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Thread: a job completed - '27 Cadillac

  1. #31
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    If I didn't have a frame of reference, I would have guessed it
    was a Championship Wrasslin Belt from a steam punk
    movie. They put that in a car?

    In 1927?

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Hillmann View Post
    I was going to guess that your basic process involved pressing and gluing the veneer into the metal part with a hydraulic press and a hard rubber backing then sanding to expose the high spots of the metal. But I suppose that is like saying you can light a fire by rubbing two sticks together, the devil is in the details.
    well at least you guys are working at it.
    this job came in in Jan of this year . told customer that it could take a little time to solve the situation, but that it would be solved. guess at the start that it was a little like a bear cub playing around trying to figure which way that I would go. the material that was in there measured between .017-.019" so I went to the fellow that has been supplying me for over 30 something years,Andrew at A & M specialty Woods in Cambridge , Ont.; told him what I needed and they had in stock .019-.020" thickness veneer so that solved that problem. now how was I going to put it in there. I did think about vacuum, and you saw my earlier comment on that subject. I did have good intuition that it was going to have to be pressed in, so I bought a 20ton hyd. press, get some 1/2" thick steel plates to cover the size of the object. then I made a top and bottom platen from 3/4" baltic birch ply(then thought that the tp may have been to hard so also made one from pine-softer- indent easier,not so, so used the BB after trying it out several times it did get a good indentation to it



    now what to use for an adhesive.tried a few but had the feeling that they were not going to adhere.this was a failure part with a lot of these things. you are bonding wood to metal(smooth) and that cars can get quite hot on the inside(the sun can cause this reaction) and it lets go. epoxies are my last place to and ended up using a product called G/flex-west systems known as plastic boat repair kit.
    now softening the material to make it more malleable. tried using downey fabric softner with the water. soak for a day. made a few trial runs and wasn't impressed; look for the next step. read that I couldn't use the downey as it was not compatible with the g/flex. you can even wipe the subjects down with a cloth that had been in the wash with that stuff in it. the process was soak in water then it was flexable so that I could sort of bend it over(so it didn't break) wrapped in a wet towel and microwave for about 5 min on high just before your going to do it. now for the platen, they were waxed and then put in another microwave. wanted a good wax imbedded surface so that it could pull away from any glue slippage any where. also for a good 5 minutes in the microwave for the platen to get it good and hot. 2 microwaves working at the same time. the glue has been applied to the nickel plating- the press is set up and when both microwaves go ding, it is a go. get the press all done the put my helper bar on the pump bar and give it some more umph and wait for the next day to what has happened.
    My first thought at removing the excess was to pare it all off with a nice sharp chisel which I had tried on the second from last attempt. I found that even that thin of veneer has grain direction and found if going against the grain it would pick up the grain. cleaned all of the excess off with a cabinet scraper- flat and of the curved variety. sanded lightly with 220 paper to remove scratches from the nickel, then 400 and then 15 micron paper.
    aboout 125 hours for the 5 pieces
    ron
    Last edited by Bruce Page; 10-22-2013 at 7:42 PM.

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yonak Hawkins View Post
    Considering a quantity of 4000 ~ 5000, I'll bet they farmed that job out to a shop that did it similar to how Ron did. Imagine the hellacious stamp that would be and the hand work to make sure the wood parts that had to stay stayed and the others went away.
    Even in the 1020's, it would not have been particularly difficult to build a die to stamp out a profile of the required complexity and accuracy. A stamp to do that work would actually be considered tiny compared to most that were/are used in the automotive industry. There would have been very little hand work required after the die was built. I suggest you read up on the manufacturing technique. I expect it would have been more practical then because the value of the precision hand work required to fabricate the die would have been much cheaper in comparison to the cost of the vehicle than the same work would be today.

    If I had to do that job, I would try scanning the metal piece and cutting the resultant pattern with a laser. Since I have no experience with a laser, I don't really know how well that would work.
    Last edited by Art Mann; 10-15-2013 at 7:03 PM.

  4. #34
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    here are some pics of some of the original pieces that I removed from the dash piece.


    ron

  5. #35
    Your talent in design and execution is inspiring. Impressed with your attention to details. Simply stunning work!

  6. #36
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    north, OR
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    Thank you for sharing the big reveal! Its pretty highly unlikely I'll ever attempt anything close to this but personally I really enjoy seeing both the product and learning how it was done.

    The finished work really is fantastic and I'm sure your client is pleased as punch.

  7. #37
    Your work is very impressive! This is a lost art. I bet the way it was done in 1927, is not the way it would be done today. The cost of labor in 1927 is the advantage foreign markets have today. However, the skilled craftsmen Cadillac had access to in 1927 is akin to workers for the world's top luxury cars today. That was a time when a Cadillac was real luxury, not a retiree's sedan. Great work!

  8. #38
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    here are a couple of pictures of a 27 Caddilac coupe and another dash piece which appears was simulated to look like wood. this is not the vehicle that I worked on. I am awaiting some pics from the one the one that I did the workon



    ron

  9. #39
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    well I should get to see the finished product in exactly one month a he is having it in a car show out here on Aug.24. should be able to get some pictures to see what it all looks like.
    making a dash right now for an early Morgan out of french walnut
    ron

  10. #40
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    Looking forward to the pics Ron.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    I'm thinking the originals probably had faux finished Bondo.
    it was really walnut veneer that was in it as i removed it, tough as that is for a pessimist to understand
    ron

  12. #42
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    There should be an Allstar forum, and this string should be the first in the forum.

  13. #43
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    I'm so sad I missed this thread when it was originally posted.

    {adjective}{adjective} awesome and amazing craftsmanship!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #44
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    as I said there would be some pictures of the finished project. I did not apply the finish to the wood, the owner did that
    [IMG][/IMG]
    [IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]
    [IMG][/IMG]
    ron

  15. #45
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    a few more
    [IMG][/IMG]
    [IMG] [/IMG]
    [IMG][/IMG]
    [IMG][/IMG]
    the owner called it a 27 and I see the sign that he has and it says 26. I questioned him about it this morn that it can be both
    ron

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