Jim Cornell Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 WOW You do have your hands full, at least theres not grilles, those are designer! I would fill all the chips , using wood putty, sand it smooth, then just repaint them black! This woofer is a K-33-E, i think you have the K-33-P, they might look different, but i dont think theres a difference in sound! Im sure the emblems are gone as well! For $20.00 you got a great deal BUT, if you were to have these refinished it would be about 5-$600.00 for the repairs! Dam pets, are they really worth it! Well, post the pics after your done, id like to see the results! Regards Jim This message has been edited by Jim Cornell on 06-25-2002 at 02:08 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonelobo Posted June 25, 2002 Author Share Posted June 25, 2002 Jim, The pix are of the "bad speaker". The other is in much better shape, with only staple holes to fill before refinishing. I guess I have failed to mention that my true passion is not audio, but vintage woodworking hand tools. My plans are thus. I am going to try to find some birch ply with similar grain. Then I will remove the damaged areas of veneer ply following grain lines, replace with good veneer ply, plane these down to match and scrape the entire cabinet with a nice old cabinet scraper (Stanley No. 80 to be exact), then sand the entire surface to 400/600 grit with wet/dry paper using Naphtha as a lubricant, but only if necessary. A good cabinet scraper will leave a very polished surface without further work necessary, depending on the wood. A steam iron will be used to raise the dents and dings as much as possible, but some marks may be left to serve as "patina". Wash off the entire surface with an oil/wax/silicone remover (PreClean-O is one name brand I'm familiar with) to remove fingerprints, oils and other contaminates, then tack off any acquired (or remaining) dust just prior to spraying on a new finish coat with a HPLV spray gun (that's good ole High Pressure, Low Volume, for you young whippersnappers! The existing ply that's lifted and expanded will be split, glued and clamped one half at a time, trimming the excess and filling the small voids with a shellac/birch sawdust mixture prior to scraping. Apparently black laquer is getting hard to find because of EPA pressure and what is out there is pricey, but I've been told Constantine's (a specialty refinishing supplier) still carries it. My other option is to fix the damage to level the surface and veneer over the top and sides, relaquer the front and build grills. Really good veneers are pricey too, so I have some choices to make. They are, after all, $20 speakers...but the idea of walnut or mesquite burl Cornwalls appeals to me. Of course, to restore them to original condition, I can just restaple some old burlap on them and be done with it. ------------------ If it don't rust or glow, I don't trust it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonelobo Posted June 25, 2002 Author Share Posted June 25, 2002 Forgot to mention, I plan to restore the emblems via the old bakelite restoration routine, ie. cleaner/polish/repaint. If they are too dinged up, I can always make molds and reproduce them like the old radio guys do. It might be a fun project just for kicks anyway, and they can be made in any color combination. ------------------ If it don't rust or glow, I don't trust it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 Those type of flush-front birch decorator Cornwall cabinets are a relatively simple build...under 100 bucks worth of 9-ply birch, a table saw, and a router, and you can have a pair of new cabinets in less than half the time it takes to make all those repairs...just something to think about!! You could even use Oak 9-ply instead of birch...too! And by using the same backs and some new birch plywood for the cabinets...they would be just like new...provided care was taken in fabricating them. ------------------ I can now receive private messages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 $19.96 is good for what you got. I feel sorry for those poor speakers I needed to pull a 15" woofer from a ~1950's PA system, I used a crow bar... ------------------ Receiver: Sony STR-DE675 CD player: Sony CDP-CX300 Turntable: Technics SL-J3 with Audio-Technica TR485U Speakers: JBL HLS-610 Subwoofer: JBL 4648A-8 Sub amp: Parts Express 180 watt Center/surrounds: Teac 3-way bookshelfs Yes, it sucks, but better to come. KLIPSCH soon! My computer is better than my stereo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 A marksman in woodworking, WOW, keep us posted, you have the drivers so your really set, to build a set! I wish i could run into a deal like that! JIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 Old-style Decorator Cornwall with flush-front cabinet is probably the STRONGEST cabinet design of them all for the Cornwall. It uses ONLY overlapping butt joints in its construction...the only blocks inside it are at the rear for the ataching of the rear panel, too!! Front of speaker's top laps over speaker's top's front edge...also speaker's front laps over front edge of speaker bottom...glued and nailed with 1-1/2' finish nails(nails about 4 inches apart). This assembly then has sides glued and nailed to it...overlapping top, front and bottom edges...just glue and nail together. The key is to allow for each point where an overlap occurs to allow the overlap to be slightly "proud" about 1/64" so that edge plys can be puttied then sanded flush to adjacent panel(in other words, cut parts for side 1/32" taller and 1/64"deeper, and front needs to be 1/32" over height, too). After building basic box, then add shelf supports inside it, and add shelf....nailing through front into shelf AFTER shelf is stapled to its side supports again, all contact points having a good solid glue line. then add blocks in rear so that back can be screwed on...caulk joints of blocks with latex white caulk. Then sand, add finish...and install components and backs...and you ARE DONE!!! Very simple, yet strong cabinet box!! ------------------ I can now receive private messages This message has been edited by HDBRbuilder on 06-25-2002 at 11:22 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 after seeing those pics, i want to build my own cornwalls... where can i get/buy plans? anyone have any or know where to get them besides eBay, have had little luck on that. ------------------ -justin SoundWise Support A technical help site created by me and my fellow Klipschers I am an amateur, if it is professional; ProMedia help you want email Amy or call her @ 1-888-554-5665 or for an RA# 800-554-7724 ext 5 Klipsch Home Audio help you want, email support@klipsch.com or call @ 1-800-KLIPSCH RA# Fax Number=317-860-9140 / Parts Department Fax Number=317-860-9150s> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 HDBRbuilder-Just checking regional carpentry terminology. 'Round these parts: 1/32"= CH 1/64"= RCH Same for your parts? fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonelobo Posted June 26, 2002 Author Share Posted June 26, 2002 Well, I had to look really hard but I think I can see a few of the puttied nail holes. But I would have sworn they were not nailed if you had asked me. Size of finish nails must be pretty small. Also, what kind of glue was used? My assumption is yellow wood glue. Is that correct? I'm trying to see if I can dissasemble the speaker bottom to restore. Let me let everyone know before you respond, I have much more time than money and doing the repair is half the fun for me. Also, considering the cost of black laquer, now I'm considering scraping the cabinets down and ebonizing them. To do this you drop a steel wool pad into some vinegar and let it set for a few days. Then wipe on and there is a chemical reaction that blackens the wood, depending on how much tanin the wood contains. Repeat if necessary. Doesn't obscure the grain. Then apply a coat of shellac with some secret analine dyes to give it that black with a wine undertone look, buff with synthetic steel wool and floor wax and viola, a black ebonized finish with depth and luster. Then staple some burlap over it and your done! I'm also thinking about my options for grills. I'd love to hear some ideas. Since these are "designer" models am I wrong in assuming I have more freedom before the purists start spitting at my efforts? ------------------ If it don't rust or glow, I don't trust it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Since all Technics products assume the use of a whizzer cone to handle its output, it is not surprising that the stuff ran down all over the woofer. As I've just finished listening to the Mobile Fidelity LP reissue of the London Solti Beethoven's 9th with the other Cornwall in the center, I can assure you that it is working fine. And my PAW Kecia can assure you that it doesn't smell like dog...the system is in our bedroom. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Fini, I don't use "blueprint code" terminology when talking about cabinetry...I just give the dimension...is more understandable that way...those codes aren't on a ruler...of course, neither is 1/64"...but that is why you learn to split those "hairs", isn't it? I also use nothing but 0.5mm pencil lead either...for obvious reasons...LOL! Both the earlier flush-front style of decorator Heresys and Cornwalls...AND the later style...used overlapping butt joints for side to top/bottom...BUT...the flush-front style also used overlapping butt-joints for its front panel... This resulted in a stronger box...no two ways around it...but... It also requires the builder have square-cut parts and the ability to build by "feel"....since the overlap has to extend over a bit to be sanded flush after puttying...and having that "feel" is all important to ensure a consistent length of overlap and ensure a square cabinet!! On the flush-front box design, after the front is nailed to the top and bottom, the sides have to be attached FLUSH to the REAR of the top and bottom, but still leave that same overlap along the sides' top, bottom, and FRONT edges...to allow for puttying and sanding flush with the surfaces of the front, top, and bottom panels. I sure could build those flush-front boxes fast!! ------------------ I can now receive private messages This message has been edited by HDBRbuilder on 06-26-2002 at 07:13 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Lonelobo, I am attaching a pic of one of my Flush-front cabinet Heresys....the cabinet construction is identical to that found on your Cornwalls. Look at the plys and you will have an idea of how they are built...top is built same as bottom...the rest you can see. Because the ONLY surfaces of your Cornwalls that will NOT have ply edges on those surfaces ARE YOUR SPEAKER SIDES....you MAY wish to forego using a cabinet scraper...if you know what I mean Glue used was somthing like "titebond" yellow glue, but was actually white. You will have one helluva time removing that bottom, since the front and sides are glued and NAILED to it...the cabinet just DOESN'T COME APART THAT WAY!! Beginning in 1976 through at least 1983, the finish nails were Senco 1-1/2"....prior to that, they were Duofast finish nails...we switched to Senco nail guns in 1976. I outta know...I sure as hell shot enough of em! ------------------ I can now receive private messages This message has been edited by HDBRbuilder on 06-26-2002 at 07:42 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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