Locker Covers

01/12/2013

Yesterday at home in the garage I got time to strip down one of the lockers covers using the heat gun and sandpaper finish.........three to go......



Locker cover stripping in progress

It took a bit of practice with the heat gun and scraper to start to get the varnish off cleanly but I got there in the end.


Stripped and sanded

 

The 'thinner' test to see what the finished article might look like

I can't resist just wiping the sanded piece with an old rag dampened with a bit of thinner. I'm looking forward to seeing this two tone effect when the covers are finally varnished and reinstalled.









Sanded vs not sanded... looking a bit different......

 



After a few weeks of further sanding and frustration at the weather not enabling me to get in the garage to start varnishing I finally got a window of opportunity.  I started off with the obligatory 50% varnish dilution although I wasn't sure whether this would be appropriate as there was still a lot of 'soaked' in varnish / stain in the main sections of the locker covers. The first coat however has turned out well.
Before and after in each photo to show the difference ...........

 

3/02/2014
Sanded to 180 grit and second coat of varnish applied to 75%. I applied this second coat slightly more generously than I have done in the past because I know I will be leaving this for a full week before I'm able to apply the third coat.  This extended period of time will mean that the varnish will be cured despite the thicker application.  Pale dust when sanding indicates the varnish has cured sufficiently - any indication of 'grabbing' when you start sanding means you need to leave it before you try again.

8/02/2014
Sanded with 180 grit again. I use my sandpaper wrapped around a wooden block in preference to sanding by hand as this helps to get a better mirror finish at the end (I use an old worn out flexible sanding block as a support when I'm working on any curved areas). Once hoovered to remove dust the third coat of varnish is applied to 85%.

The photo's below are taken the day after in daylight to show how the shine is starting to build this early on. A perfect flat surface will gradually build as the layers of varnish start to fill in the natural grain lines of the wood.

 

09/03/2014

Yet another coat of 100% Epifanes goes on .... four down two to go...

April 2014

The undersides of the locker covers have now been primed and finished with International Toplac and given the final coats of varnish.

They have also now been re-installed in the cockpit!