Refinish vs New Veneer - Klipsch Heritage

[No Disc]

I don't know much about woodworking but would like to get my feet wet with trying this on some of my Heritage speakers. I think the veneer is fine, I just don't like the color of of some of my speakers.

What are the pros and cons of doing a new veneer vs. refinishing? How hard is it to learn how to do a new veneer? What tools do I need? Any advise on how to get started?

I love my Cornwalls but sadly they are the ugliest finish and would love to learn how to refinish them or do a new veneer on them.

I suppose I could pull out the drivers and take them to a professional, which could be an option.

Thanks in advance.

No Disc

[CECAA850]

Taka a little time and read this thread. There's a lot of good info there.

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/109693.aspx

[440Films]

I lightly refinished my Heresy's. They were a little dinged up but not bad enough to re-veneer them. The original veneer was fairly thick. I didn't sand them down too much except for the top of one that had a planter on it at one point. Their was a green circle of mold. I sanded it down as far as I could before I could tell the veneer was getting dangerously thin. I had a piece of Oak veneer that matched the Walnut so I used it in some places to patch. Not a perfect solution but it worked out.

I was trying to keep as much of the patena as possible. I give them an 8 out of 10 now. I do have experience with refinishing but was afraid to take the plunge of veneering on my Heresy's.

If your cabinets are in good shape you could get to the raw wood. A little stain and maybe boiled linseed oil or tung oil and those Cornwalls will be looking good!

[No Disc]

Thanks. Lots of good info. My veneer and cabinets are in great shape, I just don't like the dark walnut color. So could I do something like 440 did with his academy? Could I Remove the dark walnut finish on the veneer and re-stain?

No Disc

[bliss53]

Walnut is a pretty dark wood even when it has a clear finish. You may not get them a lot lighter if you refinish them. Any stain will make them darker than the natural wood. I do not think there is a lot of darkening pigment in the original walnut oil finish but someone else may know (Greg?). An opaque or partial opaque finish can make them lighter but you will get a painted look that has a wood grain in it. If you want a light finish you could go with a maple or the like and re-veneer. Re-veneering can be tricky if you have not worked with wood much. How about selling yours and buying an oak pair? May be even make a trade offer in the garage sale section.

[greg928gts]

Can you tell us the model designation and serial number on the stickers?

Greg

[No Disc]

I found one of the backs, (I've got custom backs on mine) - CWO S/N = 8547653

- Tim

[greg928gts]

I found one of the backs, (I've got custom backs on mine) - CWO S/N = 8547653 - Tim

Ok, so they do have walnut veneer on them. Sometimes people say walnut, when they really mean a walnut stain on birch.

Walnut is a dark wood and you will not be able to make them light without painting or white-wash, and please don't do that. If you want a light colored wood, I recommend you try to trade for a pair of birch Cornwalls with someone here on the forum.

Greg

[No Disc]

Ok, thanks, for your wisdom regarding this. I'll keep my eye open for a different pair.

Thanks again.

[Dflip]

You have a dark coloured natural wood, no matter what you do you will end up with a dark coloured speaker. Unless of course you white wash them. Please don't. If you had walnut speakers that were painted black, some of the less than perfect walnut speakers were done this way, then you can seal the surface and apply multiple coats until you get the right intensity of stain. It is not easy, but can be done with a lot of patience and many days of drying time.