Moto Lita Wood Steering Nick repair

[Greensand73]

Hello...Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I just bought a Moto Lita all wood Mahogany steering wheel from Ebay. The seller did not pack the wheel correctly during shipment, and i got a little chip on it...see attached image. Would appreciate suggestions on the right way to fix this chip. Thank

[daykrolik]

I saw that you had a number of responses to this question on another forum, so I did not respond there. I have very recent experience restoring an original wheel that had such a nick. I agree with those who said that, if you can return it for a refund due to shipping damage, you should definitely do so. Repair and refinishing, to a high standard, is not nearly as simple as it may seem. If you must try to repair it, Minwax two-part wood filler will give a good durable repair. You will then have to stain that one small piece to match the rest of the wheel. Then, after you have lightly sanded the entire wheel with 600 grit wet paper, I would suggest wiping the entire wheel with a thinned (1/3 thinner) high-quality yacht varnish to restore the uniform gloss.

[Greensand73]

Appreciate the response and your comments on the other forum. I am in the middle of returning it....the seller is not accepting and i am getting Ebay involved. Let’s see the outcome and then decide. Thanks very much. Sandy

[paulsco]

I have restored my steering wheel, which was cracked, dry and missing some bits and it looks quite good now.

If you cannot return it, I would suggest you avoid filler, if at all possible and use a slither of wood (mahogany?) to fill it with. Smooth or cut off the surface and using a good wood glue, stick on the slither of wood, making sure the grain matches; use some masking tape to hold it on whilst drying.

Once it is dried it can be shaped, dyed if necessary and varnished.

It might be best to experiment with this on another piece of wood before committing though.

Depending how deep it is, you could also try rubbing it smooth and building up layers of varnish.

Paul

[daykrolik]

I concur with Paul that, if you have the ability to cut a small piece of wood with matching grain and glue it in place, that is optimal. Does take skill though. Good luck with Ebay.
Day