VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Upholstery - Interiors & Glass Ashtray - good enough to be straightened/woodgrained

This is the rear seat ashtray from my car. I'm guessing when the car was restored, the seat was removed, thrown onto some shop floor, and moved around. I have a new handle (just came in stock at Co40s) and wonder if a woodgrainer can fix this up, or do I need to find a replacement?

I am sure it can be repaired and with a new handle it should not be a problem for a woodgrainer. Probably best to get an estimate and also do a search for a replacement for a cost comparison.

Scott, If you send it out, the first thing the individual will do is strip it to bare metal and start fresh. Being an ashtray (small area) it will make a great DIY project. There are several videos on line explaining woodgraining on bare metal. It’s basically a four step process, primer, base color, graining color and then clear. Think Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, or you might already have something left over from previous projects. Being straight grain, a narrow natural bristle brush works great to apply the graining color. I sometimes cut the bristles shorter to make them stiffer. I have used automotive touch up cans for base color and diluted oil base wood stain for graining. MinWax used to have a good tutorial on their website. You’ll be surprised with the results and if you’re not happy, the professional can strip your paint rather than that from the factory. For dashes and larger areas I use the Grain-It process but that’s pricey. Mike

Sorry all, I missed the fact that the ashtray face is dented. That will require a little more work than just paint. Attached is a picture of a dash functioning as wall art that was grained with left over wood stain.