muel Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions! I don't own a router yet so I was going the $10 route with the Band-it edger. I have about 5 samples going with different approaches with the Watco so I will see how those turn out. I'm willing to take this slow and experiment until I find what I like. My samples look as dark but more brown than what I see in Marshall's "$200 cornwall saga" post... I am thinking that stain before the Watco might make it too dark in the end. Will Watco Danish Oil darken over time like the BLO finish will? Any advice on how to handle that patch that is sure to still be visible even when sanded flush? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokarz Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 for my CS-1 build, whenever that happens. this is how i will finish them 1) a coat or two of shellac, sanding 2) then 2-3 coats of watco walnut oil with sanding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 for my CS-1 build, whenever that happens. this is how i will finish them 1) a coat or two of shellac, sanding 2) then 2-3 coats of watco walnut oil with sanding Is that the light or dark walnut oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rll Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I experimented some with that trimmer and was afraid of doing just what you did, so I took the plunge and bought a router (rather than continuing to borrow my neighbor's). It's come in handy for some other things, and is fun to learn how to use and the things it can do. Early in his Cornwall thread, Marshall walks through his process for the patch. Granted, his patch was to the substrate, but it may provide some ideas. Other than that, I do not have enough experience. I'm afraid I don't have enough experience finishing to provide any more than general advice. There are so many variables, so continue to take your time and practice to find what you are looking for. Regarding your concern that stain might make the finish too dark - you can control the darkness or depth to a great extent with the amout of time you leave each wipe on the surface before wiping off. Many short intervals will allow you to slowly build it to what you desire. Remember this, once you've finished staining, it does little good to go back later and add more, once it dries, the pores of the wood won't accept more stain. So if you decide to stain, set aside plenty of time for howver many coats/cycles of the wipe-on/wipe-off process may be needed. Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 7, 2011 Author Share Posted May 7, 2011 Yep, thanks to Marshall on the patch method and his stain advice! Sanding done... 220, 320, and finally 400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 First coat of finish... I found that I could almost match Marshall's stain suggestions (70/30 of minwax gunstock/special walnut) by just using Watco Danish Oil (2 parts natural with 1 part cherry). The result was not quite as even color but there was an iridescent quality that I really liked with just the Watco on my samples. I would suggest experimenting (I spent 2 weeks) before deciding. By the way, I wet sanded the Watco with 400 grit paper. It made my samples silky smooth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 Risers are a nice match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 I thought that the patch was going to blend in nicely but it turns out that my sanding exposed part of the backing (or something) on the veneer patch and it isn't taking the color evenly. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 The patch overlapped the edge of the chip sllightly too much.. Can be fixed. Use a very sharp chisel (about a 1" blade) and carefully cut a small rectangle pattern about 1/4" past the current patch. Make sure the "flat" part of the chisel blade is facing out towards the good veneer. This makes the "cut" edge perpendicular. Cut down past and into the old veneer. Then carefully "lift" that piece out. It is extremely important that the "cuts" are perfectly straight. Then take your scrap pieces and using the chisel, cut a patch from a section that has the same grain pattern where the patch will be placed. Again, make sure the flat side of the blade is facing "in" on the cut to make sure the cut is perpendicular. Make the patch about 1/32" - 1/16" larger than the "hole". That will make it easy to feather the excess away with a block sander and 180 grit. Since the veneer used heatlock glue, you will want to carefully scrape the excess away from the "hole", leaving a clean surface. Using a small artists brush, etc. Paint the "hole surface" and the back of the patch with a coat of heat lock. Allow to dry for at least 30 minutes. The best alternative is to skip the heatlock and use some contact cement which will work better. After the glue has set, "fit" the patch making sure it's flush against the two cuts. This is alot easier to do with contact cement as trying to get the heatlock glued patch to stay put until you get an iron on it can be problematic. One the patch is installed, carefully roll it flat, and wipe away any excess glue that may appear at the seam. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours. After it's dry and cured, carefully using a block sander with 180, slowly sand the excess away using an angled downward motion. On the section excess that sticks near the fron, feather towards the corner, On the side, feather towards the rear of the speaker. Never pull the block "up". Always down. Then when it's otherwise flush, carefully using a small piece of sand paper (about 220 or even 400 grit), sand it and "fine feather it in" so the seam is as invisible as it's going to get. Then using a q-tip or small paint brush reapply the stain, etc. allow to dry like before. It's time consuming, and a real "PIA", but other than removing the oil, sanding and laying on a new piece of veneer, no other way to really do it. Hope that is of some assistance. [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 Excellent! [Y] Great details in your instructions... thanks! I found a stain marker that I got to match near perfect and even was able to draw in the darker grain lines continued on from the good veneer. It made it hard to see any problem until I applied more Watco and it wiped the marker right off. What was I thinking? I didn't give the stain marker any time to dry. To do this right I will need to follow your instructions. It is hard to be patient since I am excited to get the Heresy III components installed! I got these cabinets last October and the H III parts back in December. At least I have some Heresy Is to keep me company in the shop while I work on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angusruler Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 turned out nice! walnut really looks good. i use painters caulk to fill any holes/cracks on the inside. doesn't expand, dries quickly, and being water based, cleans up very easily if too much is used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBXeRo Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Wow, i am sypmathizing with you about veneer troubles. I dont know if you saw my refinish thread but i am doing a pair of 1982 HWO's. The veneer was in pretty good coniditon after i first sanded it. I used polyshades, was unhappy with it and resanded again. Unforutnately....i went throught he veneer in some spots while sansing. Very sad, but it is what it is and it isnt horrible horrbile. they look much better then witht he shitty polyshades on it and an uneven coat. I just went to rockler woodworking and hardware today and they sell veneer there with 3m contact cement on the back, nothing heat activated. They have alot of options, i think better options then what alowes or home depot could offer. Its a very specialized store, i dont know if they have any if your area but they are great! You are ballsy to try out the veneer deal, i am a bit afraid of doing it but will try it some day. Congrats though, they are looking fantastic. Keep an eye, i am going to make a new thread when my project is done with photos of everything along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 That would be great to have a place like Rockler near by to visit! I bought my veneer and a few tools from http://www.joewoodworker.com/ I suggest that you read everything you can... there is a lot of info on Joe's site and he is very helpful if you have a question not covered in the FAQ pages. At some point you just have to go for it! I figured that the worst case was that I would have to just spray paint them and use them out in the garage. There are so many methods and opinions on how to veneer. Whatever you decide be sure that you don't confuse or try to combine 2 different methods. Be clear on what you are doing, take notes, and plan it out. Some mistakes are going to be made and we just live and learn through them. Help from Marshall and Joe was very valuable but I wish I had asked sooner! I've made the final application (for now) of Watco and will wait at least a few days before I start installing the H III components. Getting close! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 I can't wait any longer! I've got to hear these! Time to get the HIII components installed. I'll install with the silver screws for now and I can swap out for black as soon as I can prime and paint the heads. I kept checking the instructions to be sure I was getting the correct color wire to the correct speaker. It took me a little too long to figure out they have it configured like an upside down stop light (green for the tweeter, yellow for mid, and red for woofer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 at last! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 Wow... sounding pretty good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 I don't know if I will need the risers yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 The grills were easy... Klipsch still had a few sets for the Heresy II in stock. These have the velcro but the H IIIs are magnetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rll Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Ahhh, nicely done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrod Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Beautiful. Very nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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