Interior woodwork advice please

M

Mystery Machine

0
Hi there, I am new here but coulnd't find a 'newbie' section so thought I would just dive straight in with a question if that's OK?

I have a Commer PB Autosleeper with the original wooden cupboards in the back. They are in 'reasonable' condition but the back door was left open recently and lots of water has got in and stained the wood badly on the wardrobe and hinge panel - it's even starting to delaminate in places. :(

I am two minds about replacing the whole lot with new wood, but would like to keep it as authentic as possible so wondered if anyone knew what wood is used? I know it's ply, but if anyone knows what laminate it is I can start asking around for some sheets to start cutting.

It's not the best picture and this was taken before the water ingress occurred but it has basically affected the door cupboard (very right hand side at the bottom) the hinge panel, the end of the wardrobe and the door of the wardrobe.

COM13.jpg


If anyone does know the type of wood used it will make my day.

As things start to progress with the van I will start a build thread in Readers Rides.

Many thanks for any help or advice :D
 
Welcome to the Madhouse!!!!!

I'm sure Martin (either one) will be along soon with advice on the wood.

Start a Readers vans thread immediately!!!!

BazRockscropped.jpg

Peggy is sold ...... boo hoo
If I told you I was a pathological liar, would you believe me?
 
When we did ours we had the samee problem but in more places see My Ride Needing A Makeover in readers rides we kept as much old woodwork as we could and replaced the ruined stuff with oak faced plywood.After a few coats of stain and varnish you cant tell the diference now. I always think the more original the better, so replacing were needed was the best way to go for us.

Hope this helps good luck

Hazel Richmond
 
Oak faced ply. Hazels van came out really nice. It's a lot lighter new, as it has darkened with age, but careful use of stain will bring back the patina.

http://www.commervanspares.co.uk/

http://www.yorkshireclassiccampers.co.uk/
 
Welcome! I saw the sign-up name and did wonder if it was THE mystery machine from the West Country but nevermind welcome aboard anyway! I knew the answer, honest, but Martin and Hazel were obvious candidates for the perfect one and in good time!
 
Well hello Mr Mystery and welcome to the Mahouse:D
I'm glad you're looking at reviving the woodwork instead of painting over it, that would be a shame. I was lucky enough to be given a couple of old oak veneered wardrobe side panels to do a bit of repair work - not on the same scale as you are doing but for the bits I did they were a good match. If you've got a salvage yard or friendly antique restorer near by it might be worth a visit:)

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Summer's here.....
Told you
 
hello. i managed to make up some passable relacement doors with oak veneer (from ebay) and stain/varnish.

Rupert

"Not tonight love - I'm varnishing me roofrack"
www.littleyellowcar.co.uk
 
Hi- Hazels Dad here (I'm the woodworker for Clarabel- My Ride needs a makeover) Clarabels main problem with about 40% of the woodwork was de-lamination due to rain damage-you can get the finish back on the old oak faced ply as it was very high quality -thick figured oak. When it delaminates there is nothing you can do but replace it. Most good wood stores stock oak faced plywood but make sure the oak laminate is as thick as possible -one batch I used was paper thin and rubbed down to the middle laminates very quickly -even with the finest flour paper. The second batch was much better- it's worth shopping around. The original figured oak ply is very hard to source (it can be identified with 'medullary rays' -very attractive flecks in the grain which polish up and look fantastic. -I found some of this very high quality veneer but unfortunately only on MDF- don't be tempted by this as it degrades and falls to pieces when it gets wet! Commervanfan needs to negotiate with the firm who produce the good veneer to persuade them to back it up with ply- I was about to do this but the NEC beconned and there was no time. Clarabel however still looks good with light oak coloured ply with some small flecks. The best way to finish this is to 'raise the grain' with a mixture of raw (not boiled !) linseed oil and white spirit. When this is dry rub it down very very lightly with the finest glass paper (called flour paper) or alternatively very fine wire wool. The final finish we used on clarabel was matt Yacht varnish (again mixed with a litle white spirit for the first coat. Yacht varnish is particulary useful near the back doors on the door cupboards and the wardrobe/toilet cabinet as these always get splashed with rain -this is when the delamination sets in. If you have any trouble sourcing the oak faced ply let us know - there is a suply in Keighley and Skipton West Yorks. Final bit of advice- Oak has natural tannin /acid and will attack any steel pins or screws it is absolutely essential to only use brass panel pins and stainless steel screws-these are expensive but if you look in any old autosleper you will see the staining everywhere. You need to make a pilot hole for the pins with a fine bradawl or a very small drill as they have a habit of bending! Good luck and if you need any more advice -get back to me. (ps throw nothing away -save evey scrap of wood and label it -you might need it as a template) Good Luck Hazels Dad.
 
ps Brass screws are abviously ok too but tend to break off -so use a steel one first to make the thread and then replace with a brass one - cup screws also look good in either brass finish or stainless. Hazels Dad
 
Thanks for all the welcomes and helpul replies. I'll get on the task of tracking down some wood pretty soon.

The van is currently in Essex at my friends place and about to undergo quite a transformation, but I won't have any real quantity pics or updates because I live in Bristol and only get chance to head over to my friends workshop once every few months.

I'm heading down there next week to pull the interior out because access is needed to get started restoring the metalwork. I've already been pricing up the repair panels and I'm up to a grand so far and the paint isn't all off yet!

I'll bring the interior back to Bristol with me and get started on the refurb of that along with sending the seats off to be re-upholstered.

Thanks again for the help....I'll probably be asking a million questions along the way (like what fridge can I fit next to the cooker, where can I get the clips/latches to hold the table in place etc...) but I'll try to eek them out gradually :D

quote:
Originally posted by admin

Welcome! I saw the sign-up name and did wonder if it was THE mystery machine from the West Country but nevermind welcome aboard anyway!

Well, I am living in the West Country and know on a few other forums by this name, but not sure how you'd know me? Who is 'The' Mystery Machine then? All interested now if there is anohter nearby! :)

Thnaks again everyone.
 
Can,t help you with the woodwork, but welcome along :) ask as many questions as you like as we are all here to help ;)

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"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
Too tired now to go into great length but the fridge debate refines to -modern fridges that work are too big for the intended cupboard. I modified Clarabels wardrobe to hold a fridge recommneded by Martin M -this is a three way and works very well. The modification works well but is not straightforward -not many even notice it has been done as it looks original. Will give details if you are interested. Hazels dad.

Hazel Richmond
 
Clarabels interior woodwork -best shot is on 'Meets and Shows' NEC Coventry 2010 page 8. You can see the wardrobe is a bit wider( if you look closely!) -There is a good shot of Harvey as well!
 
MM, are you the MM on Retro-Rides with the Mitsubishi Delicia?

BazRockscropped.jpg

Peggy is sold ...... boo hoo
If I told you I was a pathological liar, would you believe me?
 
Thanks again for all the comments and advice. Hazel (Dad of Hazel), I really appreciate the time you've taken to explain all the details about the wood. I was pretty tired last night so just skimmed over it all, but this morning I sat down and read it all through properly and have taken it all in. Brilliant info, so thanks again.

I am hoping to head over to Essex on Monday to remove the interior and bring it back to Bristol. I'll be able to have a much better look at it then and establish what needs replacing and what I can restore (the latter being my preference because it retains originality and saves making too much of it from scratch)

I'll probably start looking into the fridge side of things soon because if it means changing/modifying some of the cupboards then I had better get myself sorted on this side of things before thinking of restoring any of the woodwork. I'd hate to restore it all only to re-do it again.

Bazzateer, yes that is me. One of my Delica's is now sold (the huge one) but I still have the 'Post Apocalyptic' Delica which is my use/abuse daily load hauler. I am using some of the money from the sale of my big Delica to fund this Commer. I am sure it's going to cost me a lot more in the long run, but should be well worth it in the end if it turns out how I imagine it.

Thanks again everyone.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Mystery Machine

Bazzateer, yes that is me. One of my Delica's is now sold (the huge one) but I still have the 'Post Apocalyptic' Delica which is my use/abuse daily load hauler. I am using some of the money from the sale of my big Delica to fund this Commer. I am sure it's going to cost me a lot more in the long run, but should be well worth it in the end if it turns out how I imagine it.


Thought it must be. I rarely visit RR these days but occasionally pop over there and lurk. Hope to see you at a CVF event sometime!

BazRockscropped.jpg

Peggy is sold ...... boo hoo
If I told you I was a pathological liar, would you believe me?
 
I have some cupboard doors from one of the vans we broke I have the wardrobe door & back door cupboards if your interested send me a pm

Commer Dandy by Dandy Caravans
The Colonel Mustard
 
In an Autosleeper the fridge is housed in the cupboard to the right of the cooker, the wheel arch has been specially shaped to allow it to fit if there was ever one fitted :)
But looking at the pic of your interior there is normally a mesh vent in the worktop to allow air to circulate if one has been in there.

th_DCP_9918.jpg

Summer's here.....
Told you
 
Hazel's Dad,

Many thanks for your very interesting and informative posts on the woodwork restoration of Clarabel. I haven't got an Autosleeper, but will have to embark on a similar exercise in both my mid-60s Highwaymen at some stage. I bought a pretty useful book on woodwork techniques a while back, and - being a reprint of an old book - it even contains some useful techniques explaining the old art of gluing veneer of "posh types of wood" onto cheap wood bases, and on top of plywood of course - which was the way it was done in most of our vans when they were built.

I don't think that many of us actually realise that these plywood interiors actually were covered with a layer of fine veneer on top, and that this is the reason why the match in an original interior will be very good. So this is, as you rightly point out, essential when re-creating damaged sections of the old cupboards etc.

While on this subject, does anyone know what type of wood veneer was used by Bluebird Caravans Ltd. in around 1965 in their Highwayman manufacture? Having read brochures and some magazine articles from that time, it seems pretty clear to me that they went for a very light colured veneer to get a lighter interior. Obviously, almost 50 years down the line, all these interiors will have darkened considerably, but what was originally used?

I will at some point have to "re-veeneer" some sections on ELD683C, but will also have to replace almost all plywood on my KPL56C - and get the correct veneer glued onto the surfaces. I'm quite looking forward to doing this job - even if it won't be this year, but am trying to learn and prepare as much as I can in forehand.

So again, most interesting reading your posts, and thanks for enlightening us on a subject I don't think has been discussed much on this forum so far.

:)
 
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