Visit our Popular Forums

Tony S · 04-09-2013, 03:52 PM

Hi Folks

1965 Interior U like?

I don’t know about you but I love the mahogany interior of the 1965’s from day one. Oak is fine, birch is fine but it is the mahogany, especial the ribbon, which is quarter sawn, that I love. I have 8 sheets of it to do my interior but my wife things it is too dark, “especially on rainy days when we are cooped up inside”. Just wanted to how you experience your, to me, beautiful 1965 interior? Especially those that have lived with lighter interiors

Any personal imput would be appreciated

Thanks

Tony S

eljay · 04-09-2013, 04:02 PM

I love mahogany. I would buy warm lighting (and plenty of it)!

My trailer has oak. It has a warm feel to it.

tkasten · 04-09-2013, 04:07 PM

Hey Tony S. - We love the Mohagany in our 65 Safari. We use lots of warm LED lighting both above and below all the cabinets. I've attached pics of before and after.

Enjoy,

Tony S · 04-09-2013, 06:29 PM

From my early post I talked about wanting a 1965 interior.

I have seen many Vintage airstream photo archive of them.

I build with the wood more than any other. Here are a few pics of it that you might like. It is Sapale which is an "African Mahogany".

A bed and dresser I designed and sold and kept for my own home.

Of course for the trailer it would be design to be as light as possible and mainly 5.2mm plywood

Tony

SL4BLLT · 04-09-2013, 06:48 PM

I think the mahagony fits the "tradewind" theme of what Wally intended with the naming of his various Airstream which I read as of the ocean travel. Go with a high polish as on a high end Yacht and I think you'll get both the lighting and the quality of craftsmanship. Great work, and that is great material.

We would love to find an old boat with the wardrobes and galley made of mahogony still intact and adjust those "old products" for our Land Yacht. I'm saving money to buy a dining table 24x36 with an inlaid compass rose made of mahogany and it is not cheap. So keep doing what your doing.

SL4BLLT

Tony S · 04-09-2013, 08:15 PM

You hit the nail on the head. Well at least to my thinking. I have a file with sailboat interior pics for additional inspiration.

The rub for me is if I go the way I was thinking with the mahogany and white it will make the rest of the vinyl interior look dingy. So I am playing with the idea of an off white. Maybe to the grey, not a yellow.

I made up a panel of western red which is beautiful but I am worried about the wood movement over 30" could be 1/4" or more.

The back of the mirror in the pic is the exact material I have available, so it is pretty nice.

The canoe I built from western red cedar. The shine is from Capatin's Spar Varnish.

Tony

Modern South · 04-14-2013, 03:53 PM

I love the idea of a high gloss mahogany and the concept of mimicking a yacht's interior. Can't wait to see pics!

Tony S · 04-14-2013, 05:26 PM

Thanks it could be a real nice interior. Nobody seems to be wild with the high gloss including my wife. A new concern has developed. If I go high gloss mahogany and bright white the rest of the interior with the original vinyl covered aluminum will look dingy.

I attached some pics of some sample boards I made up. Ribbon mahogany (sapale), some western red cedar, and a baltic birch panel I had already slapped some finish on for a shelf. Like I mentioned the western red cedar is solid wood. I really like it but I am afraid of how much seasonal wood movement there will be.

The second picture is cedar with spar varnish, the third is the mahogany with the pre-finished lacquer and the forth is the same as the third with shellac (as barrier) and high quality spar varnish on top. Nice depth, very shinny.

I will post what I finally do. I did buy a gallon of satin varnish which might give the perfect amount of sheen.

Tony

Modern South · 04-14-2013, 06:31 PM

It all is beautiful but I still love the high gloss, paint the dingy vinyl...I did. I painted every square inch! I would love those cabinets though! Keep the pics coming, I'm fascinated!

eljay · 04-14-2013, 06:51 PM

I like the satin finish and the mahogany is my favorite from your selections. You can try cleaning the zolotone with Pledge Wood floor finish with future. If that doesn't do it for you, paint it!

Tony S · 04-17-2013, 08:57 PM

Modern South

How did you prep the vinyl for painting. I am concerned about what ever causes the stickiness to come through the vinyl?

Thanks for the input

Tony

Modern South · 04-18-2013, 04:23 AM

Light sanding and then scrubbed with a bleachy, soapy water. I didn't have much of the stickiness that others mentioned...

Tony S · 07-20-2013, 10:11 AM

Well, I thought I would show what the bulk heads currently look like. Most people say too shinny. I am not a plastic shiny kind of guy but I am still leaning toward this. It provides a nice depth to the wood. I have done it with a satin which is what I may use on my furniture but just seems a bit mundane in the trailer, pretty darn flat.

Getting to crunch time. We shall see if I go over the shinny with the satin i.e. chicken out. I have taken design chances in the past, counter intuitive and won.

Tony