BIG BLUE Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 Greetings, Glad to have found this forum and look forward to joining in discussions. I have been a Klipsch owner for over 15 years. Bought my first pair of KG4's in 1986 and still have them. Using them in the basement as a secondary system. I also have a pair of Cornwall II's in my main listening area that I purchased in 1988 and still sound as sweet as the day I bought them. Question I have is what is the best way to clean them. Both are oiled walnut and the KG4's have seen there share of "basement grime" in the last couple of years (I know it's a shame, one word...KIDS!). Seems like when I bought these the rep said a good lemon oil applied with cheesecloth would suffice but I'm looking for suggestions from the crowd. Once a Klipsch owner, always a Klipsch owner! TIA, BIG BLUE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 Pure lemon oil, with no additives like linseed oil, beeswax, or silicone, is recommended by some of the experts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 Watco Rejuvenating Oil makes my 13 year old Fortes look better than they did when I brought them home... if you can't find it locally, there are a few places online where you can order it (pints or quarts, both under $10 and well worth it)... just watch out for the shipping costs... some places will stick it to you. ------------------ Klipsch Fortes, Oiled Oak Klipsch KLF-C7 Center Channel McCormack DNA-1 Power Amp McCormack TLC Pre-Amp Sony 5-disc changer NHT SA3 Subwoofer Amp Hsu TN1220 Subwoofer Old Akai cassette Deck Akai AAR22 used as tuner Nordost Solar Wind interconnects Kimber 4TC Speaker Cable (Future upgrades to include): Klipsch RS-3 Surrounds Harman Kardon AV520 Receiver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Phillips Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 I'll second the watco read about it and what it does at www.flecto.com/products/wat_ro.html A friend told me about it years ago and he has used it on his '73 K-Horns since '77.They look like they have been satin varnished. There is a formula he and I use,once a day for a week,once a week for a month,once a month for a year and as needed or just once a year. Use cheesecloth,don't leave it on any longer than 15 to 20 minutes.If you leave it on it will get a little sticky.And they will look almost glossy. And it protects. And a big welcome to the BB and the Cornwall Klub. ------------------ Steve & Becky's HT This message has been edited by Steve P on 03-04-2002 at 06:38 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 Thanks, Steve P., I used your link and found it less than a mile from my home... They sell it at all Home Depot and Orchard Supply stores. HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 I have had my k-horns for about 15 years I bought them new and stained them myself. The only thing I use on them is formbys lemon oil about once every 2 months. First I dust them off with a soft cloth. Then I take a clean soft cloth and aply the lemon oil onto the cloth. Then I wipe with the grain of the wood.Keep putting more lemen oil on the cloth as needed.DO not put the lemon oil straight out of the bottle and onto your speakers this can put to much on them at one time and spot your speakers. Aways put the lemon oil onto the cloth and then wipe it on the speakers and you wont have a problem. I have been doing this for 15 years and my speakers look great I use nothing else and I dont really intend to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKlipsch Posted March 4, 2002 Share Posted March 4, 2002 I still swear by Basset slober..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted March 6, 2002 Share Posted March 6, 2002 Since you are looking to CLEAN your speakers first, you might want to try Murphy's Oil Soap. It is specifically for cleaning wood. I have used it and it seemed to work fine (although my stuff wasn't really dirty). I don't know anything about the Watco stuff (i.e. if it cleans or is just a wood oil), but you can also use that stuff or the Formby's Lemon Oil (which I also use) after you clean it first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted March 6, 2002 Share Posted March 6, 2002 I'll give some observations, without answers. (Yeah, just what anyone needs. Smile.) The rep gave you some good advice, I think. Most "lemon oil" products are just mineral oil with some lemon fragrence. This is not to say they are harmful, just misdescriptive. We really don't want to use a pure citric product on wood. It is good that we're not getting what is advertized. Check the label. You'll probably find mineral oil is the major component. If there is some doubt, ask for the Material Data Safety Sheet. The mineral oil is probably a good solvent or fluid for washing them down and cheese cloth is a very mild, organic type of Scotchbright. It has a little bit of scrub and lot of open crannys to pick up the residue. Therefore, lemon oil products are probably good. The mineral oil is, I think, probably a less volatile (sp?) cousin of kerosene and actually a form of very light motor oil. Watco finishing products are linseed oil based and will build up a layer. I don't know what is in their cleaning products. Gil This message has been edited by William F. Gil McDermott on 03-07-2002 at 10:52 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted March 7, 2002 Share Posted March 7, 2002 Boiled linseed oil + terpentine (2:1 vol) is the recipe for "oil finish". Linseed oil is an oil extract from flax seeds. Terpentine is pine tree sap diluted with ethyl-alchohol. I refinish like this- rub out the old finish with rag damped with terpentine OR mineral spirits. The wood will lighten up, dirt and grime are removed. Let it dry. mix two parts boiled linseed oil + 1 part terpentine. warm it up (sit in sun or on radiator) and with a cheap brush, lay it on thick, wait for 20min, then rub out hard, repeat and then go to next side. Leave the enclosure for a week to dry. This message has been edited by John Warren on 03-07-2002 at 08:48 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted March 7, 2002 Share Posted March 7, 2002 I'd like to make a few things a bit more clear here. In the wood finishing business a lot of terms are thrown around. In my reading, the authors admit to problems in nomenclature. The overall problem with a "finish" is a matter of putting on a coating. So we need something that goes on liquid and then turns into a clear solid. These are basically shellac, or varnish, or lacquer. The chemistry is different. None the less, they put down a clear coat of modern or ancient plastic. "Oil" finishes are essentially thinned out varnish. Watco finish is a linseed oil based varnish. It might well be equivalant to what John describes. It will build a coat. Lemon oil furniture polish is essentially mineral oil. Good for cleaning but not something which has a component which will build a protective coating. Gil This message has been edited by William F. Gil McDermott on 03-07-2002 at 11:11 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOUNDJUNKIE Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 Isn't "wood alcohol" prescribed as well for the cleaning of grime on wood surfaces prior to finishing, Or are we again into the semantics? What about Tung oil as a finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 Gil- no varnish, just oil and terpentine. Lemon oil is parafin oil, same as smearing Vicks' Vapor Rub on the surface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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