Reply To: Proper Finish For Natural Wood Artillery Wheels

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Ken,

Glad to hear you’re making good progress on your car.  Regarding the wood wheel refinish, a few weeks in the springtime Chicago weather will stabilize the moisture content, so don’t worry about it.  I can highly recommend Z-Spar Captain’s Varnish for your job.  Being an antique wood boat guy, I’ve used this product for over 40 years and have been very pleased with its performance.  Stay away from urathanes, epoxys, and other modern magic finishes.   This is an old fashioned spar varnish with good build qualities and flexibility.  I’ve even used it in the interior woodwork of my Pierce with beautiful results.  Check out Jamestown Distributors web site for ordering.  They also are a great resource for hard to find fasteners and odd ball supplies for restoration.  The antique boat guys and old car guys have a lot of common needs.  A couple of coats of varnish will protect your new wheels enough to attend the annual meet at Hershey, so no excuses.  We are all anxious to see your new car.

Hope this helps, see you in June

Tom Barrett,   Cleveland, Ohio