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Sep 30, 2013 8:14 am
davidbracey Offline
Member
Registered since: Aug 10, 2012
Location: Maidstone, Kent


Subject: Interior wood trim
Dear all,

As my LG45 pillarless saloon restoration moves into the final stages of completion I have been recently working on the wood trim and am in awe of the quality of joinery that Lagonda achieved. Did they use their own joiners or was it out-sourced I wonder? The other thing that impresses me about the woodwork is quite how much of it there is on these saloons - 20 individual sections that fit together perfectly. It must have been quite a time consuming process.

I looked long and hard at whether it was possible to repair the existing shellac but the window frames especially had been too badly water damaged with condensation I presume and so I was forced to strip the old shellac off completely. Despite the trend amongst restorers to now use modern spray applied sealants and finishes I have decided to stick with shellac and keep things as original as possible. I have experimented with different colours and intensities of shellac and discovered that between 8 and 10 coats of button polish flakes, dissolved in meths, gives a very satisfying colour which is very close the the original Lagonda finish. I am happy to explain the process if is anyone is interested.

Now I need to decide on a final coat and this is where I would appreciate any suggestions that other members may have. I've experimented to see how prolonged contact with water affects the shellac and, as expected, if water droplets are left to sit for more than 20 minutes the finish starts to go milky. Not what I want especially as I suspect the pillarless door joint will not be very water tight!

I could blow over the woodwork with a light spray applied sealing coat of modern lacquer but would rather stick to period techniques and methods. I consulted an antique furniture restorer who has offered to make me a period polish by boiling up a mixture of carnauba and beeswax which he says will work wonders. Any thoughts or other suggestions? What did Lagonda do?

Thanks in advance.

David
David Bracey
This post has been edited 1 times. Last edit on Sep 30, 2013 1:17 pm by davidbracey.  

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