New wheels - paint or stain - l dont know

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: New wheels - paint or stain - l dont know
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dare - Just a little South West . on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 08:45 am:

Bill Callimer has done another fantastic wheel build and now this presents a problem ( a good problem ), bring out the wood with a stain or varnish or paint with very dark blue, hiding the true beauty of the wheel and the great work put into making them.......l dont know.. ???

David.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 11:08 am:

Of course, in any instance, paint on wheels is correct and stained wood-grain is incorrect.

But from a commercial artist's perspective:

In a 2-dimensional photo, a totally black car has almost no texture and the shadows that would otherwise enhance the embossing of the skin are obscured by what my art teachers used to call "the black-hole effect." You can compensate by increasing the exposure, but then everything that is not black will be bleached out in the photo.

Of course, looking at the actual car with your own two eyes is a big improvement because you're looking at a 3-dimensional object whose contours are enhanced by the fact that the observer isn't standing still like a tripod. As your eyes move, the sun plays tag with the shadows and you pick up texture, highlights and reflections. But even so, a totally black car really needs some trim to make it "pop."

The Model T's made between 1914 and 1916 have some brass and that sort of punctuates the slab-sided expanse of blackness, so that helps. Tin Lizzies made before 1914 have even more brass trim and were (for the most part) painted in colors and some had pinstripes, so they don't really benefit from the extra texture of stained wood-grain wheels. On those older cars, painting the wheels is not only correct, it looks better.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 11:19 am:

Paint them! You'll get over it. I've had to do this too. Be sure to use a flexible primer. I also use Calimers, and sure like their work.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Zibell on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 11:45 am:

David,

To me it depends on the year of the car. Later cars I believe, 1925 and newer, natural spokes were an option. I'm about to receive a set back from Bill and I plan on a light stain to bring out the grain and a spar varnish finish for my 1926.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Claverie on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 12:41 pm:

As I've said before, the wood-color spokes in my T's wheels are often the first thing folks comment about.

I think it would be a shame to cover up beautiful wood grain in an application as unusual (by today's standards) as wheel spokes, with something as mundane as paint.

I vote wholeheartedly for stain/varnish!!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill dugger on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 01:17 pm:

On my 1919 I have the natural finish, a light oak and the a spar vanish type final finish. To me it looks great and have comments what nice wheels, and what kind of wood is it, to the uninformed that do not know oak from Hickory.

Go out and enjoy the ride, except not in the downpour of rain!!!!!!

bill d


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Frank Harris from Long Beach & Big Bear on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 01:22 pm:

Paint if you want to be judged


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andrew Deckman, Ogden Utah on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 01:40 pm:

Stain for a while then switch to painted later then you have both. I prefer varnish.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Seth - Ohio on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 02:26 pm:

Just stain and paint every other spoke!

It's your car it's your choice. I painted mine and I've seen several stained they both look good.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 03:45 pm:

I do my own judging and call for varnish on my wheels.
There are many T's these days with natural varnished wheels.
To each his own in my book.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 04:31 pm:

Believe I've read that "natural" spokes were a dealer thing or option. Always preferred stained myself. You can stain/seal them and if not happy paint 'em. It'll sure as heck be easier to strip off the paint if you ever change your mind back.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Hjortnaes, Men Falls, WI on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 04:42 pm:

Charlie has it right. Stain and varnish them first to see how you like that. Compare it to other cars.

You can always paint them later if you so choose, and it will be easier to remove the paint if they are stained and sealed first.

Ford painted them black because it was the easiest way for them to do it. Spin the wheel, bring the barrel of paint up to the spinning wheel, and repeat. I want to say dip, but that is not how they did it. If it would have been easier and cheaper to stain and paint, I am sure Henry would have done it that way.

Look at most of the other cars with wooden wheels from that same era. Most are stained.
Call it an upgrade. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Erik Johnson on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 05:34 pm:

Actually, stained and varnished wheels were not common during the wood wheel era of the automobile.

Varnished wheels are really more of a product of the early days of the antique automobile hobby, starting in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Varnished wheels typically were not offered as an option by automobile manufacturers until relatively late in the game, from the late 1920s until the early 1930s, a time when wood wheels were being phased out. Even so, varnished wheels were not that common compared to painted wheels.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sam "POPS" Humphries on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 06:04 pm:

I changed mine from black to natural with a lot of scraping and sanding.

My preference for all wood is natural or light stain. Pic's of before and after.

Samwheel 1wheel 2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Treace, North FL on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 06:23 pm:

Just a bit more info, aftermarket makers of wood wheels offered varnish finish on wheels, and some mfg. of early cars provided them varnished from the factory.

Copy details for each style: 'your choice, natural or black finish'.



1919 with aftermarket varnish wood wheels.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 06:44 pm:

See my profile pic for "re-ferbished" natural spokes. These weren't painted when I got the car but needed re-doing. Golden Oak stain and clear marine something or other. I forget. Mounted one at a time in one of those folding Work Mate benches, cut 1" strips out of an 18" belt sander belt, (the only thing I could find that would stand up to the work), and went to hell with myself doing the shoe shine thing like that poor bugger in the 1920's Highland park films. NEVER again. And these were un-painted yet. Nice results though. The stain evened out the color nicely.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Frank Olsen on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 07:38 pm:

My last time around, actually on a Dodge Bro. I used Deck Wash and a scuff pad. I have sanded, scraped, paint remover, etc over the years Nothing worked up as nice and as easy as the deck wash. I lightly stained and finished with "Roof" brand, deck and siding finish. I will never use anything else again. Varnish is hard to get a follow-up coat to stick, especially spar urethane. This stuff has a great gloss and recoats soooo easy.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 08:09 pm:

Black is beautiful.


I may be in the minority here, but I like it better.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Derek Kiefer - Mantorville, MN on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 08:19 pm:

I like painted spokes better too. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ray Syverson on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 08:31 pm:

Once black you can never go back.(Without a lot of work that is). Varnish them first,I'd say. You can always paint them after a couple of years.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Treace, North FL on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 10:21 pm:

Yea. Varnish.

Easy to wipe clean, doesn't show dirt like black that needs to be kept shiny.

And...when varnished, folks always exclaim
"Wow..look...that car has WOOD wheels!" :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Button III (Chip), Lake Clear, NY on Thursday, November 29, 2012 - 12:13 am:

I am with Ray and Dan!! Varnish does not show the dirt like the black does. And I did say "Varnish" not poly!!!
(Ray, you know why I like Varnish!!! LOL!)....Chip


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dare - Just a little South West . on Thursday, November 29, 2012 - 08:44 am:

I'm sold on the varnish for a while see how they look and paint Blue later if l feel inclined.
Funny thing, most people that ask about the car always ask if the wheels are wood, painted dark blue thats a hard thing to see, but stained/varnished....well.

Cheers for the suggestions
David.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Thursday, November 29, 2012 - 10:26 am:

In 1925 Ford did offer the 21" wheels natural as an option, but NOT the 30 X 3 1/2" wheels.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Thursday, November 29, 2012 - 10:30 am:

OR you could use aluminum spokes, paint em black and no one would know if they are wood or not.
Some have done this.


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