is key here.!

bill

[radioguy7]

OK, I am forced to stir the pot.

I removed a small filler panel from the floor pan of my p-15. and the bottom side was woodgrained just like the dash. It had a raised ridge along one edge and it was grained also, quite obviously stamped after the graining process. I cannot believe defective dashes would be stamped, grained, and then discarded. There is no flat place on the dash big enough to obtain the filler panel. It is much more likely that the dash was grained, stamped, and the punch-outs from the instrument and glove box holes were used to make filler panels.

Ok, that's all I needed to hear, makes perfect sense to me. And, since this is more like a thin ink than paint it also makes sense that it would hold up to the stress of strecthing and the heat created when stamped into shape. I often wondered the same question when you look at early tin toys that have paint in some really hard to get into areas. To me it was obvious that these early tin toys were inked first, allowed to dry or baked on, then the shape was stamped into them. I'm not saying the same results can't be had now for the restorer with a roller but I'm convinced that the finish in the factory was rolled on a flat piece of steel first, then stamped into shape. Hope I didn't stir up any trouble!

Jeff

[cole18cars]

water transfer. google it.

[radioguy7]

water transfer. google it.

Thanks for the link, confirms my theory even more. i think this can finally be put to rest.

[claybill]

HEY RADIO...WHAT DID YOU FIND ON 'GOOGLE'? that was convincing.?

a year ago when i mentioned that metal was grained before stamping I was informed that the heat of the stamping would destroy the inking etc...then i asked about the toys made and stamped in japan, etc.. everyone was committed that the roller process was the only real process known.

what did thw google article say?...? which one? etc

bill

[radioguy7]

Nothing too much, but everything I saw was nothing like the finishes I see on these old Plymouth's and Dodge's. All you need to do is look at a dash and common sense will tell you that it was inked on a flat piece of steel first and then stamped. We're talking about mass production on an assembly line. Hard to believe they had a bunch of monkeys standing there with ink rollers doing wood graining on pre formed dash panels.

[desoto1939]

Tom:

I recently purchased the kit from the grain-it company and this is the only way to go. It is very simple to do and with some practice you can get a very good quality job.

If you plan on doing the dash then I would suggect that you get the bigger plate with the grain and then get the smaller rollers so you can do the graining on the window moldings.

Please feel free to call me at 484-431-8157 cell or write back to Desoto1939@aol.com I live near Valley Forge, PA

I have some tricks that I have been doing and the results are great. They have simplfied the process for the average car owner.

Rich Hartung

[claybill]

HI Radioguy....amazing...i wrote a similar reply a few hours ago...then never posted it..just let my theories die..

i was saying also that a company couldnt employ a team of 'grain' rollers to roll out 100 dashs and sills a day all perfect.....couldnt/wasnt possible.

obviously they printed(?) the grain then stamped.

remember we are only talking about the original method..not about current methods and/or quality.

bill..aka claybill

actually i think we have enough info for all interested to go forth with their own interests on the subject....

enough. ( i started it)

[radioguy7]

Seems like you and I think a like

And I agree, no need to beat the subject to death

I'm just fortunate that my dash and sills are still very nice.

Oh, one thing I did find is, avoid using windex to clean your dash or sills.

The amonia seems to want to take the paint/ink right off.

[billwillard]

Two of you that think the same? SCARY

[stellarrestorations]

Actually, both "application arguements" are correct.

Some manufacturers applied grain to the panel prior to stamping (Hudson, for one), and others applied grain to already stamped panels.

The forum over at Grain-It Technologies (which I couldn't find when I went back to their website....) had an image of woodgraining being done I think at the '33 Worlds Fair, along with text on the application techniques, which clearly described the process of using a roller and etched plate which transferred the grain by an inking process. Another posting there had information showing the Hudson dashes pregrained and stamped.

Considering a large crew of people applying woodgrain manually does seem daunting, but one has to remember that labor was cheap and technology was expensive back then. Now, it's the other way around.

It's my understanding that Grain-It technologies has the original etched plates that were used, and they're quite large compared to what is sold to us. Their guy explained that there were differences in grains between individual cars of the same make because different workers used different areas of the same plate, and therefore there were inconsistencies even among original applications.

And yes, if you look carefully at original grained panels, the blended seams of the rolling applications can clearly be found.

Tiim Bowers

Stellar Antique Auto Restorations

www.stellarrestorations.com

[stellarrestorations]

I've attached the images I mentioned in my previous post from the website for Grain-It Technologies.

The text related to the '33 Worlds Fair Picture demonstrates the method of transferring a grain from an etched plate with ink and a roller, with touchups done by hand.

The 2nd image shows information about Hudson dashes that were woodgrained prior to stamping.

I had hoped that the images would show better than they do.