scoobinater Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Hey Scoobinator, Great story and great job on refinishing them! Wow they sure look great now! [] Any chance these were your old speakers? That would be really Cool. How do they sound? I know you hooked them up before you cleaned them up.[] Thanks for posting this, and now you've learned your lesson. Do not sell your Klipsch Speakers! Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vnzbd Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Scoobinater, The finished project looks great. I have a pair of dull looking Chourus IIs in the walnut oiled. Is that the same finish as yours? Is you method you brought the finish back to life a standard proceedure for the veneer on these cabinets? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 vzn - that is an excellent way to "re-juvenate" the original walnut veneer (provided it is oiled from the factory) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobinater Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninshine Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 They look great ...congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 They do look nice, for sure. I use Watco Rejuventating Oil (from Home Depot) - apply a few coats with a vigorous rubdown inbetween. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtnfoley Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I did much the same thing with a set of Quartets. When I sold them the buyer seemed to appreciate the refinish job [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobinater Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 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?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninshine Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I love the nice red color so much....man, those look good! I wish my Cornwalls were that color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 12, 2010 Moderators Share Posted January 12, 2010 OK I have a question. When I last built some cabinets with Oak plywood, I wanted to use Linseed Oil, I read what I could find and the general thought was anything for food contact or baby toys or furniture use 100% Linseed Oil so there is no Mineral spirits or it's smell. If it OK straight what is the benefit of the Mineral spirits, it's something that will evaporate from the wood anyway and smell bad. If the idea is to get the Oil into the wood wouldn't it be better to just coat with a few coats of BLO. I used straight BLO and never had a problem, would it be better to thin with Mineral spirits, what does it help ? I have only oiled them once and want to know whats the best way. Straight the smell was very minimal and only lasted a couple of days, I used about 1/3 of a gallon for one coat rubbing it in. Can it be thinned for use after one coat with just oil ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 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?? I believe you are correct - the MSDS for it says the following: The following materials are non-hazardous, but are among the top five components in this product. Raw Linseed Oil 8001-26-1 Resin Solution NOT AVAILABLE Hydrocarbon Resin 152698-66-3 The MSDS also lists mineral spirits as being present. Here's an FAQ from a staining site specifically about Klipsch speakers: http://www.staining123.com/QALibrary.asp?pid=2&page=245 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobinater Posted January 12, 2010 Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 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. OK I have a question. When I last built some cabinets with Oak plywood, I wanted to use Linseed Oil, I read what I could find and the general thought was anything for food contact or baby toys or furniture use 100% Linseed Oil so there is no Mineral spirits or it's smell. If it OK straight what is the benefit of the Mineral spirits, it's something that will evaporate from the wood anyway and smell bad. If the idea is to get the Oil into the wood wouldn't it be better to just coat with a few coats of BLO. I used straight BLO and never had a problem, would it be better to thin with Mineral spirits, what does it help ? I have only oiled them once and want to know whats the best way. Straight the smell was very minimal and only lasted a couple of days, I used about 1/3 of a gallon for one coat rubbing it in. Can it be thinned for use after one coat with just oil ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 12, 2010 Moderators Share Posted January 12, 2010 I kind of had a feeling it would slightly thin it which may let it absorb better. On the new wood it soaked in alot of oil and felt damp for a few days then was dry. I used it straight because the smell was not bad at all, you had to walk up to them to really be able to smell them. Also I did not have room for all 4 bins to fit outside and be protected from the weather, plus there hard to move even with two people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmvette Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I basically did the same with my new to me, Cornwall II's and they look very nice. "Ada Boy", you did a great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I wonder how thinning the BLO with naptha would work. Should be a fast-dry option, I'd guess. Try it on a scrap, first!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George in Georgia Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 My experience with linseed oil hasn't been all that good. Years ago I refinished a rifle stock with 5 or 6 coats of linseed oil, rubbed in with a cloth and then rubbed with fine steel wool, allowing several days between coats. Almost immediately it "bled" little drops of oil? and tended to be sticky, especially in humid weather. I also finished a maple butcherblock dining room table with linseed oil cut with turps on the advice of the dealer; not a happy outcome. Since then I've used Watco products with good results; I'm sure that there are other good products. BTW, "boiled" linseed oil isn't really boiled, it has various metallic dryers added which probably make it unsafe for food surfaces. Fine Woodworking is a wonderful source of finishing information. Those guys and gals know their stuff. Hmm, my lovely Fortes could use some TLC. Great forum! For what its worth, my Fortes are powered by a HK 590i. Its 45wpc are more than enough, and the tone controls with variable hinge points are the way such things should be done. Plus it has a tone control defeat switch, and a high-pass filter to safeguard the Fortes from really low freq stuff. Playing vinyl on my AR ES-1 with the last Shure V15 cart the Fortes make a lovely noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 16, 2010 Moderators Share Posted January 16, 2010 Welcome Georgia. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 BTW, "boiled" linseed oil isn't really boiled, it has various metallic dryers added which probably make it unsafe for food surfaces. The brand of BLO I use is 100% linseed oil, and according to the State of California, has NO known carcinogens or other hazadous materials. Perhaps you used raw linseed oil on your gunstock. Boiled linseed oil is self catalyzing, and dries similar to polyurethanes, just made from flax seed. If the weather is too humid or cool, it may not dry properly and will stay sticky and gummy. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon summit Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Looks great, this has been on my to do list for a while now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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