Anyone considering WOOD for their panel?

[Bob Martin]

Originally Posted by jim

I have a 6 that I purchased and the guy that built it used a wood veneer. The plane was registered in June '03. The panel looks nice but I noticed this year that the veneer is lifting away from the aluminum around the instrument holes. The plane has always been hangered. I don't know if there was a problem with prepping or if this is to be expected over time with a veneer. Just some info FWIW. When I get to the panel on my 8 I will go with a painted panel, I like the looks of that more than the wood.

Like Jim, I bought a -6 with a wood veneer overlayed panel. In the pictures it looked great, but in person, it was disappointing and dry looking with lots of cracks. It appeared he used a contact cement to install it to the metal panel. I have coated it a couple times with a tongue oil poly sealer and that helps richen up the appearance, but can't help the bubbling up or cracking. Like Jim's mine too has always been hangared too. If I was doing it again, either a professionally encapsualted wood or a formica product or powder coat or paint, but not a do it yourself veneer.......remember, it is a real job to just change the panel for cosmetic reasons. FWIW,
and we all know how much we like to look at panels!!!
Bob Martin
RV-6 Veneer Panel

[videobobk]

I too wasn't happy with the "plain, paint or plastic" look. I went with leather and am happy with the decision. Zero glare, matches the interior and, if anyone asks, I tell them about all the sound deadening qualities of leather. Makes a good story, anyway. Seriously, it does look very nice and is easy to install. Make sure your layout is done with any scheme that is difficult to repair. Wood and leather both would fall into that category. If you like it, go for it!

Bob Kelly, painting

[smithhb]

Being a veneer woodworker and cedar-strip canoe builder, working with veneers is really straightforward and guaranteed to produce a satisfying final product. The keys are as follows:

1. Start with a good quality veneer (see http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2215)
2. Get a good glue, either contact cement or Titebond Cold Press for veneer http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2220
3. Either a stain (your choice) or not. I prefer to not stain because the wood will darken over time from UV exposure. Stained wood will just be that much darker.
4. A good clear coat protectant. Preferably lacquer. Almost any other clear coat will yellow over time. The clear coat MUST be sprayed with at least four light coats with sanding between the coats. (Spray two coats before sanding).
5. The panel must have ALL holes and switch cut-outs already cut out. Clean the panel well to remove any grease, oils, etc. (Remove any switches or instruments first (duh). Lay the clean aluminum panel on a flat surface.
6. Lay out the veneer (dry) onto the panel and orient. Use a single sheet of veneer if possible. Avoid having to book match any edges. Allow for at least .25" overlay on the panel edges. You can trim excess with scissors. 7. Remove the panel.
8. LIGHTLY dampen the veneer with water using a sponge until the veneer is completely wetted (DO NOT thoroughly soak!). Lay a flat board or sheet of plywood over the veneer and allow to dry (2-3 hours) Add weights to the plywood to really press the veneer down tightly or you will get bubbling of the veneer. Wetting will raise the grain and pre-shrink the veneer. It will also help the veneer flatten out.
9. Lay out the panel on butcher paper on a flat surface. Use a roller and apply the Titebond over the entire surface of the panel. Repeat to the BACK of the veneer. Place the veneer on to the panel and roll the veneer (using a clean roller) from the inside outward toward the panel edges (removes any bubbles and assures a good bond. Cover veneered panel with butcher paper and plywood. Weigh down and allow to dry at least 24 hours.
10. Remove weights and plywood, flip panel over and use a sharp exacto knife to trim around instrument holes and switches. Edges can be cleaned up with a dremel tool and sandpaper.
11. Flip panel over. With veneer side up, lightly sand with 320-400 grit paper to remove any raised grain. Blow away any sawdust. Lightly wipe with a damp sponge to thoroughly remove residual sawdust. (Surface must be absolutely clean before next step.)
12. Spray first (light) coat of lacquer. Allow to dry at least 15-20 minutes. Apply labels (Depending on veneer color you would use white lettering on a dark veneer or black lettering on a light veneer. Labels should be printed on clear background.)
13. Apply second coat. Lacquer should be dry enough to sand (320 grit) within 30-60 minutes depending on humidity. (BTW, humidity should be below 70%). Repeat until you have desired look (4-8 coats). REMEMBER, multiple layers of thinner coats will be better than 2-3 heavy coats. Sanding must be followed with a damp wipe to remove any contaminants. Sand lightly to rough up the surface for good adhesion of successive coats.

[briand]

A quik google search revealed this:


http://www.dmack.net/imagepages/panel-front-2.html

[GaryK]

The overlay was done by Aero Enhancement.



Gary N715AB

[llane]

West System Epoxy

[wjnmd]

I was thinking about putting wood veneer on my panel so I bought some walnut burl veneer on Ebay. I then stopped by a company here in town (St Petersburg, FL) and asked them the best way to do adhere it to the aluminum panel and then what type of finish to apply over it. Their recommendation was to forget about it. Aluminum has a different coefficient of expansion from the wood so any adherence of the veneer to the aluminum would be short-lived and the veneer would soon peel off when exposed to the heat of the sun. They suggested that the veneer needs to be embedded in some sort of acrylic and in fact, the panels you see at the shows like Sun-n-Fun are just that. I'm not an engineer so you can take my opinions for what they are worth but further evidence of this is the number of people who adhere soundproofing foam to the back of the firewall only to have it fall off after a few hours.
Just my humble opinion.

Bill Near
Cowling

[kens_cockpit]

Originally Posted by videobobk

I too wasn't happy with the "plain, paint or plastic" look. I went with leather and am happy with the decision. Zero glare, matches the interior and, if anyone asks, I tell them about all the sound deadening qualities of leather. Makes a good story, anyway. Seriously, it does look very nice and is easy to install. Make sure your layout is done with any scheme that is difficult to repair. Wood and leather both would fall into that category. If you like it, go for it!

Bob Kelly, painting

I like the leather look. How did you attach the leather to the panel? did you put some Padding, eg closed cell foam under the leather before sticking to the panel? What research do you have available to indicate how well the end result will stand up to the enviornment so it won't bubble etc? I liked the wood idea. I like the leather one even better.

Ken Stanton
8QB

[videobobk]

[quote=kens_cockpit]I like the leather look. How did you attach the leather to the panel? did you put some Padding, eg closed cell foam under the leather before sticking to the panel? What research do you have available to indicate how well the end result will stand up to the enviornment so it won't bubble etc? I liked the wood idea. I like the leather one even better.

Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment! My "research" was based on my experience with leather in auto seats. I have had several Mercedes-Benz with leather, all bought when they had some years on them. They use leather everywhere, not just the seat bottoms. The back of the seats (the part you see from the rear seat) is actually leather on something like formed press board and is attached with contact cement. I tore one apart and looked at the fading, etc and decided that, in almost twenty years, nothing much had happened except a minor color change. I doubt if that leather had gotten the care my panel will, and I expect the conditions will be similar. I just used a spray on contact cement.

The one minor cosmetic problem I have had is leaning on the panel edge. I rested my arm on it when workin on some wiring and it wrinkled the leather for about 1/8". It was fixable and probably wouldn't have been noticable to anyone but me...

Bob