killerbee_vr6 Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 I just bought my first pair of La Scalas, but they are an odd color. I call it "old man brown". They are two years younger than me. In any case, the color has to go. Painting them black is an option, but I'd like them to be a natural color. Is it possible to do this? I'd ideally like them to be lighter. Please help. Gabe '93 Chorus II, '94 Forte II, '93 kg3.2, '81 La Scala Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 I may be wrong and others can chime in. From the picture, it looks like a former owner did some work on them. It appears that the raw edges of the plywood have been finished with trim. It may be that the birch ply was lightly stained and then varnished. To my eye, they don't look so bad. But I qualify as an old man by some standards. On the other hand, I would prefer a red color closer to mahagony. I'd think that if you use a stripper to remove the varnish, some of the stain will leach out too. Making them lighter. The bottom line is that it would be a big job. To my sense of esthetics, painting them black would be doing more harm than good. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 I just bought some 86's that were in pretty rough shape. They came from the factory as Birch Lacquer and the previous owner had them in storage for many years stacked on top of one another. They had gouges in the top and some veneer that had chipped off at the corners. I am very lucky to know Gary Quattro (Q-Man on the Forum, who happens to be a cabinet maker), who came with me to pick them up and then volunteered to refinish them for me for a small fee. Well I picked them up yesterday (he had them for a month) and they are absolutely stunning! I will post some pictures tomorrow after I get them back from the pharmacy. Mine were lacquered, so he had to strip them first with a stripper. He then used some lacquer thinner on them. He then sanded them and was able to remove all the gouges without going thru the veneer. He filled in all the nail holes and chipped veneer with a hard maple fill. He then applied a birch veneer banding under the grille molding on the front and in the doghouse. We chose a Golden Oak as the stain to match my wall units and he applied 2 coats sanding in between. He then sprayed 3 coats of clear lacquer sanding after the initial coat. I hope the pictures I post do them justice (I don't have a digital). They really are gorgeous, and in my opinion are a beautiful speaker. After talking with Q, I think he spent about 50 hours on them but he is a true perfectionist. God bless him... Mike Edit: After looking at the pic, yours already have the edge banding (like Gil mentioned) hiding the plywood underneath. ------------------ My Music Systems This message has been edited by Mike Lindsey on 07-08-2002 at 09:52 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 It seems people are WAY TO FREE with the pat answer..."use a stripper"...when you gotta know what the finish IS before deciding on which stripper to use!! I can't tell what the finish even IS, myself, from the pics posted...it could be urethane, varnish, laquer, just an oil stain...who the hell knows? My advice is NOT to use a stripper on plywood...especially if you aren't even sure of what the finish is!! Try sanding it on the rear bottom corner of one side with some 180 grit GARNET sandpaper to see if the finish comes off without going through the outer veneer...that may be all it takes...a good sanding and refinishing. before refinishing finish off the sanding job with a light sanding with 220-240 grit GARNET for a nice smooth finish. Remove the drivers and horn lenses and crossover network boards before sanding and refinishing. ------------------ I can now receive private messages This message has been edited by HDBRbuilder on 07-08-2002 at 10:56 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLUngurait Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 killerbee, As Gil and Mike mentioned already, these LaScalas look slightly modified w/trim or banding on the edges. Mine have rounded trim around the HF section only (exposed plywood edges around the woofer box) as I have seen w/ all LaScalas that came w/ factory grilles. The trim around your HF section appears squared. All of the LaScalas w/o factory grilles (designer?) that I have seen have a "Klipsch" logo plate right below the squawker which yours do not show. Possibly your logo plates were just removed or maybe they originally had grilles w/ logos in which case the velcro patches that hold the grille in place have been removed as well. Look on the back of your speakers and post the type and serial # of your speakers. Although I'm a little bit younger that Gil ...I too think they look pretty nice in that "old man brown" Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerbee_vr6 Posted July 9, 2002 Author Share Posted July 9, 2002 31y064 is the serial of the one i have a pic of. I haven't picked the speakers up yet. They wont fit in my car like the Choruses did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLUngurait Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 killerbee, According to your serial #...that would be a 1983 LaScala not an '81...but I'm more interested in the "type" info from the label. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerbee_vr6 Posted July 9, 2002 Author Share Posted July 9, 2002 They are type LSBR. Im guessing unfinished birch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 Here are the pics I promised. Unfortunately, they don't do them justice... http://216.37.9.58/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001409.html Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLUngurait Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 killerbee, You are correct...LSBR = LaScalas, Birch, Raw. So the previous owner trimmed and finished them himself. Try to find out what he used...that is if you really want to try to refinish them. I would also ask the previous owner if he has the logo plates stuffed in a drawer somewhere. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 Your La Scalas actually look like they came with the front grill, and the previous owner simply removed the grill cloth and applied a finish (could be the reason there is no logo). The older La Scalas that came with a grill from the factory have that exact same type of trim. My La Scalas, which have the grill look identical (except mine still have the grill cloth). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted July 10, 2002 Share Posted July 10, 2002 They don't look that bad, just clean them up. I can't tell if they have some type of clear coat on top of the stain, or not. If not you can add one, or stain them darker before adding a clear coat. You can't get the stain out to lighten them without doing a lot of sanding. It's a b**** to sand the inside. I wouldn't bother. Order a pair of grills from Klipsch to put into the upper molding. Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLUngurait Posted July 10, 2002 Share Posted July 10, 2002 JMON, Is the trim around your HF section squared like killerbees' or rounded like mine? If they are squared...I wonder if anyone knows when Klipsch swiched to the rounded trim? Also, on the label on the back of my '88 LaScalas where it states "type" mine says LS FB TG (I always assumed the TG meant top grille)...do yours say TG or is that also something that might have started later? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted July 11, 2002 Share Posted July 11, 2002 Sometime around 1983 the LaScala went from stapled on grille cloth with "screen-door" trim nailed over its edges to the "quarter round" moulding with a removable grille cloth panel. Another point...just because trim has been installed doesn't mean it was for anything other than hiding the exposed plys of the speaker on the speaker front...this was often done by the owner. ------------------ I can now receive private messages This message has been edited by HDBRbuilder on 07-11-2002 at 12:26 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted July 11, 2002 Share Posted July 11, 2002 My La Scalas look identical to Killerbees. My label has faded, so I can't read what type it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerbee_vr6 Posted July 11, 2002 Author Share Posted July 11, 2002 The seller said he had them stained then sealed with clear urethane. He also said the moulding around the hf border was not factory. I'm thinking of removing the border, but i dont know what to do about the finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted July 11, 2002 Share Posted July 11, 2002 Do you want a darker or lighter finish than what they already have? If you want a darker finish, then it is a no-brainer...BUT if you want a lighter finish then you will have to get the old finish off and lighten them up. To get a darker finish give them a LIGHT sanding just to Scuff up the urethane coat somewhat. Then you can apply one of those "stain in the urethane" finishes that has a darker color and it will darken them up a bit more on each successive coat. Sounds funny...but it works!! To me, they look fine as they are...but I guess I must be "an old man", or something. ------------------ I can now receive private messages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killerbee_vr6 Posted July 11, 2002 Author Share Posted July 11, 2002 As I haven't seen these in person, the finish color issue may be moot when I do. My monitor gives them an odd orange hue. It seems as if this isn't the color other people see. I'll wait until tomorrow morning when I get them and report back. I would ideally like raw-looking speakers, but it seems as if this is not really possible with this set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLUngurait Posted July 11, 2002 Share Posted July 11, 2002 HDBR - Thanks for the info on the grilles and trim Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 Killer, Just how much time are you willing to invest in the re-finishing process? Yes, from the looks of them they CAN be stripped and re-finished to a lighter color, AFTER you remove the speaker parts, which I know nothing about. The inherent evil of finish removers is they also disovle GLUE, the fiber that holds plywood and veneer in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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