Water Transfer printing

[Guest]

Has anyone here tried water transfer printing for woodgraining?

[hidden_hunter]

I think I saw them do it on an episode of wheeler dealers, seemed to have pretty good results

[Billy Kingsley]

Do you mean like water slide decals in a plastic model? I'm very well familiar with them, but I'm a bit dubious of their ability to survive the rigors of a real car. If course, a moot point if something else entirely.

[gossp]

I have had several of them come into the shop to get redone the original way because they didn’t quite look right. The process can make a pretty result but won’t have the same look as most original woodgrain that was printed from a plate. 
 

Everything  is job specific and the process will work great in some cases: can you get a good match to the grain? Can the stops and starts on the way around the window moldings be matched (this is really tricky with the water transfer)? Does the original grain look like two colors or a full spectrum of colors between the lightest (base color) and darkest (grain color)? The water transfer tends to be a grain in two colors and not the full spectrum. Getting the darker grain color right is a bear with water transfer as well. 
 

Both processes get a coat of clear at the end so durability is not an issue. 

[Laughing Coyote]

Are you referring to Hydro dipping?

https://www.hydrocreations.com/blogs/news/what-is-hydro-dipping

[Guest]

Yes, the first line of the text on their website says it all "Hydro dipping (also known as immersion printing, water transfer printing and hydro imaging )'.

I did all the wood graining by hand on a '38 Buick back in the 60's.  Have thought about doing the garnish moldings on my Pontiac for years but am far to lazy to do all that work if I am not getting paid by the hour.  This process appears to be a solution.  A company in England does it but only if they the complete job from prep to topcoat.  It looks like it can be done at home and there are several kits available on line from different sources.