Converting from Factory lacquer to Oil-???Suggestions

[BS Button]

Very detailed how to's appreciated.

[Malcolm]

Real easy, much easier than the other way around. Apply stripper, remove lacquer, and clean up according to manufacturer's instructions. Sand lightly with very fine paper. The either apply stain followed by oil finish according to manufactuer's instructions, or apply oil finish containing stain according to manufacturer's instructions.

FWIW lacquer has advantages over oil. First, it is easy to remove. Oil finishes polymerize over time and are essentially impossible to remove completely without serious sanding. It also protects the wood from scratching better.

[PrestonTom]

Malcolm is making it sound easy. If you go this route be careful on the following:

1. Stripping the old material off. This must be done thoroughly, especially if you are going to stain them.

2. Sanding: Again this must be done carefully (and not with a belt sander) the outer ply is quite thin and you need to be extra careful on the edges.

3. Staining: Any mistakes from steps 1 & 2 will be highlighted when you stain. This is especially true if it is a dark stain.

BTW, if you are happy with the color of the cabinets and they are not in rough shape, you might consider just applying a new coat of lacquer (after some prep on the old finish). Is it the sheen that you are concerned about?

I am not contradicting Malcolm's good advice. He has obviously done this before. I just concerned that he might be forgetting the mistakes he may have made (if he is like me) when he first did this for the first time.

[Malcolm]

Tom brings up some good points. I just meant easy relative to the other way around. But refinishing is not a particularly difficult process, particularly with something like Watco oil finishes.

Howevery, after you have removed the old finish, you are essentially starting from scratch. It would be a good idea to practice on a piece of scrap plywood of the same species before you do your speakers.

Likewise, if you just want to get the shine back, it would be a lot simpler to apply one or more new coats of lacquer after sanding. If you do, you might want to find out from Klipsch what type of lacquer they used and use the same or similar. Follow the instuctions of the manufacturer.

No, Tom, unfortunately I have not yet forgotten all the mistakes I have made. I do try not to make them any more. I just make different ones every time. Just like on the golf course, I have gotten very good at getting out of trouble.

The good thing about refinishing is that, with the exception of sanding through the face veneer, it is all reversible.

[WMcD]

So is this a clear lacquer or one of the units with black lacquer? I suspect that the black is a good deal thicker than the clear.

I get a bit nervous about applying a stripper. That is assuming you're looking at sloppy thick paint stripper. It is not necessary with lacquer.

Rather, acetone will disolve the lacquer. It should be just like our female friends take off nail polish. Nail polish is lacquer. That is why if you look at the ingredients of Walgreen's regular nail polish remover, you see the only major ingredient is acetone. You can buy acetone at HD.

I used this to clean up an oak butcher block table. It was dull and gray. This was probably because the lacquer had failed.

This involved carefully going over the tabletop with a wash off of actetone (actually, nail polish remover) and a small towel. You must do this outdoors because acetone is very flamable. And you don't want to inhale it.

You might want to try a small spot first.

Wm McD

[colterphoto1]

i have inhaled acetone and only sufred miner brian damege

[Invidiosulus]

i have inhaled acetone and only sufred miner brian damege

I drank rubbing alcohol and peed out acetone.

[JBryan]

Maybe a quick note about why you want to remove the lacquer would be helpful. If you're trying to match other speaks or equipment, that's one thing but if the lacquer is checked or needs repair, there are easier approaches. Perhaps you can re-amalgamate the lacquer - its not as difficult as stripping and starting from scratch.

[whatever55]

I have used Formby's Furniture Refinisher. on other lacquer finishes, clean it then oiled with either Watco or Minwax Antique Oil Finish with good results. The gloss depends on how many coats you put on. Formby's did not remove a lot of stain so you could just oil when you are done.

For detailed directions you can check either the Formby's or Minwax web site.

[BE36]

We get old so fast and smart so slow - Have another beer. Still laughing about peeing out Acetone.

[BE36]

When sanding the end grain only sand in 1 direction or the stain will show funny marks, looking at the end grain on sides of your old La Scalas in my HT you already know this. They look great!

[hklinker]

I have used Formby's Furniture Refinisher. on other lacquer finishes, clean it then oiled with either Watco or Minwax Antique Oil Finish with good results. The gloss depends on how many coats you put on. Formby's did not remove a lot of stain so you could just oil when you are done.

For detailed directions you can check either the Formby's or Minwax web site.

If you mix lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol in a 50/50 mixture you will get a much cheaper version of Formby's that does the same thing. It will take off as little or as much of the finish as you want. Use 00 steel wool and rub in the direction of the grain.

Herb

[whatever55]

I have used Formby's Furniture Refinisher. on other lacquer finishes, clean it then oiled with either Watco or Minwax Antique Oil Finish with good results. The gloss depends on how many coats you put on. Formby's did not remove a lot of stain so you could just oil when you are done.

For detailed directions you can check either the Formby's or Minwax web site.

If you mix lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol in a 50/50 mixture you will get a much cheaper version of Formby's that does the same thing. It will take off as little or as much of the finish as you want. Use 00 steel wool and rub in the direction of the grain.

Herb

Good suggestion on the mix.....

I would like to add ... instead of steel wool I have used a synthetic pad that looks like a scotchbrite pad. I was warned about steel wool leaving small pieces behind that might be missed and then could stain the wood. I don't know the name of the pads, I think 3M makes them. Theycomes in different colors which denote the amount of material they removes ( white, green and brown ). They work great for me and last a long time.

[Tom Mobley]

the solvent for lacquer is lacquer thinner, doesn't matter how old the lacquer is. It re-dissolves easily. I used the stripper brushes available at HD, Lowes and similar places. If your wood is an open grain speciesyou might a pretty aggressive brush to dig the lacquer iout of the grain. Any brush, test it first to verify that it's not dissolved by the solvent/stripper in question.

[BS Button]

Any cautions about using lacquer thinnner or the wood finish stripper products? Concerned about releasing the veneer from the substrate. These are 83 walnut lacquer cornwalls...FYI

BS

[BS Button]

I have used Formby's Furniture Refinisher. on other lacquer finishes, clean it then oiled with either Watco or Minwax Antique Oil Finish with good results. The gloss depends on how many coats you put on. Formby's did not remove a lot of stain so you could just oil when you are done.

For detailed directions you can check either the Formby's or Minwax web site.

If you mix lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol in a 50/50 mixture you will get a much cheaper version of Formby's that does the same thing. It will take off as little or as much of the finish as you want. Use 00 steel wool and rub in the direction of the grain.

Herb

Good suggestion on the mix.....

I would like to add ... instead of steel wool I have used a synthetic pad that looks like a scotchbrite pad. I was warned about steel wool leaving small pieces behind that might be missed and then could stain the wood. I don't know the name of the pads, I think 3M makes them. Theycomes in different colors which denote the amount of material they removes ( white, green and brown ). They work great for me and last a long time.

Yes, as suggested, unless I remove all the guts prior to this job...I do not want to use any steel wool...unless it's a must..

[Malcolm]

Don't use steel wool on wood that will be finished. You will embed tiny particles of steel in the wood, which will rust over time. Use bronze wool.

[hklinker]

Don't use steel wool on wood that will be finished. You will embed tiny particles of steel in the wood, which will rust over time. Use bronze wool.

I have never had a problem with steel wool as long as you use a tack cloth or wipe them down with mineral spirits on a clean cotton cloth after you take the finish off. It doesn't look like there is much finish left on your speakers so you can use one a stipping pad without having it gunked up with the removed material.

If you use a solution of wood bleach (oxalic acid you can probably get most of the stains out of them. Just be careful since it's veneer. You don't want it to lift it off the plywood. Another option is to stain the wood with a darker finish, cherry or walnut maybe. I did mine in Red Mahogany and I like how they came out.

After removing the finish and sanding:

[hklinker]

After staining: