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Need to Refinish Speakers


NOVA Rob

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Hey everyone,

I’m new to the forum and would like to hear about my speakers! Just bought these Heresy’s on Craigslist and they sound fantastic…but they look rough. I’m looking to get opinions on how to refinish them before I get started. Also, any way to date them, or figure out any manufacturing codes? Serial number: 518615, also a ‘B’ in one corner of the rear edge. Label says: made for audio int’l Frankfurt/Germany Heresy E 

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Remove the drivers and all the other parts.

 

Practice you paint/finish removal on the bottom first. I'd first try 150-220 sandpaper, in the direction of the grain. A handheld belt sander would work the quickest since all the surfaces are flat but go easy because you don't want to sand through the outer layer of birch plywood. Any mistakes made on the bottom can be corrected until you perfect your approach then move on to the visible sides. Remove the Velcro dots as they're not original. If the sandpaper doesn't remove the paint to your satisfaction, try the environmentally friendly Citri-Strip. Mask off the rest of the cabinet while you work on the bottom. Once the paint is all removed you can use finer grades of sandpaper to really smooth out the finish, but ALWAYS sand in the direction of the grain.

 

If you can't remove all the paint as some may get stuck in the wood grain, then you might want to consider painting the cabinets rather than some wood finish or stain.

 

Be sure to take before, in process, and after photos. We'll all be interested in your progress.

 

Note: I was NOT the first person to say, "REPLACE THE CAPACITORS"!

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Hello and welcome to the Forum!

If possible I would try to go for the wood finish as these are decorator-style Heresys. These can look great with a nice oil or laquer wood stain, that is, if You can get rid of that old paintjob... As mentioned, these are supposed to go without grilles.

As mentioned above, there seems to be another Klipsch label on the cabinet, painted over. These are sought after original parts, maybe You can save those.

A nice find, just needs some work. Nice that they sound great "out of the box".

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Natural birch ( No stain, paint or special verneer). Decorators were shipped like this, so the customer could decide how to finish the cabinets, hence the name "decorators style".

 

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And one with an (exotic) verneer, just to show what can be done.

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Here an update to the process...

I've taken apart the first speaker and found that inside looks pretty good. It smelled like an antique store when I opened it up. The white is paint over black and the whole thing seems like sanding is the way to go. The copper Klipsch logo is there, but it is painted over so I'm taking my time and trying to get that back to original look.

How do the crossovers look?  What's a sign that they need replacing?  Should I just assume they're going to need new components?  What should get replaced?

 

Thanks everyone!

 

 

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You might need a paint stripper (chemical) as that looks like a lot of sanding. 

 

You can paint the woofers using acrylic paint and an artists brush from Michaels.  About 79 cents for the paint and they will look like new.  I repainted some yellowing JBLs recently and they are now a brilliant white.

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Sanding experiment number one...using a random orbit sander I have been working on the bottom of the speaker.  This is the result after about 15 minutes of sanding. Seems possible to get this down to bare wood and then stain it. I had to remove three metal feet that were attached to the bottom, not sure if that was original.  The other sides of the speaker have less dings and dents compared to the bottom, so I have hope this will come out very well.

 

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More work done...The white paint is removed from the first speaker...it flaked off with a scraper. It is now down to the black stain. I have sanded the stain, and it can be removed with lots of sanding, but i think no matter what, any stain i select will have to be on the darker side.

I've also opened the second speaker and found a different style of K-22 woofer. This one has a round magnet and silver basket, while the other had a square magnet and black basket.  So...which is original?  which is replacement?  Could they have come from the factory that way? The square magnet looks much older to me, much more faded on the cone. Pictures attached....

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I can so relate to this post. My first pair of Heresys, had two coats of white under a coat of black. Mine were not decorators, but were H-BRs (Heresy-Birch Raw. I used an orbital sander on mine as well. Be very careful, as that veneer is really thin. I went a bit too far on the top of one of mine, it still bugs me. I wish I’d gone slower. Mine still work well and look decent. Yours will too. I’d not worry too much about replacing capacitors just yet, lots of folks will tell you yours are bad, I’ll bet they sound fine. Maybe consider matching up the woofers at some point. 

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7 hours ago, AndreG. said:

If I´m not mistaken, the woofer with the round magnet could be the replacement one, it is stamped "R".

Correct.

 

Those are very old caps, but they are probably fine as long a they aren't leaking.

 

17 hours ago, MeloManiac said:

I'm not sure that painting the woofers, as someone suggested, is a good idea.... It may affect the sound. 

One of the guys on here used SEM auto paint in a spray can... very, very light coats, just enough to cover the gray. DJK (rip) would use black liquid shoe polish. What ever you use, go easy on the application.

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20 hours ago, MeloManiac said:

That crossover seems in very good condition. I'd enjoy them like they are... 

 

I'm not sure that painting the woofers, as someone suggested, is a good idea.... It may affect the sound. 

 

Keep those pics coming! 

I have posted elsewhere.  Go to Michael's and but some acrylic paint, the same king used for paintings on canvas, you know the stuff that flexes.  Us an artists brush.  They will look like brand new when you are done and you will be out 77 cents for the paint. 

 

If you are worried about the added weight of the paint...

 

 

 

 

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