"Dipping"... cool new option... or tacky... your thoughts ???

Ok, you fuggers knew I'd chime in too. I'm 3rd gen old school, brushes and my own secret sauce for a grain medium. 100% customer satisfaction since 73. Not a full time gig and my stuff is more artistic in final look than some OEM finishes, but never had any judges or customers complain. Hydrographics look like, well, hydrographics. There's a difference in what Jdee, me, and hydro all end up looking like. We who do it can tell instantly and that modern "OEM looking" grain might feel good at 1st but it ain't the same. Still, if that's the look ya want then go for it. What does the average 32 Ford cpe cost?

 

Must not like some of the higher end cars from the 30's and 40's then. A lot of them had "woodgrained" dashes and such. And they were pretty obviously not wood. I like the look, and it's traditional.

 

... at least one of those pics is stolen.

If the process was so great, they would use their own pictures.

 

Fake wood? I don't get it.

 

The Hydrographic process wraps a computer generated
image around almost any shape that will fit in the tank.

It produces acceptable results, with a GOOD profit margin.
Otherwise, nobody would be doing it.

Is it good enough for Pebble Beach ? NO !
Is it accurate enough for a serious restoration ? NO !
Will experienced woodworkers think it is real wood ? NO !

I've seen JDee's work in person, and I know they have
worked on several cars that have won at Pebble Beach.
They reproduce the original patterns using the exact same techniques.

 

For the price, they should be using a high rez image, like a photo.

 

I think it is just the latest fad. It will fade down a little after a couple of years worth of show cars being drapped in the stuf. As for the look, nothing will ever look like, feel like real wood except, well, real wood. We used to redo MG dashes of the 30's in my dad's resto shop and it was a PITA to say the least. Talk about messing up a $500 top veneer! (sp?) I did it once and my dad didn't speak to me for 3 days!

 

+1 on JDees work. Can't help but stare at his displays when he brings it out.
Some day I'll get him to redo the window frames on my Hudson,but till then
it can only be original once. Besides, the paints supposed to be worn off
the window frame on the drivers side isn't it?

 

Here is a display that I saw at Ford Carlise this year.

These are the steps to refresh some fiberglass trim from a station wagon. The bottom one is a used untouched piece, then sanded, painted, then the finish.

The last two are two different finishes. I haven't talked to the guy who does it (he wasn't there at the time) but I'd be interested for the trim on my Country Squire. I think it looks great.

 

"vapor deposition"??? Um... I don't think so...

This process has been around for awhile in Europe before coming to the States. I had an opportunity to work with some of the originators of the process overseas and was pretty impressed.

Essentially, you can take ANY image and print it to the film and float it on the water tank. Melt that film with a thin coat of solvent and your parts can be pushed into the liquid film, essentially wrapping the image all the way around the part. Then you clearcoat with flat, semi, or full gloss clear using auto grade 2k urethanes.

Probably works best on high production specialty parts like camo atv fenders, plastic gun stocks and such but it looks fantastic in other places too.

It does not replace hand done vintage method woodgraining, at least in our collector world, but ironically that is exactly what has happened with the real automobile manufacturers. Except for the highest of high end manufacturers, everyone is using this process for their "wood"

Personally, I like what it looks like if carefully selected and applied sparingly to the right project.

 

This car is from around here and I have seen it at a few of the events. I think the wood look in the interior is awesome also. You have to see it in person to appreciate it. It has me thinking of using it on my project.

 

Damn, that burlwood dash is nice! It reminds me of a friend's all original car's dash, but I can't remember which car it was now.

http://www.julianos.com/wood_grain.html

 

Oh wow, you are just a stone's throw away! I'd love to come by and check out some of your work sometime. I'll shoot a PM your way when I get closer to having a couple free days from work and projects.

 

I don't know, seeing it on the computer, it doesn't look that great. It's not for me.

 

I would love to use it on some steel kitchen cabinet doors. It would fit that application perfectly, but the pricing I saw is scary. $300 for a snowmobile hood?

 

Maybe this would be better:
http://www.mactac.eu/products-textured-laminates-1-30--2368.htm

 

dude, it could be really cool, if not...that's what sandpaper is for..........personally I enjoy finding and using new techniques.............isn't that the hot rodding spirit?
as a side note there are some guys who do great woodgraining by hand the old school way,I would be more inclined to support the dying breed first if it were my car.

 

This is an interesting procedure but seems like the same old debate. This process could reproduce the wood grain PERFECTLY for all I know, but that's not really the point. There's a charm inherent in the work of a craftsman. I would say it's the imperfections that make it so, but is not always the case. I've seen old world wood graining that has just blown my mind, the grain and the depth, all present, beautiful work but always with a clue here or there that it was crafted by hand. Suffice to say I'll always appreciate something that has that crafted look.

 

I had my '38 dash done- no need to limit oneself to woodgrain.


and no discernible dot pattern.


In theory they can do any pattern you can imagine in any combination of colors. Its just that wood and camo are popular so that's all most people have seen.

 

In today's vernacular, craftsmen gotta represent:

I did say brushes


my match to existing natural wood mldgs




more metal after being slopped over with the ol brushes



my version of Lincoln mahogany



Yeah, the dip stuff looks new and as real as a photo will allow. No surprise I'm sure, that I'm a fan of the old ways. I'd still like to hear some prices. I guess I'll brag just a bit. The longest sitting monarch in history has my stuff in his Delahaye limo. It was anopportunity to be proud of. Just sayin.

 

for those that only think "fake wood" my 38 Nash is full of it... all my window trim, dash & dash trim...

& while there are guys on here that can do extremely nice work with a brush... I've also seen a couple cars that were not done so skillfully... some downright awefull

... also... I don't have much money, & I'd suspect the guys that are really good with the brush, probably cost much more than the dip jobs...

... yep... I'd rather have a quality brush job... but I think I'd rather have a dip than a couple of hack jobs I've seen...

BTW... this is my original dash... if restoring, I don't think I'd want to paint it some other accent color...

BTW #2... I wonder about the durability between the two ??? wear areas like the drivers door window trim...

 

Damn, you're good, Highlander!
A true craftsman!
I've got one of Jdee's kits, and it definately helps a non-craftsman do a wonderful job of simulating woodgrain.

 

I've always preferred the Highlander method. Hopefully I'll get to trying my hand at it on the Morris.

 

I like this photo, really nice colors.
Jdee

 

That's funny, 'cause when I saw those pictures at the top of their page, I thought, hey, those look like GIT!

 

Aren't dipping AND brushwork both an attempt to look like actual wood? I don't get the distinction.

 

The dashes on these old cars were originally painted to look like wood, as were all the window trim on my car ( for example ) those were not made from wood in the 1st place... I wouldn't want to just paint them any other color

 

I'd support the craftsmen if I could. I don't know how much it costs to do a dip-job, or how much it costs to get a decent brush-job. I know I'd hate to pay out of the ear for some guy to brush-job something and have it not turn out so swift, but I guess if a guy is good he'll have a reputation.

 

I will sat that when I was looking into doing my '38 dash the dipping quote was 1/4 of what I had been quoted for woodgraining by hand. Really makes me consider it.

 

Simply Bad Assed!....period

wish I had the coin to spend on art like this