wood for dash + doors

which do you think would be best with a black car with black interior

  • highly figured walnut

    Votes: 7 38.9%

  • etimoe

    Votes: 2 11.1%

  • figured etimoe

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • walnut - because that was what was original

    Votes: 9 50.0%
  • Total voters
    18
rsporsche

rsporsche

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okay, so we are going to re-veneer my wood. so the car is black, the interior is black, the seats have the CSL Scheel Mann fabric (scheel sport seats), steering wheel is petri, carpet is KHL charcoal / black loop ... so that sets the stage

the first veneer is a highly figured walnut. the second is etimoe and the third is a figured etimoe. the veneer flitches are positioned adjacent to the large wood dash piece for scale. these are raw veneers that will not be stained, they will be finished with a clear satin finish.

highly figured walnut.jpg

etimoe.jpg

figured etimoe.jpg
 
Very interested in your approach as I am likely to be doing the same thing shortly. Are you doing on your own?


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i am NOT doing it myself. a local e9 friend has agreed to help and teach me. in trade, i will help him put some of his coupe back together after painting. this is NOT something that i would recommend for a first project.

i removed the veneer of my 3 dash pieces. luckily i have a spare set and the veneer was flaking so i was able to push a very sharp chisel along and get it off. a few places pulled some of the plywood off, so i filled and sanded that. the downside is that my door wood is all fully adhered so removing the finish and veneer will be more difficult. for now i am going to do the dash as that needs to go together while the windshield is out.
 
My vote is to plain. I like the etimoe but I wouldn’t do a figured wood with satin stain. I feel like since the strip is so narrow it may just look like a sanding issue.
 
Love the figured Walnut. As you know I went with low figured Walnut like the original, goes well with my dark blue interior.
 
Sven, you may have convinced me ... that is very nice attention to detail. on the door panels you have reversed the figure so that it follows the angle of the door glass. on the instrument cluster, i like the angle of the figure following the right side. the only curious note that i have is that from the long dash, the figure angle changes at the passenger door ... does that ever make you second guess anything? the reason i ask is that i have been contemplating that, trying to determine if i reverse the figure on the right side of the dash from the instrument cluster ... so that the figure follows down the door. i have 4 flitches of veneer (sequential) that is relatively linear, so i can sequence match the veneer from piece to piece ... which i think is somewhat important with highly figured walnut.

i agree that walnut looks perfect with blue. i will have to look at it with black. as long as i keep the finish clear it might be perfect.
 
Yes, it was a bit tricky to lay it out. I thought the symmetry from side to side was important and continuity of the three dash pieces. I was less concerned with the transitions at the dash to door. Scott, you will be the only one that notices these subtleties. How many contractors have given you that look (you really want me to do that?) to some fine construction detail that no one will ever notice ;) I have had my share of those conversations.
 
i think you are right on all counts Sven. the three pieces of the dash are the most important and you have that perfect. i might look to end the right side of the dash without a lot of figure (if i can find that on my flitches) and then transition to the door as you have done as i think that looks the best. that way it won't bother me when i look at that transition.

as you know, we both get those looks everyday. that will never change.
 
i would stay with stock french walnut
dont stain
just wipe down every now and then w
tung oil
great finish and you can repair easily
 
aearch said:
i would stay with stock french walnut

And I totally agree with Alan. The face lift cars’ darker French walnut is exactly right. Not too fancy nor exotic. The E9 doesn’t need such beautifications. That the wood should look fresh, no doubt, but as close to original as possible.
Click to expand...
 
aearch said:
i would stay with stock french walnut
Click to expand...
That's part of the problem. The walnut in the pics is not "French Walnut", it appears to be domestic walnut which is much greener. In my opinion, walnut goes really well with some colors, but not others. The greenish tones do seem to balance with blue interiors. I personally feel that the redder tones of the Etimoe are not only closer to the original wood's intent, but also a better match to the black of Scott's interior and exterior. But again, opinions are like another body part...
 
in reality, the pieces of walnut i have are european walnut, they are not green ... in fact quite brown, i would call cigar leaf brown. french walnut / european walnut are the same tree species. Stephen is correct about the etimoe it is very similar to the original walnut pieces in that they were rarely very figured, some had a little more pronounced grain than others - most were very simple ... interesting when i flaked off the finish of my veneer, i actually found more pronounced grain than i expected which was hidden by the stain. What i like about the etimoe is that it appears as simple wood except there is a lot of linear color variation.

i got 4 pieces that are roughly 8" x 50" for $20, which is enough to do at least 2 coupes while being picky of which sections to use.

i don't think an oil finish on wood is a good idea in an automotive environment as dirt / dust sticks to oil and heat dries the oil out ... which leads to the wood drying out ... which leads to re-veneer. catalyzed lacquer is probably a much better way to go ... just not a super high sheen ... probably around 35% sheen ... maybe 40%.
 
Just to add my 2 cents worth on the subject of wood finish.
In a hot dry climate like Aus, a pigment infused beeswax has been the perfect product for my walnut coloured dash.
I was previously thinking of taking out and redoing my dash, but having treated the wood with this product a number of times, it has significantly nourished the wood and it looks much better. I am sure similar products are available as different brand names in other countries.
I assume because it is organic it is not as harsh as oils, shellac based products. In a hot car under sun, it doesn't evaporate off, but rather gives off a nice sheen.
Has anyone else used a beeswax to keep their dash looking good?
s-l1600.jpg
 
one thing i just learned about etimoe ... its species is copaifera ... some people have referred to it as african walnut although it seems more like the mahogany family to me. it comes from west + central africa.

french walnut, european walnut, common walnut and english walnut are all the same species - juglans regia and is from eastern europe and western asia (curly, crotch or burl figures)
english-walnut.jpg



other walnuts -

claro walnut - juglans hinsii - california + oregon (curly, marbled or burl figures)
claro-walnut-wt.jpg


peruvian or tropical walnut - juglans spp - southern mexico, central + south america (some curly figure)
peruvian-walnut.jpg


bastogne walnut - juglans x paradox - california (irregular or figured grain)
bastogne-walnut.jpg


black walnut - juglans nigra - eastern US - (curly, crotch and burl figures)
black-walnut.jpg


queensland walnut (orientalwood) - Endiandra palmerstonii - northern queensland (australia)
queensland-walnut.jpg


butternut - juglans cineria - eastern US
butternut.jpg
 
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