Shift knob mounting ideas?

[superj]

thats a nice looking shift knob.

when i was running old bmws i would always look for the factory wooden shift knobs because they look so much nicer than a plastic black or rubbery grey knob.

 

[sgtsandman]

The new knob looks nice. The only thing I would do different is strip all the varnish off and treat it with boiled linseed oil.

 

[Chapap]

The new knob looks nice. The only thing I would do different is strip all the varnish off and treat it with boiled linseed oil.

Glad you brought that up. I sanded it down and put on a new coat of urethane since it’s 30+ years old. Unfortunately it took a tumble at the machine shop and has a gouge in it now. Thinking of redoing it… again. From what I read, the toughest finishes are aluminum oxide and acid cured, but I don’t believe I have any possibility to do that. The next best was always urethane.

So why boiled linseed? I’m looking for something TOUGH so I don’t wear the finish off in a year.

 

[sgtsandman]

Boiled linseed oil soaks into the wood and withstands abuse and oils from the hands better. Tongue (sp?) might be better since it’s used on gun stocks for the same reason.

If you want shiny, you can wax and buff it after you do the oil treatment just like they do with gun stocks. The down side is you might have to retreat it every year or so to keep the wood protected and wax it for a polished look.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Boiled linseed oil soaks into the wood and withstands abuse and oils from the hands better. Tongue (sp?) might be better since it’s used on gun stocks for the same reason.

If you want shiny, you can wax and buff it after you do the oil treatment just like they do with gun stocks. The down side is you might have to retreat it every year or so to keep the wood protected and wax it for a polished look.

"Tung oil"

 

[Chapap]

I sanded it down to the wood and applied the first coat of tung oil. I got some minwax stuff that I hope is good, cause it’s all they had. I’m going to depart from you, sgt sand, and put the urethane on top of it.

This won’t be my only knob tho. I got it in my head, so I’m going to try my best at getting at least one produced. I’m going to try wood turning my own knobs. Set a nut in the bottom of a block of wood, put it on a drill and see what happens.

Edit: above I said I hope the minwax stuff is good because I read that buying “tung oil” that actually contains tung is kinda hard. I figure if it’s advertised as tung, it must give the desired effect of what people who want tung are looking for. I’ve been reading for a while and still don’t know the difference between varnish, stain, oil, shellac, and any other wood finishing products. Heck even “finish” and some other word that’s like finish but not that I can’t remember aren’t the same thing.

 

[sgtsandman]

I’m not sure on the minwax. I think it’s more of a sealer than a wax but I maybe thinking of only one product and there may be more.

I’m not sure how well varnish or shellac will stick after applying the tung oil being that it’s oil.

In the end, as long as you are happy with it. You are the only one you HAVE to please.

 

[gaz]

Chapap,

If Tung oil is applied to the wood, that is considered a final finish or treatment.

If you stain or paint, then polyurethane can be applied over the top, to protect the stain treatment, with the polyurethane being the final finish.

I do not recommend applying poly over Tung oil, as the oil treatment permits the wood to continue to breath. After a year or 2 or when the surface starts to ware, then simply clean and reapply the Tung oil. I vote Tung oil, because of the number of available products and color choices. I have a favorite product is Cabot Australia Timber oil.

 

[Chapap]

Chapap,

If Tung oil is applied to the wood, that is considered a final finish or treatment.

If you stain or paint, then polyurethane can be applied over the top, to protect the stain treatment, with the polyurethane being the final finish.

I do not recommend applying poly over Tung oil, as the oil treatment permits the wood to continue to breath. After a year or 2 or when the surface starts to ware, then simply clean and reapply the Tung oil. I vote Tung oil, because of the number of available products and color choices. I have a favorite product is Cabot Australia Timber oil.

It could be that “treatment” is the word I couldn’t remember that gets confused with “finish.” Treatments, like stain, simply changes color, but finishes can act like a stain but also soak into the wood and have protective properties… but can also be used as treatments and have a finishing product over top? It’s all very blurry to me.

To add confusion, I’ve read that pure tung is incredibly difficult to work with and can take a month to dry. I’ve concluded that manufacturers have included additives and refined their tung products till they no longer even include tung the the formula. Thus the term “tung” is more of descriptor for the products instead of an ingredient.

Here’s what I got.

 

[gaz]

Chapap,

Tung oil shouldn't be used by itself. Most of the products on the market are mixtures containing some Tung and some solvent. The solvent is responsible for the current time; as the product seeps into the wood the solvent disappears, once the solver has evaporated, the curing is done. Subsequently, the ambient temperature and humidity during the process have a direct effect on the cure time. When I used my fav on my new North Western Cedar deck, I let the boards ages for 7 months untreated, then waited for a cool evening with an anticipated 7 dry days afterwards to achieve the deepest possible penetration of the treatment. It is amazing, water beads up and rolls off like a freshly waxed/polished car finish!

You bought a quality product just follow the manufacturers preparation instructions to achieve the best you can for the finest end result

 

[Chapap]

The best part of this whole project is all the “time to put some tung on my knob” jokes.

 

[Chapap]

Now I need a nut so I can tighten the knob down and to cover extra threads. I’d like something that looks a bit more finished than a regular hex nut, but don’t know what to search for. What would this nut be called?

 

[Curious Hound]

Now I need a nut so I can tighten the knob down and to cover extra threads. I’d like something that looks a bit more finished than a regular hex nut, but don’t know what to search for. What would this nut be called?View attachment 68355

It's Probably called a female threaded bushing. But it's not really something commonly found. They are usually made special for each application.

You could make that, especially if you have a drill press.start with a chunk of round bar stock. Drill and tap on center. File or grind the flats to fit a wrench. 1 hour or less in the shop.

 

[Chapap]

So here’s a pretty bad pic of the final product. I have a few questions for the wood folks.

What are these tiny divots in the urethane finish? I originally thought that was the end grain soaking up more material than the rest of the wood, but I’m not sure that’s the case after 3 coats. I’m using spray urethane, waiting 3 days and sanding in between coats. I’m wondering if it isn’t something the spray is prone to. I’m considering giving it a good sanding and putting a final coat of brush on urethane

What’s with that circle on top? That was there before I applied anything to the bare wood. No amount of sanding got rid of it.

the top half is a good deal darker than the rest. Is that cause the end grain soaked up more tung than the side?

 

[Curious Hound]

Looks nice. The dimples are where the grain soaked up the material. Often, a filler material and sanding sealer are applied to help prevent or minimize that. At this point, just continue with light sanding and another coat or two of your finish and they should be filled.

that spot on the top is probably just some anomaly in the wood. Wood is a natural product and can have hundreds of different flaws and anomalies. That is what gives it character.