What was the finish on a '61 Bambi?

[surfpod]

I've been doing a "full monte" to the "li'l bambi", a 1961 Ohio built Bambi. I've had to replace furniture/interior and need to refinish the new and old stripped wood. Any suggestions on how a typical AS of the period was finished. Stain and sealant? www.lilbambi.net

[Bigventure]

I though they had stained the wood. Some have a lighter oak shade and others are a mahogandy. The walls were Zolotone paint. Zolotone is has specs of other colors in it and can not be touched up. It is applied with a special paint gun with a spining head.

[Thalweg]

They used a toned (dyed) lacquer. I pretty sure they sprayed a clear lacquer on the wood, then sprayed lacquer with dye in it to achieve the desired color. Then they may have sprayed another final coat of clear on it.

[Thalweg]

Surfpod,
I've been looking at your webpage. It looks like you're doing an impressive job with the restoration, and documenting it very well.

If you intend to go back to the previous color on your cabinetry, it'd be an easy color to match with Transtint dyes, which are available at Woodcraft or Rocklers. It looks like a mahogany color to me. I'd mix some of that into some lacquer and spray it on. It'd match the original perfectly. If you've never shot lacquer, it's pretty simple. It dries much faster than poly, so less dust problems. Use gloss sheen, and if it's too shiny, spray satin for the last coat.

Keep up the good work!

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Bigventure

The walls were Zolotone paint. Zolotone is has specs of other colors in it...

True.

Originally Posted by Bigventure

and can not be touched up.

Not exactly...while the original OEM 1961 color has been discontinued, if you have small areas (like rivets or scratches) that need to be touched up - it can be done with model paint, a very small brush & patience. We did this on our 1964 GlobeTrotter when we had it. If you want to re-do the whole thing, Zolatone is still made.

Originally Posted by Bigventure

It is applied with a special paint gun with a spining head.

We re-sprayed our entire interior when Zolatone during our restoration. It does not require a "special paint gun with a spinning head", we used an airless sprayer with GREAT results see the process / end results in our "It's a Girl!!!" thread starting at post #269

Good luck in whatever you decide to do ~

Shari

[surfpod]

Thanks for all your help! The furniture in this AS had been stained/sealed sometime years later to a darker color. Definitely want to respray the interior and will research and listen to some of thevap.com podcasts dealing with that subject. Again, thanks for your help.