khorn79er Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Hi guys, My brother and I are proud owners of a '79 Klipschorn and two Forte 1s in generally excellent condition. Since owning these, we haven't done any wood work and have little experience in doing so. We wanted to ask you two things: 1) What type of wood are these? I've attached pictures of the Khorn and each Forte 1. My guess is Walnut throughout. 2) What is the best way to treat / maintain the wood on these? Both pairs of Fortes have slight water ring damage on the top side - we would like to fix that. We've looked at a few threads such as this one below. Seems like the best process is to sand any water damaged parts and apply Watco Rejuvenating oil. Did we get that right? Thanks a lot! Much appreciation from two hardcore Klipsch fans Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorn79er Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 One more question - how often should we be treating the wood? On the Khorns, some of the wood is black painted - nothing to do there right? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Both pairs look to be walnut oil. If so, a light coat of Watco, Formby's Lemon Oil, Old English, etc. should bring back some of the luster. As far as water rings, not too sure what the solution is. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Those certainly look to be Walnut Oil finish. Honestly, the dark water rings are going to be difficult to totally eliminate. Be very careful if you are going to sand, the veneer is thin, and you can easily sand through it. You can use Watco Light Walnut Oil after sanding, then Watco Rejuvenating Oil for maintenance once every couple of months (depending on your environment). The black parts of the Khorns shouldn't need anything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 http://www.thomaspenrose.com/diy_stains01.htm 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorn79er Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 1 hour ago, willland said: Both pairs look to be walnut oil. If so, a light coat of Watco, Formby's Lemon Oil, Old English, etc. should bring back some of the luster. As far as water rings, not too sure what the solution is. Bill Thanks a lot Will. Any recommendations on Watco vs Formby's Lemon Oil vs. Old English or they all satisfy the same purpose? I.e., just pick one and use it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorn79er Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 1 hour ago, jimjimbo said: Those certainly look to be Walnut Oil finish. Honestly, the dark water rings are going to be difficult to totally eliminate. Be very careful if you are going to sand, the veneer is thin, and you can easily sand through it. You can use Watco Light Walnut Oil after sanding, then Watco Rejuvenating Oil for maintenance once every couple of months (depending on your environment). The black parts of the Khorns shouldn't need anything. Thanks a lot Jim. Applying the Watco rejunvenating oil will do what exactly? Darken the wood and make it a bit shinier? Looking forward to the results and will post to this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorn79er Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 19 minutes ago, Budman said: http://www.thomaspenrose.com/diy_stains01.htm Thx Budman super useful. I'm assuming that all Klipsch speakers have an oil finish, in which case I can just apply the wood bleach directly, right? Either way will be cautious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 why don't you test on the bottom of one of the cabinets? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 I used tung oil on my oiled oak forte IIs with great results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 2 hours ago, Budman said: http://www.thomaspenrose.com/diy_stains01.htm I've heard that method works really well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Lemon oil is quick and easy maintenance but it will look dried out within a few months. I used Watco natural about 4 years ago and since then I use Lemon oil every few months but that often stretches to twice a year or so. Take care of the stain first. The application of Lemon oil with show you pretty close to how Watco will look. If you are wanting to stay historically correct you could use boiled linseed oil which I did back in 2009 but I have moved on to Watco since then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 19 hours ago, khorn79er said: Thanks a lot Jim. Applying the Watco rejunvenating oil will do what exactly? Darken the wood and make it a bit shinier? Looking forward to the results and will post to this thread. First off, don't assume that all Klipsch have an oil finish. Some have oil finish, some have lacquer, some are raw, some are painted. By the looks of yours, they are oil finish. Budman's suggestion is valid, and I've done that before as well. The clear rejuvenating oil will feed the wood, darken it very slightly and improve the appearance. Be sure to wipe it dry after you let it sit for just a couple of minutes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorn79er Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 On 12/5/2017 at 1:47 PM, moray james said: why don't you test on the bottom of one of the cabinets? Good idea, the last thing I want is to damage them !!! I will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorn79er Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 On 12/5/2017 at 1:52 PM, wuzzzer said: I used tung oil on my oiled oak forte IIs with great results. I will definitely consider tung oil, thanks for the suggestion!! Probably will test with Watco's and Tung oil and see what I prefer. Will post to the group the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave A Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Watco Rejuventing Oil is what Klipsch recommends and get the stuff without stain or colorant added. You can sand some things out and you can also get into deep trouble quickly since the veneer is thinner than you can imagine. Dittos to what the moderator said above. Follow his link and get some Barkeepers Friend and do no sanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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