Cut-Throat Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 I have finally completed the refinishing job on one of my Belles. Basically I tured a dark Oak Belle with Black Grill Cloth into a Light Oak Belle with Cane Colored Grill Cloth. I had to sand the entire finish off. I also re-wired the speaker with 16 gauge OFC Copper. What the hell - Still sounds the same though! I put on 3 coats of Satin Poly for better protection. (normally I would not finish a speaker with Poly, but these are so large that I felt they needed some added protection.) I really prefer the texture of an Oil Finish much better. Special thanks to HDBR Builder and Chris Robinson for advice on Finishing and Grill Cloth! Thanks Guys! Now I have to muster the strength to finish the next one! Should I put the Klipsch emblem on or leave it off? - Whadda think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Uh! Am I missing something or is there no photo here? I am interested to see how they turned out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 19, 2003 Author Share Posted February 19, 2003 Let's try uploading that picture again - OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Nice, but it does not look a whole lot lighter (shade wise) than the other one. Did you get that grill cloth from Wendell fabrics? It does not look like or very similar to the original Klipsch cane grill cloth. I want to buy some of the cane grill cloth they have to redo my center La Scala but I would need to buy 2 yards minimum which is much more than I need for the small patch on the La Scala. Very nice work though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 19, 2003 Author Share Posted February 19, 2003 [Nice, but it does not look a whole lot lighter (shade wise) than the other one. ---------------------------------------------------------------- It is a lot lighter! - Here is another picture that may show it better. I would not want it any lighter than this. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Did you get that grill cloth from Wendell fabrics? Yes ___________________________________________________________-__ It does not look like or very similar to the original Klipsch cane grill cloth. ____________________________________________________________ I prefer this over the cane - The cane is very unruly stuff - Also has a red thread woven into it. ____________________________________________________________ I want to buy some of the cane grill cloth they have to redo my center La Scala but I would need to buy 2 yards minimum which is much more than I need for the small patch on the La Scala. _______________________________________________________________ From what I understand the Original Cane Cloth is no longer available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 beautiful work! put the logos on! klipsch would be proud! I thought you were going to use the "real" cane, the beige looking cane. it looks terrific non-the-less! regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vavoline Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Really nice work Kevin. Wanna refinish my khorns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 19, 2003 Author Share Posted February 19, 2003 Really nice work Kevin. Wanna refinish my khorns? _________________________________________________________ Thanks Randy, I certainly would be willing to help if want to undertake this project. (and living without the Khorns for a month or so). It's not difficult - Just patience and elbow grease. - It's a bit messy and time consuming, but if you are willing to do the grunt work, I will give you all the consulting advice that you need. Mostly a lot of sanding (an oribital sander is a real help here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Couldnt leave them alone, im impressed, put the emblem on, in the picture it looks like you used the rug on the floor for your grills LOL Nicely done, if you redo his k-horns itll take 11 months 10 months of listening, 1 month work LOL Nice job, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 It looks like you did a really good job on the refinishing. But to be honest, I prefer the black grilles. Still, yours are unique and something to be very proud of. Definitely do the logos; we're all PROUD to own klipsch around here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Congrats. It looks like all the hard work was worth the effort. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Kevin, yes the angle made a big difference it is significantly lighter than the other one. It did not appear so with the frontal shot. I got the samples from Wendell Fabrics and the cane grill fabric that I saw was virtually identical to the fabric Klipsch used. I don't recall any red in it, the direction of the smaller strips of cane was slightly different from the original but other than that it was virtually identical. I can see were it would be difficult to work with and get even, so I can understand your fabric choice. Definately add the Klipsch logo though the brass badge would look nice with the lighter shade of Oak. You do very nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Excellent job! Say, how does one put a Klipsch nameplate back on once it has fallen off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowooo Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Love the lighter oak, looks great. I just put the original cane grills on my Epics and it is stiffer and harder to work with. There is a small amount of red in one of the threads but I love the looks of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdnfay Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Nicely Done! I have a factory white Belle that I am about to refinish to match my k-horns. If mine turns out half as good as yours I'll be happy. Big D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Excellent work! Wish my Cornwalls looked that good (and to have a real cane grill cloth would be to die for!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 20, 2003 Author Share Posted February 20, 2003 Big D, I'd like to see a pic of your Factory White Belle. Can you post one? As far as Refinishing - the best advice is by HDBR - patience. Don't be in a hurry (even though you want to be) Yours will turn out fine. Take your time and ask for advice when you need it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenLehr Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Your refinshed Belle(s) is so lovely that my wife and life-long mentor would accept is an addition(!) to our home. I can say nothing more complementary!! Can you say off-white?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 22, 2003 Author Share Posted February 22, 2003 paulparrot, Well, I just attached my Klipsch Emblem to the front of my Belle. I'll tell you how I did it. When I took it off the Black Grill Cloth, I noticed that it had been glued on. I first used very coarse sandpaper and removed all of the glue from the back of the Faceplate. This also scratched the back and will give the new glue a good grip. I then mixed up a little 5 minute 2 part epoxy (this stuff will fix anything but a broken heart!) . I laid the Belle on it's Back so that the front was now facing the ceiling. I applied a very thin layer of epoxy to the back of the faceplete and placed it squarely in the center of the grill cloth near the bottom as before. I then placed a 1 x 4 on top of the plate to weight it down and stacked a pile of books on top of the plate and let it sit for a half hour. Looking Good!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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