EM3 Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 The wife hasn't killed me yet. We shall see if I am allowed back in the house after my lodge meeting tonight. They work but are in the need of TLC. I was thinking about stripping the finish off and using a little filler and staining them Walnut. I have no idea if I should strip and stain the backs and if I do how do I protect the labels on them? They work but have a lot of dust on the woofers. It will be a while before I can work on them in the basement because it draws moisture so it will be closer to summer before I can work on them. Right now I would like to listen to them and the only way I can is to hook them up to a Bose system and the speakers plug into the sub. Would this be safe to do? Here is alittle more info from a previous post. Pics will be in a few days. Now here is what I know about the speakers they are HBR 147X889 and HBR 147X890. So if my research is right I know that means Heresy Birch Raw made in 1982? and the serial number are 889 and 890? Am I right? I was wondering instead of refinishing with veneer if I could stip the finish off that is on them and use some light color wood filler if needed. It's a light color and use a Walnut stain on them and replace the grill cloth with something like this http://www.grillecloth.com/pages/gallery.php It's the Philco pattern 5. Thought or suggestions? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Congrats! X is 1982. I think I'd pick the refinish option over the veneer. Not hard to turn out a decent looking cab with a little TLC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Instead of plugging them into a Bose system, see if you can find an inexpensive receiver at a garage sale, local newspaper ad, or even ebay. For $20 or less you can get something, anything, but the Bose junk. When Klipsch finished the speakers, they simply painted the backs black. If you decide you want to paint them, use Rustoleum satin black paint in spray cans. Remove the backs and all the components and paint the backs separately, and also the edges of the back of the cabinet. You can paint the fronts too, including the inside edge of the cabinet sides that stick out beyond the front. To protect the stickers, use a piece of paper cut out 1/16" smaller than the sticker on each side and then very carefully tape it to the sticker with blue tape. Blue tape has less sticky stuff and since you're only attaching to the 1/16" of an inch all around, there's very little chance of damaging the sticker. Although I've had it happen before due to the sticker being so brittle to begin with. I would sand them down and use a satin spray lacquer from a spray can for the finish. An even easier finish is Wipe-On Polyurethane by Minwax. Sanding is best done with a random-orbit sander and 120grit discs, then 180, finish with 240. Be very careful around the edges and corners, as it's easy to sand through the veneer in those spots. If there are chips in the veneer, you could use birch edgebanding to get pieces to repair the chips. Hope this information is helpful. Do a search for posts by "Groomlakearea51", he's got some excellent writeups about refinishing speakers. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted April 15, 2009 Author Share Posted April 15, 2009 I do plan on looking for a receiver but not for a while. It will be a month or two before the restoration work will take place. The back (rear) edges of the cabinet and backs of the speakers all match the rest of the finish that's on there and trust ne they ain't black. The backs I may not do anything to since they won't be seen. Not to mention I don't want to mess up the stickers from Klipsch. It's funny because I was telling a guy about them today and he already wanted to take them off my hands sight unseen. Thanks for the tips with the sanding my dad has a random orbital sander and some of the sanding discs so that will be easy. There are a few chips but nothing major so I shouldn't have to reband them. I was thinking anbout so of the wood putty that is sandable and paintable from Minwax as well as a Walnut stain from them. Would you use a stipper to get the finish off or just sand it off? I have seen Groomlakearea51's work and it is out of this world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 " Right now I would like to listen to them and the only way I can is tohook them up to a Bose system and the speakers plug into the sub" ARRRRGHGGHGHGHGHGG The Klipsch police will be by shortly to confiscate them due to misuse. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 It's possible that the Bose system may do some funny eq to make their own speakers tolerable. Plugging in the Heresies, designed for a flat output might provide unpredictable results. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 The back (rear) edges of the cabinet and backs of the speakers all match the rest of the finish that's on there and trust ne they ain't black. I wasn't real clear in my post. I knew that your speakers were "raw" from the factory, meaning they originally came with no finish. Klipsch didn't put a finish on them. So if you wanted to restore them to look like Klipsch finished speakers, you could paint the backs and fronts. But doing nothing to the backs is fine too, like you said, you don't see them anyway. Would you use a stipper to get the finish off or just sand it off? I would sand them. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted April 15, 2009 Author Share Posted April 15, 2009 Easy now I didn't say they were hooked up. The Bose was from a darker time in my life when I didn't know about Klipsch. I guess I need to look for a 2 channel receiver with inputs for the IPod and maybe cd/dvd player. I check at the local Salvational Army Thrift Store. The wife will freak out when I bring another piece of equipment home. Guess I'll have to sneak it in. Maybe I'll let her have the Bose for her classroom or trade it to someone unsuspecting. BTW I forgot to mention there are no badges on these so I will have to get some eventually when I am closer to finished with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 BTW I forgot to mention there are no badges on these so I will have to get some eventually when I am closer to finished with them. I have badges on mine and no labels, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me Loves Khorns Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Welcome to Klipsch.... Be very carefull. Some have known to become, well, a bit radical. Might end up with lots and lots and lots of Klipsch before too long! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Here is a pic Ok I am having no luck posting images so how do I master this feat? Do they need to be hosted somewhere or can someone post them for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 next one the worst of the damage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 edge chip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Last one this may sound stupid but which side of the terminals should be black and red? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhoak Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 "Be very carefull. Some have known to become, well, a bit radical. Might end up with lots and lots and lots of Klipsch before too long!" I nominate the above quote as the understatement of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 20, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 20, 2009 Last one this may sound stupid but which side of the terminals should be black and red? You could take the back off and check what it says where it comes off the crossover, it will be marked there. Then trace and put your own mark on the outside, it's very important to have them both the same. Congratulations, they don't look that bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 Yep I think I got the better end of the trade. My next step is to break them down and refinish the cabinet and grill cloth so opening them up is no problem. Just need time and guts. After that I need to find a receiver to power them. No idea what I will get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gartenman Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I'm redoing some Cornwalls now. Great link to the cloth for the grilles, mucho thanks. That site really has some nice grille cloth. Good luck on your project. Keep us posted, can't wait to see the finished project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gartenman Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 My Cornwall has the same problem that you have on the corner. My question to everyone, if I repair with filler, will I be able to match the filler to the existing walnut finish? From what I've read filler does not absorb stain proportionately to the rest of the speaker. Help welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 21, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 21, 2009 My Cornwall has the same problem that you have on the corner. My question to everyone, if I repair with filler, will I be able to match the filler to the existing walnut finish? From what I've read filler does not absorb stain proportionately to the rest of the speaker. Help welcomed. That's the hard part, i just went through the same thing. I got some of the wood filler that is pre stained the color I wanted, well it's not even close. So I mixed some of the dark filler with regular white/tan colored until I thought I was close. Then I tried some on a piece of scrap and let it dry. it dried a little different, so I stained it to see how it would look compared to the natural wood, I then adjusted the mix of the two fillers until i could get as close as possible. After I got as close as I could I put the mixed filler in a zip lock baggie to keep it from drying out until I finished with that project which was about a month. Just squeeze the air completely out of the baggie and if starts to get a little thick just add a tiny bit of water to get it back to the right texture. It NEVER looks just like the wood because of lack of grain but you can get as close as possible with the color, you could always try to mark the filled part with something to fake a matching grain, good luck ! If there is an easier way to match the color or grain, someone please let us know, I could use an easier way ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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