Morris Minor Owners Club

Remember that any stains look darker once the wood is varnished so get it slightly damp (water or white spirit etc.) to check before committing to varnishing it. You probably knew that already though.

Remember that any stains look darker once the wood is varnished so get it slightly damp (water or white spirit etc.) to check before committing to varnishing it. You probably knew that already though.

I didn't actually . Thats new to me, thanks. The wood isn't that bad I suppose regarding stains, but I'll use your tip to make sure. I was going to use Danish Oil on the car but I'll rub the wood down with white spirit before I do anything to check for dark areas. Thanks for that.

Probably worth mentioning, that if you opt for Danish oil rather than a microporous laquer finish, it's quite high maintenance, as road dirt/dust sticks to the wood, and can be a pig to get off. Really the Burgess wood sealer and topgloss is top notch stuff.

"that if you opt for Danish oil rather than a microporous laquer finish, it's quite high maintenance, as road dirt/dust sticks to the wood"

Yes, this is exactly what I found. If the car is used regularly, the oilled wood quickly blackens. The grain in the wood on my car is still dark from when I used oils, despite bleaching- it must be ground in dirt as MT says. Oilling the wood is fine for dry use show cars, but for a daily driver it does not work.

Really the Burgess wood sealer and topgloss is top notch stuff.

So where do I get this stuff and how do I use it ? Is it just like ordinary wood preserver kind of stuff.

I'am not to bothered about the maintance of Danish oil as I find it easy and quick to apply, but eventually I would hope to use the car frequently to get the use out of it, its a practical car after all, so the dirt absorbtion doesn't sound too good. (especially after all the work I've put in to date and in the future)

You can get the Burgess stuff from ESM. It's called Burgess Hydrosol Wood Sealer and Hydrosol Topcoat. Good thing about the sealer, is you can apply one coat to stained areas, then three or more coats to the lighter wood to even out colour. The top coat is brushed on, dries in 15 minutes, and the finish is semi gloss, and hard as diamonds. It doesn't UV fade, but lets' the wood breath as it's microporous. One of those products, that once you've used it, you will stick with it. I think it's about £13 / Litre

ESM Parts Numbers Burgess1 and Burgess2

So the first one acts as a wood sealer and preserative and has semi gloss properties and the topcoat is the hard dirt proof layer ?

How does it look when finished ? Does the wood look hard as if it has a thin coat of plastic on it or is it porous looking (as if its been oiled) ?

Before you apply the Burgess woodsealer (great product) soak the wood with Cuprinol 5 star, this will kill any fungicide and prevent it recurring.
We no longer use microporous as we find it allows too much moisture in and not enough out (British damp climate) We generally go for between 7-9 coats of exterior gloss varnish. The Dulux one being our current favourite. You must check joints every week and rub down (key top coat) and re top coat every 6 months to keep the pristine look.

Ok, so do I have this right.

1. Soak the wood in Cuprinol 5 star.
2. Apply Burgess Woodsealer (couple of coats to get the desired effect).
3. Varnish with Dulux.

Is that right ?

iandromiskin wrote:Ok, so do I have this right.

1. Soak the wood in Cuprinol 5 star.
2. Apply Burgess Woodsealer (couple of coats to get the desired effect).
3. Varnish with Dulux.

Is that right ?

It's certainly one way to go. Regarding the Burgess Wood Sealer, it does darken the wood the more coats you apply, the darker it gets. See pic of my traveller earlier in this thread, that wood is 10 years old and was last treated 4 years ago, all with the Burgess stuff (Sealer and Topgloss)

Opinions are going to vary on this topic. For me the problem with the Dulux non porous varnish, is if water gets in, it has nowhere to get out except from the point of entry as the wood cannot breath. Microporous varnish doesn't let 'water' in as in water just beads off it, but it will allow water vapour (moisture) in, but as the wood can breath, the moisture dries out when car gets warm.

I think the idea of microporous is fine but unless the car is garaged or under cover then the wood never releases the moisture .
As MT says its a personal choice, and there are happy advocates for all sorts of applications, however I would agree never to use oil, despite its superior performance on wood its just ghastly when used on a traveller.

Ok grand. I must try and trace the stuff so. Presumably the Dulux Microporous varnish is the best, because as you say it lets the wood breath.

Stupid qustion this - but what is the best way to apply the varnish properly ? I know it has to be applied by a bursh, but do you brush on say two coats and then sand it down with fine sandpaper or just leave it as it appears when dry ?

Once complete I would hope that this car will be driven more often the the saloon, but I don't have a garage. The best I can offer it is a car cover at night when not in use. I have an area (see photo) at the side of the house where it will be tucked away and secure, but only under a car cover. So a method, such as the one discussed, is presumably the best way forward in terms of protecting a car that will be outdoors and in use for most of the time ?

One other thing - I have the rear doors completed in the shed, but treated with Danish oil. How do I go about reversing the process to match the rest of the wood if I treat it with Cuprionol, Burgess and Dulux Varnish ? Do I just give the doors a good sanding down with fine paper and start again as normal ?

If you start with smooth wood, the varnish shouldn't really need sanding between coats. Another reason I prefer Topgloss, is two to three coats is all that is really needed. You can use a small paint pad to apply the varnish, slightly easier than using a brush. I only need to sand local areas if I get a run in the varnish.

WRT your back doors already treated with Danish Oil. A light sand with something like 120 grit should 'key' the wood enough to allow the Hydrosol Wood Sealer to penetrate. I do think you will end up with a slightly darker shade though. Please check with Danish Oil Supplier, but I think white spirit will lift most of it off the wood, followed by a wash with water and allow to dry completely for a few days.

i was advised some time ago to use
Cuprinol Preserver then Sikkens Cetol HLS basecoat then Cetol Filter 7
doesnt seem to have been mentioned,now halfway through???
heres hoping i hav't made a BIG mistake

White spirit doesn't seem to touch Danish oil once it's dried. I discovered this after accidentally spilling some on a melamine worktop.

Dave, the method you suggest can be fine. Several of our customers cars have been done this way as recommendation from Steve Foreman.
I still prefer a top Dulux type finish, but you do need to be fanatical about its condition. In my experience this is the only finish that we have not encountered issues.
Will contact you by PM re other info and dates.

dave1949 wrote:i was advised some time ago to use
Cuprinol Preserver then Sikkens Cetol HLS basecoat then Cetol Filter 7
doesnt seem to have been mentioned,now halfway through???
heres hoping i hav't made a BIG mistake

No, thats what i and others use in the East kent branch- it works very well. If the car lives outside, you do have to sand down and re-apply the filter 7 (1 coat) every year. I've been using the lightest shade (pine).

I did previously use the darker shade (light oak) but that was a bit too brown. The pine finish (Sikkens code 077) is more like it.
Unfortunately, the years spent applying wood oils (Danish, then Teak, then Tung oil from various recommendations) left much of the grain of the wood ingrained with black markings that won't shift by sanding, scraping or bleaching, although the wood between the grain responded well.

with reference to sikkens what is the minimum temperature it can be applied at ie british winter?, i did have a data sheet,can't find it
,i'm also using pine 077 how many coats are recommended, sikkens say two, has anyone used a varnish top coat over the final coat?