scoobinater

I think the mineral spirits allows the linseed oil to penetrate a little deeper into the wood. Straight BLO might take longer to penetrate and probably ends up being sticky for a while. The mineral spirits also helps to clean the old finish and removes any wax or other crap that may have built up over time. The previous owner of these speakers says he used to apply Pledge furniture polish to them from time to time. A rubdown of spirits clearly removed lots of dirt and crap (the rag was filthy) so I could see the benefit of the cleaning. However, if building new cabinets with new wood, there's no real cleaning necessary. But I do believe the spirits will really help linseed oil to penetrate deeper.

I was holding a can of Watco oil in my hands at Home Depot the other day and thinking about it... but in the end, I went with the linseed oil and mineral spirits because I knew what to expect. As I understand it, though, the Watco stuff is a linseed oil base??

Dennie, no I'm certain these are not my original KG4's... just pure coincidence they were bought at the same store at about the same time. vnzbd, there are a couple of other threads on this board that discuss using a linseed/mineral spirits mixture to rejuvinate these old cabinets. Works great. A friend of mine who does a lot of furniture refinishing also recommended this process. The mixture of 90% mineral spirits and 10% linseed used in the first step is a great way to clean the cabinets and bring out the natural grain. Because this mixture is so thin, it penetrates very well and soaks into the veneer, and "pops out" the grain nicely. Without waiting too long for it to dry, I followed with the 2nd step (80% linseed and 20% spirits) which is much thicker to apply, but this mixture really moisturizes the veneer and will help to protect it for a long time.

I had a NAD 2200 Power Envelope series and it was the best amp I've ever owned. I used it for many years along with an old 1978 model NAD 3020 pre-amp, and used the set to power my Klipsch KG4 speakers. It was an awesome setup, and the incredible sound filled a very large room very nicely (20' x 25' with a very high 20' vaulted ceiling). Guests were always blown away with the sound, especially at how it could fill a room that large. I have always regretted selling the whole system but I was moving across the country, wife was pregnant, and I needed the cash. The best part about the 2200 is the dynamic headroom. I've never seen another brand that comes close. It's a very capable power amp, with a lot of punch. A good friend of mine used to DJ with a pair of 2200's, and his sound system was by far, the best around.

The very moment I sold my [mint condition] 1987 Klipsch KG4's about 7 years ago, I regretted the decision. So, for about 7 years now, I've kept my eyes peeled for another pair. Finally, I spotted an ad on a local buy & sell website.... I picked them up for $250 (CDN). They have the same walnut oil cabinets as my old favourites. A couple of dust caps are pushed in a little but that doesn't bother me. The fabric grill covers are in very nice condition, almost perfect in fact. Structurally, the cabinets were in very nice condition, needing only some cosmetic attention. No major scrapes, scratches, gouges, splinters or cracks -- just a couple of small nicks, but nothing serious at all. Mostly, the finish was just a little dry and faded. This is the BEFORE photo. This photo was taken after a light rubbing with medium steel wool, followed by 3 coats of 90% mineral spirits mixed with 10% linseed oil (brushed on liberally and let soak for 10 minutes each coat) and rubbed with a dry cloth. Finally, a mixture of 80% linseed oil, with only 20% mineral spirits, applied very generously, and let it soak in for 15-20 minutes before a final rub down with a dry cloth. They'll have to spend a few days in the basement because they smell at the moment.