fasted59

Might I suggest a pure Tung Oil finish. So easy to apply and simply beautiful after 4 or 5 coats rubbed on. This will give you the satin or matte finish you are looking for. Prep the wood up to 320 grit sandpaper, apply the tung oil liberally, wait to dry for a couple of hours, wipe off excess. Wait a day or so, lightly sand again with 320 grit and repeat previous procedure. Should take 4 coats and the finish is spectacular especially with figured wood like walnut or ribbon grain mahogany. I have a pair of Heresy 1 and a pair of Cornwalls finished this way.

Mojotone has all kinds of vintage looking grill cloth. They supply the music industry for the likes for amps and speakers from fender, revox etc. Grillcloth | Mojotone Ed

Sounds like a nice project you have planned. I've just refinished a set of Heresey 1 in Mahogany but have always wanted Cornwalls. I'm going to risk sounding long winded, but I've notice a few people have asked for a detailed description of the veneering process. As a first project, applying veneer is not really technically difficult, but you must be meticulous and plan it out. Although I prefer the good old fashioned contact cement method (old habits die hard), iron on veneer and heat activated poly vinal acetate (white glue) work just as well, need fewer tools and make less of a mess. I used to work in a cabinet shop which did a lot of veneer work and we would always strip cabinets of finish before we applied the veneer. You never know how the contact cement or the heat from iron on veneer will react with the old finish. Fill any scratches or busted corners, sand, and plan your veneer layout. Ensure the veneer's grain flows unbroken across the tops and sides (like a waterfall). Cut your pieces 1/4" larger on all sides. Start with the bottom, then the sides, next the top, and last but not least the front. Apply contact cement to both the cabinet and the veneer using a brush and roller (thin the cement with laquer thinner if required). Apply a second coat of contact cement to the edges and corners of the cabinet and areas where the 1st coat might have soaked in too much. Wait for the glue to dry to the touch and position the veneer on the case very carefully. Start at one edge (you did cut your pieces square didn't you?) and press on firmly (using a wood block if you don't have a roller). An old trick is to use a hot iron (use your wife's best one) to help really kick off the contact cement on the edges of the case and on any longitudinal seams in the veneer. Trim almost flush with a really sharp razor knife (use a new blade) and a really sharp pair of scissors (sharpen or buy a new pair) and sand flush using 150 grit sandpaper around a wood block (finish off sanding with the grain to avoid scratches that will show in the finish), or a quarter sheet orbital sander if you have one. Continue the process until all the sides are done. Use iron on banding for the fronts and miter the corners using your really sharp sissors or. Sand smooth with 150, then 220 sandpaper and lay on whatever finish you desire whether it be oil, polyurethane etc. Hopefully this helps explain the process. Good luck.

To answer a question, the grill material is real Marshall Cane as per the vintage guitar amps. Its really expensive at $53 for piece thats 31" X 36" (enough to do both speakers). This material is very stiff and must first be glued to the front of the grill with contact cement and then the corners need to be ironed over the back side with an iron set on high. In case you don't know, heat is a great activator for contact cement and will make it stick like the proverbial shit to a blanket. You can get Marshall Cane and lots of other vintage grill cloth on the net from a few sources, but the best I've found is a company called Mojo Musical Supply out of Burgaw, North Carolina. Their website is mojotone.com and they give great service and have the best prices. Good luck with your own upgrades. Fasted

Another shot of this set under the knife. The veneer was applied the old fashioned way with contact cement, and given 4 sprayed on coats of satin polyurethane rubbed out with 220 grit between each coat to fill the grain. They really are flat as a mirror and the poly finish is bullet proof against most anything. Cabinet internal braces were all reglued and caulked and the backs were made out of 3/4" think baltic birch to cut down on resonances. In case you're wondering, I used to be a furniture maker in another life.

Hi. First post after lurking on this forum for some time. I have to say I have never found a group more knowledgeable or passionate about their speakers in all my travels on the net. I've just rebuilt a trashed set of Heresy 1's with new woofers, new caps and new ribbon grain mahogany veneer and slant risers. I dropped the tweeter and midrange down a tap on the autoformer and modded the crossover to keep it in spec. These speakers now sound and look terrific. I also have a set of AR 9LSi in the room and people often don't realize its the Heresy's playing, not the AR's.