Here are a few pictures of the Steering Wheel that will be used on this 4 Door vehicle. On my other restorations, I usually sent the Steering Wheels out to have them refurbished but decided to do this one myself. After researching staining techniques and actual wood grain patterns, here are the results. I was able to replicate the contrasting grain design (and color) with 3 different wood colors. I also came up with a process that works better than the instructions I came across while researching staining procedures. I’ll go into a “step by step” process for how it was done when it is finished but I was able to use alcohol pads impregnated with different stains to obtain a realistic wood grain appearance. The alcohol pads allowed the stain to melt into the plastic surface and they also functioned as a tool to distribute the stain in a very calculated and controlled manner.
The only thing left to do is apply the silver paint that runs around the inner groove of the 3 spoke rubber insert. I will use an Airbrush to complete that part of the Steering Wheel restoration.
