First stab at woodgraining (Lame)

[Joe Flanagan]

After reading some of the posts on the forum, I decided to give this a first try and see what I could figure out. First, I sprayed an eggshell colored base on a strip of metal. I used Rustoleum in a rattle can:

To make the woodgrain pattern (if you can call it that), I made this thing out of a foam rubber paint roller. I took a razor and cut grooves out of it so that it was comprised of a series of ridges:

I dipped this in black paint and rolled it lightly on the metal:

I found that the pattern looked more authentic if I wiped it lightly with solvent:

I followed that with a stain:

It's not even close to what I'm after, but I learned a few things. I know that no matter what I do, I can't seem to duplicate the grain look with a brush, a graining tool, a cloth, or anything else. That foam rubber roller was the only thing that came remotely close. If you take a rag that is damp with solvent and lightly wipe it along the pattern while the paint is still wet, you get a more authentic look.

Last week I posted the URL of a company called O-Gee paint, which sells woodgraining stains and tools. Today I ordered some things from them and will post my experiments. If it works out, I'll make the tools available to the forum for anyone who wants to try their own woodgraining. If not, I'll post the pictures and you can all laugh at my expense.

[randroid]

Joe,

For using what you had you did a very nice job, albeit not what you were looking for, and I would encourage you strongly to continue.

Twenty years ago I read a 'restoration' book from the 1950s wherein the author implemented cheese cloth to assist forming the grain texture. I mention this because nobody has yet suggested it here and the concept holds promise.

-Randy

[52b3b Joe]

When my dad did our Desoto, he used a cream base paint, and used wood varnish with a brush to make the wood grain and once that dried on the base paint, then he put clean urethane varnish over that and it looks great. I don't know if this helps, but I could take and post pictures of it if you would like.

[TodFitch]

The fake wood pattern on my 1933 is supposed to be a burled walnut. I was able to do something close enough for me using a base color paint and printer's ink for materials and wads of cheese cloth for the tools. http://www.ply33.com/Repair/woodgrain

I think the grained pattern you are trying for is more difficult than what I was aiming for. I really like your imaginative approach and your documentary photos so that others can learn from you as you discover a technique that will give good results. Don't give up! And keep posting the photos.

[Joe Flanagan]

Tod,

I discovered that working with a balled-up cloth I could come close to the burled look you got on your project. I almost went for that but decided to try for the straight grain.

52b3b218,

If you don't mind I would like to see pictures. I'm following the same sequence. I find the hard part is getting the realistic-looking grain pattern. Would love to see what your Dad did.

[Powerhouse]

Contact paper works nicely....

[52b3b Joe]

Here are some pictures of my dad's 41 desoto:

[Greenbomb]

Joe;

Keep at it and keep us posted! You'll get better the more you know and it will take some of the mystique out of it for the rest of us.

[TodFitch]

Here are some pictures of my dad's 41 desoto:

Looks great!

[desoto1939]

I have done some wood grining with the Grain-it home kit. The Grain-It compnay that is located in Florida has a kit that you can purchase that has the various wood grain plates and the necessary rollers and stains to do a very good home qaulity job.

The process is very easy to do but just take some practice and setup. I attended the demo that they did at the Phila AACA Convention several years ago and they let me try the process during their demo. They were impressed by how quickly I was able to master the process. I have attached some pictures of the garnish molding that I did. I have a 39 Desoto and the graining that was used is a curly Maple affect. The examples still need to have the toner applied to darken up the effect. I started with a base coat from a spray can then rolled the grain on the modling.

Cantact me with any questions,

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Joe Flanagan]

That looks really nice, Rich. I'd be perfectly happy with that. I've seen the Grain-It stuff around on the Internet but I thought you had to buy their whole system, as in start up a business yourself.

What paints and stains did you use? Don St. Peter posted here some time ago and said that he used Old Masters. I really liked the effect he got and I ordered the same brand. For the grain I plan to use black printer's ink. We'll see if the tools I ordered can pull this off.

[aero3113]

Joe, I think if you worked on cutting a new pattern on the roller it may work well.

Rich, your wood grain came out great!

I did a search on wood grain powder coating it may be somthing to look into also. Anyone have any experience with this?

[michael.warshaw]

heres pics of my dash i sent it out and it came out great.

[Joe Flanagan]

Where'd you send it?

[michael.warshaw]

local guy here on the east coat

[aero3113]

Hey Mike,hope you dont mind me asking but how much did he charge? I would like to get mine done maybe next winter. Is he on Long Island?

[Joe Flanagan]

Looks like he uses the Grain-It system.

[desoto1939]

I have talked to several of the professionals that have been trained with the Grain-It process at Hershey and the average price will be around $1500-2000 for a dash and 200-300 for wach garnish moulding.

So if you price this out for a four door sedan 4 doors and 2 quarter window moldings even at 200 each is $1000 then figure rear windown and front window molding at 200 that another 400.

So figure 1500 dash, and another 1500 for the otther mldings you have a cost around $3000 and your car willnot go up in value by $3000 just because you had this done by a pro. Remember what you can sell your car for inthe end if we can get around 5K for a car then we are doing good.

Grain-It sells a kit that the average guy can do and it will look very respectable and you can get this under a 500. and then you can state that you did the work.

Rich

[Gary Manes]

For more or less flat services some of the contact paper looks amazingly like the real thing. I am afraid that it would never work with garnish molding.

I plan to try it on the lower part of my glove box on my '48 Desoto, or any other flatish surfaces just as accent, and paint the rest. I am afraid I do not have the patience for trying to grain everything else.

It is curious that all the lower cost MOPARS got the wood look, and the up-scale Saratoga/New Yorker got paint. Some of those wood grain cars looked really good. That 1949 Dodge we drove to highchool was beautiful. I just could not get over the fact it was not real wood.

[busycoupe]

I wonder if the lower priced cars used wood grain so that the factory wouldn't have to match the dash and garnish color to the body of the car. It would be a lot easier for inventory and on the assembly line. Perhaps one of our resident historians has an answer.

Dave

[joshmodelskidoo]

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+paint+wood+grain+on+metal&oq=how+to+paint+wood+grain&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j69i60j0l4.15805j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

[greg g]

Joe,instead of black paint,try the dark stain on the roller. And put iton in curving lines that intersect. Then use your solvent cloth technique to soften and blur the stain.

[desoto1939]

I wonder if the lower priced cars used wood grain so that the factory wouldn't have to match the dash and garnish color to the body of the car. It would be a lot easier for inventory and on the assembly line. Perhaps one of our resident historians has an answer.

Dave

 I do know tha the convertable did not have wood graining but the dash and garnish modling were generally the same color as the body.  I had a 39 Dodge which was a step down from my 39 Desoto and that also had wood graining.  It would have been easier for CHrylser just to piant the modleing the color of the car or just a brown.  If I remebr correctly I think the lower cost Plymouth the roadking did not have wood grainf but was palin brown. Not sure someone might beable to comment on this.

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com