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Stripping Black Paint


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What kind of paint stripper do you use to remove black paint from speaker cabinets?  I do not want to sand, these are not Klipsch speakers and I want to save the wood underneath and is has a nice grain.

 

Here are the instructions that I have in my server, but I need to know what stripper to use (a Home depot item will be most helpful):

 

These, like 99 percent of speakers, are veneer. Veneer can be stripped and restained. You must remove the speakers from the cabinets.

·         Use a remover that doesn't require water for a final wash. Use liberal amounts of stripper with a brush...after finish is liquified, carefully use a plastic putty knife to remove the loosened finish. Repeat if necessary.

·         when majority of finish is removed, recoat the cabinet with stripper and use #3 course steel wood with the grain to remove the remaining finish.

·         If any black color remains in the grain, recoat with stripper again and use a stiff natural bristle brush in the direction of the grain.

·         Finally use the steel wood again with mineral spirits to remove any residue. Finish up with a alcohol wash and a rag.

·         It may very well be that a black lacquer was used instead of stain. Either way you can get the desired results.

·         Sand with 220 paper, wipe with a tack rag and stain. Finish with two or three coats of polyurethane using xxxx steel wool between coats. If you use a water based poly, do not use steel wool, but #320 sandpaper.

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Stripper weakens the veneer adhesives. Use only as a last resort. Always start with the least aggressive compound, ie; water, and work your way up as needed. Never leave wet, using the least amount of soak time possible. In this case most speakers you run into are going to either have an oil or lacquer finish. Oil finish is removed with turpentine by repeatedly wetting and dry wiping. Lacquer finish is similar, lots of rags. Protect your floors with a drop cloth. Use proper PPE, ie; gloves, goggles or face shield, chemical resistant gloves, ventilation or respirator. If you try this and you are unsuccessful, then you likely have an aftermarket product applied to the surface. Most likely a product with a varnish or poly additive, which may require stripping and sanding. Could also be a non-lacquer paint, which would only be aftermarket, and you should be able to detect that with the naked eye. Piano black finish has so many coats you would need a chisel, so forget about attempting removing it.

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54 minutes ago, 314carpenter said:

Stripper weakens the veneer adhesives. Use only as a last resort. Always start with the least aggressive compound, ie; water, and work your way up as needed. Never leave wet, using the least amount of soak time possible. In this case most speakers you run into are going to either have an oil or lacquer finish. Oil finish is removed with turpentine by repeatedly wetting and dry wiping. Lacquer finish is similar, lots of rags. Protect your floors with a drop cloth. Use proper PPE, ie; gloves, goggles or face shield, chemical resistant gloves, ventilation or respirator. If you try this and you are unsuccessful, then you likely have an aftermarket product applied to the surface. Most likely a product with a varnish or poly additive, which may require stripping and sanding. Could also be a non-lacquer paint, which would only be aftermarket, and you should be able to detect that with the naked eye. Piano black finish has so many coats you would need a chisel, so forget about attempting removing it.

Thanks,

 

The speakers are B&W N805s in Black ash.  I cannot find what type of paint they use. 

 

Do I just start with turpentine and rags? 

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Apply the liquid to the rag and don't pour it on the speaker. That will limit absorption into the veneer. Start on the bottom of the cabinet; any errors or mistakes in your process will be less visible there.

 

Citri-Strip is mild enough; I've used it on metal however, so I don't know its effect on wood veneers. You will need several applications, which is a good thing because it means it's not that aggressive. All your other instructions are excellent.

 

Find a chart on the internet that ranks cleaning solvents by strength. Start at the low end of the list and work your way up if necessary. Lacquer thinner is stronger than mineral spirits, for instance, and both are stronger than acetone or isopropyl alcohol. Always apply the solvent with a rag, even if you intend to use a brush after the application. That will limit soaking into the veneer.

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8 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

Thanks,

 

The speakers are B&W N805s in Black ash.  I cannot find what type of paint they use. 

 

Do I just start with turpentine and rags? 

I don't know what your intentions are here, but if you just want to to refresh a black lacquer finish, then save yourself all of this trouble and start with this product here. Otherwise follow below...

 

RAF.png

 

Those instructions in your OP sound like something I use after returning home from an auction with some primitive furniture having multiple coats of lead paint I needed to remove.

 

If your finely veneered speakers are truly painted and not stained, and it is an original factory finish, then they are almost certainly painted with lacquer. However, there are lacquer topcoats, and these can be applied over stained, or dyed, veneers, so know the differences first. There are several varieties of lacquer, but your removal steps should remain the same. If your speakers are indeed lacquer, you will know this instantly simply by touching the finish with a rag dampened with lacquer thinner. Never do this test, unless you are intent to ruin the existing finish and are prepared to refinish the product anyways. Does not apply here, but it is the same thing with shellac, never allow contact with alcohol.

 

Did you know that Ash is about 33% softer than Oak? Regardless, do not jump right in and start using #3 course steel wool as per your OP instructions provide. Avoid anything steel, as this will leave some steel fibers behind, which can oxidize regardless of whether the final finish is water or not. There are non-steel varieties of almost everything. Purchase and use synthetic. Again, work your way up as necessary, using the most aggressive components for last, ie; choice of stiff natural brushes. I would prefer that you do not use gently use a putty knife, as this will certainly mar the now moistened veneer, which will appear in your final product, and the veneer is possibly too thin to work out the damage you may have just caused. Do not go directly to 220 grit. Find the grit that is compatible with the coarsest wool, or whatever you used, and work up in grade to finish with 220. Read the directions of the finish you intend to use, as certain finishes require a certain grit in your prep. You do not need to sand down, other than to remove isolated damages deeper in the veneer. You could use wood putty very sparingly to fix those, but there are other methods as well. Sand that out evenly. Use an air compressor to blow off any dust. Followed by mineral spirits. Tack cloth last. Do not stain until you have tested you entire finish process on a raw piece of wood, preferably ash, but oak would work better for testing than pine. If you don't like that finish, easier to start with new test piece than a new pair of speakers. When you are prepared, start with the bottom first for all of your steps, both in prep and in finish. Even a seasoned pro gets better with each stroke......🤭 That's what she said. 🤣

 

  • Haha 1
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10 hours ago, 314carpenter said:

I don't know what your intentions are here, but if you just want to to refresh a black lacquer finish, then save yourself all of this trouble and start with this product here. Otherwise follow below...

 

RAF.png

 

Those instructions in your OP sound like something I use after returning home from an auction with some primitive furniture having multiple coats of lead paint I needed to remove.

 

If your finely veneered speakers are truly painted and not stained, and it is an original factory finish, then they are almost certainly painted with lacquer. However, there are lacquer topcoats, and these can be applied over stained, or dyed, veneers, so know the differences first. There are several varieties of lacquer, but your removal steps should remain the same. If your speakers are indeed lacquer, you will know this instantly simply by touching the finish with a rag dampened with lacquer thinner. Never do this test, unless you are intent to ruin the existing finish and are prepared to refinish the product anyways. Does not apply here, but it is the same thing with shellac, never allow contact with alcohol.

 

Did you know that Ash is about 33% softer than Oak? Regardless, do not jump right in and start using #3 course steel wool as per your OP instructions provide. Avoid anything steel, as this will leave some steel fibers behind, which can oxidize regardless of whether the final finish is water or not. There are non-steel varieties of almost everything. Purchase and use synthetic. Again, work your way up as necessary, using the most aggressive components for last, ie; choice of stiff natural brushes. I would prefer that you do not use gently use a putty knife, as this will certainly mar the now moistened veneer, which will appear in your final product, and the veneer is possibly too thin to work out the damage you may have just caused. Do not go directly to 220 grit. Find the grit that is compatible with the coarsest wool, or whatever you used, and work up in grade to finish with 220. Read the directions of the finish you intend to use, as certain finishes require a certain grit in your prep. You do not need to sand down, other than to remove isolated damages deeper in the veneer. You could use wood putty very sparingly to fix those, but there are other methods as well. Sand that out evenly. Use an air compressor to blow off any dust. Followed by mineral spirits. Tack cloth last. Do not stain until you have tested you entire finish process on a raw piece of wood, preferably ash, but oak would work better for testing than pine. If you don't like that finish, easier to start with new test piece than a new pair of speakers. When you are prepared, start with the bottom first for all of your steps, both in prep and in finish. Even a seasoned pro gets better with each stroke......🤭 That's what she said. 🤣

 

I want to strip the paint from the speakers and then stain them and add a few coats of DEFT.  I saw a pair that were done like this and they looked really nice. 

 

I will try the lacquer thinner and the process that you described.

 

These are in great shape, but I just hate the look of black speakers.  I wouldn't mind veneering them in an exotic wood, but I am a novice and they have curved surfaces and the top is kind of complicated, like a wave because of the curved top and recessed tweeter. mount. 

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4 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I think that I am out of luck.  I found this and it looks like my speakers are dyed.

 


'Yes I have seen the black ash finish on a couple of my clients B&W's. It looks to be done with a pure black aniline dye, since the black is transparent and allows you to see the grain, IIRC.'

All is not lost. You still have two more choices remaining

 

1 Attempting a custom 2-tone dye finish (difficulty 8/10)

2 Move to lacquer paint in your favorite color and sheen (difficulty 5/10)

 

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4 hours ago, 314carpenter said:
And removed all of the grain detail in the process, while simultaneously eliminating the likelyhood that any future restoration project of that same speaker has a positive outcome. 
 
Thanks for giving all of us the insight on your old habits. I think I'll not buying any of your used speakers though. I hope I never come across any of them out in the wild either.
 
Like the old saying goes, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
 
I get it. Sometimes we learn wrong. Still plenty of time to get it right though. Come on. Jump on the bandwagon. I want you to do good. Whadayasay? Give it a try.

Wow, that was kinda harsh. I guess I've been schooled by some old school guy that knows everything about everything. I guess these fortes came out horrible. I think you need to stop giving out advice if its like that. 5210482836f78066487ebbd187cd4af5.jpg7bd66288cc0da5d508d26167ab9d93fb.jpg

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

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11 hours ago, dtr20 said:

If it's anything like Klipsch black speaker with veneer, I've always sanded the black off to bare veneer

Lets try again.

 

Lacquer thinner method:

Is easier.

Is less work.

Is less destructive.

Is faster.

Finishes better.

Looks better.

Has a higher resale value.

Allows for future restoration projects.

Is the method approved and recommended by restoration experts.

 

 

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10 hours ago, 314carpenter said:

All is not lost. You still have two more choices remaining

 

1 Attempting a custom 2-tone dye finish (difficulty 8/10)

2 Move to lacquer paint in your favorite color and sheen (difficulty 5/10)

 

I appreciate the help but this does not work. 

 

I can try to veneer these but it will be hard with curved surfaces (I assume). 

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16 minutes ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I appreciate the help but this does not work. 

 

I can try to veneer these but it will be hard with curved surfaces (I assume). 

I would say you  have 2 options   ---veneer     or piano  black  finish 

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2 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I appreciate the help but this does not work. 

What does not work? I hope you were not referring to the legitimacy of my comments.

2 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I can try to veneer these but it will be hard with curved surfaces (I assume). 

Highly unrecommended. I can see that my input is no longer necessary here. I will be exiting the thread now. Thank you for your attention and good luck.

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