First order of business - Stabilize the wood.
I used the same method I employed with my other Defender. Saturate the wood with a penetrating epoxy, wipe off the excess and clamp down using blocks of wood wrapped in plastic bags. I made sure the epoxy got into all the voids and under the delaminated layers. I used Abatron LiquidWood which has worked well on several other projects of mine.
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/abatron.jpg)
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2clamped.jpg)
Nice thing about using the school shop - lots of clamps!
A day later everything is solid. No flaking or loose wood. Not pretty yet but the damage has been stopped.
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2epoxied1.jpg)
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2epoxied2.jpg)
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2epoxied3.jpg)
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2epoxied4.jpg)
Filling in the wood was done using another two part epoxy. This time I used HF Staples Epoxy Wood Rebuilder. It has the color and consistency of peanut butter when mixed. It's easy to apply and sand, it's now my favorite wood epoxy.
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/hfstaples.jpg)
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2filled1.jpg)
There were some big chunks of wood missing.
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2filled2.jpg)
![](http://www.gearheadlabs.com/arcade/defender/pics2/d2filled3.jpg)
Everything sanded down nicely and was ready for paint.