Wooden Shift-knob Restoration Ideas?

[brucedemuro]

Hi guys/gals, just got today the original bmw wood shift-knob I got of fleabay for 99 cents and was wondering what would be the best way to restore it to its original glory without compromising the roundel emblem on the top...

As you can see on the pics attached the original varnish of the knob is covered with what looks like decades of hand palm grease (ewww) which has solidified mixed with dirt and such...

Anyway...

Any ideas?

[BarryA]

a single edge razor blade or Exacto knife, sand it down to smooth wood, and start building up layers of Varathane on it, sanding after every 2nd or third coat.

Once the Varathane is thick enough to have completely sealed the wood, switch from regular sandpaper to waterproof paper and wet sand. It will take numerous coats, but the Varathane will ultimately fill up the "endgrain" on the top of the knob - once the grain is filled in, it can be wet-sanded to glass smooth, then polished with a fine buffing compound.

Whether to pop out the Roundel or cover it with Varathane is your call - the Roundel appears to be plastic, so if the color is applied to the back side and it's glued in with epoxy it may pull away some of the color / plating if it's pried out, so I'd consider leaving it. If you DO leave it in, sand the surface of the Roundel with fairly fine grit paper (600-800) to give the Varathane some "tooth" to stick to.

I did much the same thing to an old Momo knob I got out of a car at P&P - it had been exposed to the weather so long the clear was cracked and peeling. After stripping, I bent up a piece of coathanger so it would stick inside the shift lever hole and started dipping it in Varathane - took weeks of dip, drip, dry, sand and repeat cycles, but it came out looking new.....

[nbcbird]

Rather than scraping and sanding I would first try to clean it with a household cleaner (SimpleGreen etc). Then maybe use some lacquer thinner or possibly paint remover (protecting the Roundel emblem). This is a refinishing project not a woodworking project, and sanding should be the last resort.

[Byron]

....a furniture shop. One that builds and repairs furniture, not just a place that sells furniture. I had mine done at one probably 10 years ago and it came out FABULOUS. The guy taped off the roundel, and cut the tape with a razor blade (carefully). I believe he lightly sanded, re-stained, and lacquered it. I think he charged a whopping 15 bucks. I had also just purchased a wooden steering wheel, and he was able to match the stain. I was really impressed. I'm sorry I don't have pics available. If I can find one, I'll see if I'm smart enough to post it!

[c.d.iesel]

I would make darn sure that the knob tightens up properly -

that the threads aren't botched up first -

before sanding/staining/clear coating..........

[ought2]

Here's one that I sanded down and finished with several coats of tung oil. No colored stain was used, as I wanted to keep the natural color of the wood. It gives a durable satin finish. The emblem was taped and trimmed with an Exacto knife as previously suggested.

[John_in_VA]

and they cleaned, prepped, stained and "cleared" it with something. Came out great!

[flyingfool]

i work in a furniture restoration shop, and you got some options..

number 1. go at the wood surface with some steel wool dipped in denatured alcohol. it removes the grease by melting it usually, leavign the wood intact. better for vintage feel. only original once.

then you could just steel wool the wood with 4/O and aply oil and wax it up

with a good paste wax.

OR, once you have steel wooled it, varathane, laquer it, paint it french polish. whatever.

as for making sure it threads, if you have another knob, you could drill out the old messed up threads and glue in the threads from the one you had.

[flyingfool]

i work in a furniture restoration shop, and you got some options..

number 1. go at the wood surface with some steel wool dipped in denatured alcohol. it removes the grease by melting it usually, leavign the wood intact. better for vintage feel. only original once.

then you could just steel wool the wood with 4/O and aply oil and wax it up

with a good paste wax.

OR, once you have steel wooled it, varathane, laquer it, paint it french polish. whatever.

as for making sure it threads, if you have another knob, you could drill out the old messed up threads and glue in the threads from the one you had.

[davidmcw]

I manufactured oval and round picture frames out of cherry oak and walnut for 7 years. I prefer oil finishes such as tung oil, Deft oil and my favorite Watco oil finish. Benefits of Watco oil finish are: 1. Easy to apply: wipe on, let sit for 20 min, then wipe off and let dry. 2. Finish sinks into the wood not on it. Scratches are easy to repair. You can use lacquer to top coat if you prefer. Lacquer is compatible with Watco if item is allowed to dry for 72 hrs. Better sanding job (with at least 320 final sand) & more coats of Watco = better job.

[brucedemuro]

Wow guys thanks for all the precious info!

I started out as soon I got the first response, and using a combination of all your methods was a able with a little patience to remove all the grease.

I used a wood furniture cleaning product that removes grease and protects the wood and it turned out pretty well (much better than it was before) so all that is left is to apply a finish.

My dad suggested that lacquering it should bring up the color of the wood and would leave it with a really nice shine and looking new.

About the threading as c.d. pointed out, it was the first thing I checked and luckily it's in perfect condition.

Not sure what way were gonna go yet, the oiling options are really good as well and I think require a little less work?

It has some light scratching on the roundel acrylic that I think using a really high grit water sandpaper should turn out looking as new.

Anyway check out how it looks now...

[ought2]

Nice work, Bruce! I think you'll find that an oil finish will enhance both the grain and color of the wood. I've used the Formby's tung oil on knobs and love the soft sheen as opposed to a super shiney finish. It's a matter of taste at this point.

[Otis]

I, and all the guys at the Woodworker's Club, swear by this stuff:

http://www.amazon.com/General-Finishes-GF-OUTDOOR-OIL-QT/dp/B001DSZY1S

Oil is a great finish, because you can never really screw up - no such thing as applying too much oil (you simply wipe it off), and if you need more later, you just put more on. I used it on Otis' knob, prior to switching to Otis' now-famous (and purist-pissing off) Allison dice shifter knob. Anyway, enough about that - Outdoor Oil is da bomb.

[ought2]

Has anyone asked Blunt what he uses on his knob?