Re: shift sknobbery

[Phil and Judy Rose <pjrose@servtech.com>]

>Phil,
>I tried a water based laquer on my '91 200 knob and it's already trashed
>in 5k miles. What finish do you have good results with?
>TIA,
>Wolff
>P.S. I just checked and anew knob is $97. Ouch.
>
>P

By "trashed" do you mean it has lots of scratches, or that the finish is
completely wearing down. I wonder if actually you used a water-based
*polyurethane varnish*? I've not encountered a "water based lacquer".
Anyway, for best durability and adhesion, I try  to apply a number of very
thin coats of whatever finish (lacquer, varnish, etc.) and sand lightly in
between coats. Did you apply just one heavy coat?

The lacquer I used (not water based) is sold for lathe-turned wood articles
like pens, etc. Just apply with a cloth to the spinning work. I've been
using it on the turned pens I make, but I haven't used it long enough to
say how durable it is. Lacquer isn't supposed to be any more durable than
polyurethane varnish (just looks better). For that matter, any finishes
that I consider aesthetically pleasing (lacquer, shellac, hardening oils),
i.e., that don't produce a plastic "look and feel"  will not compete with
the durability of commercial epoxy-type finishes--like the stuff that
encapsulates the zebrano trim. Still, I'd expect most finishes to be able
to hold up reasonably for at least 5K miles of average driving.

But  a shift knob is in a tough environment: sweat, oil, grit, testosterone...
YMMV :-)

Phil

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