Zebrano refinishing - w123

[Demothen]

Hi all,
I wanted to share some information I have found in the process of refinishing the trim in my '85 300D. I will either update or reply to this post as I make progress.

My car came with a set of matching wood, except for the console piece which is aftermarket and didnt match well. I found a nice matching set from the junkyard that I am restoring.

Preparation-First I scraped off as much foam tape/etc as I could from the wood trim. I was able to pry the aluminum backing plates off of the wood for most of my pieces. I dismantled the center console to remove all of the plastic pieces. My retaining clip was broken and glued in place - I have a good one from the aftermarket piece, so I dremeled as much of the plastic away, and relied on the next step to get rid of the remnants.

Stripping the wood - I bought a metal paint tray and some aluminum foil to work in. I used almost a gallon of acetone to strip the wood finish. I placed all of the pieces in the paint tray, covered them in acetone, then used foil to seal the tray. I did all of this outdoors, using proper safety gear. I put the tray in a large plastic bin and covered it and weighted it down. In my case it took almost two weeks for the finish to soften and come loose. I think using more acetone, and regularly cleaning the chips out would really help speed up the process. Do NOT try to pry loose bits of finish off, let them soften and float away, or you risk tearing up the grain slightly. USE COMMON SENSE. Acetone is scary stuff. Read and follow the instructions, and keep it away from any source of igntion.

Flattening- I do woodworking (primarily with antique tools/hand tools), so I happen to have built alarge wood vice that I used to clamp a few pieces in at a time for a day or two. Since you probably don't, a couple pieces of plywood clamped together will help. (You might consider using some paper towels to keep the plywood from scratching the surface). I wasn't able to get 100% of the curve out of the longer flat pieces, but got them mostly flat - and I think the remaining curvature will be fixed when I reinstall the pieces)

Sanding- I used 2000 grit paper to samd the wood veneer VERY gently. I still burnt through the veneer a tiny bit in a spot or two. Advise skipping this step.

Stain - I used a mix of 4 parts red oak, 4 parts sedoma red, and 5 parts dark walnut. This got me a color that I personally like, which is likely a little lighter than the original color was from the factory. First, pre treat the wood with some pre-stain conditioner according to the instructions. It would be good to make sure the edges of the veneer get a bit of this as well. I then applied one very heavy coat of stain and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. I then wiped off the excess. I found that you need to use a good bit of pressure to wipe the stain off, or it will be prone to severely darkening the grooves in the wood grain.

Finishing - I plan on using spar urethane to provide a tough finish. I am going to be brushing it on, sanding between coats, and finally wet sanding and polishing to get a nice surface.

Pictures and final steps coming soon