RichardRed Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 (edited) Hi - total newbie here - first heard Klipschorns (or La Scalas) at age 14 - 1970 - and not since. Have only had modest stereos since. Saw a quartet of LSIs at an estate sale and couldn't say no. Now into restoration of which I have done two national show quality cars, but never speakers. At the moment, I am most concerned with the cabinets and bordering on leaving them as they are to show the life they've lived, or restoring them to original, or remaking them without the aluminum edging. I will enclose photos here and as the project commences. If restoring to original - 1. Is it even proper to paint the open wood on the bass enclosure, and if so, with what? It is a very light coat there from the factory. 2. For the fiberglass panels - the black is in the resin, correct? To paint this would only be a cosmetic, not proper restoration. 3. Are parts available - handles, edging, etc.? Buffing some of these out will still leave gouges in places, and I worry about losing the fine satin finish that remains in places. If remaking them without the edging - and gosh is this a temptation. When I pulled one corner of the cabinet and saw how PERFECT the edges were I envisioned black La Scalas, painting all the fiberglass surfaces and somehow get that logo back on there. 1. Is this, forgive me, heresy? 2. To fill the screw holes, wood filler or ...? 3. and this is the important one - how were the edges attached? I am suspecting some type of glue in addition to the screws that hold it in place. Having pulled all the screws I could not get that edge to budge with fingertips and hands, not at all. Any idea on getting them off without damaging the cabinets? In all cases - How about re-coning my 15" woofers? I have two that look great, other than holes in the speakers, and two with a whitish accumulation on the back of the magnet, also with holes in the speakers. I have heard horror stories of re-coning, but there must be folks doing it right. Any help greatly appreciated. I was so disappointed when I got them home and hooked them up to have decent sound from only one speaker, but it gave me an inkling of where I'm headed. Edited September 15 by RichardRed typos 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 I’m no carpenter, but these guys can help with the woofers. https://reconingspeakers.com 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWOReilly Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 The marks on the faces look like dried duct tape. Acetone (haven’t tried lacquer thinner) will take it off, BUT WILL ALSO REMOVE THE BLACK (it shouldn’t hurt the trim though). Sorry to yell. I thought the black was in the resin too. You can get stencils cut to redo logos. I’ve been experimenting with my LSIs using a black sharpie to darken up scratches in the fiberglass finish with some success. Just wipe lightly with alcohol to remove excess marker. I don’t really want to repaint them since my trim is well worn. So patina it is. Several of us have Industrials and others will chime in. Congrats on your estate find! Welcome to the forum! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1291 Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 No experience w/cabs but I did pick up a twin 18 JBL sub, which was covered w/Duratex. Yea, it was crummy looking so I just scrubbed it off and hammered it w/Armor All. Looks great and sounds even better. Chemicals would be my last resort to remove that old crummy Duck tape residue. Hair dryer and a rag maybe? The strips REALLY have to come off? Don't know but why remove them all if you don't have to? Dunno but not a cabinet maker myself. The guys will pick it up I'm sure. Welcome to the Forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardRed Posted September 15 Author Share Posted September 15 Thanks Deang, CWOReilly and Dave1291 for thoughtful comments - Speaker Exchange looks to be a great resource and I like the thought of keeping the patina for several reasons but touching them up without cleaning it up too much could be nice. Greatly appreciate the tip on NO LACQUER THINNER - and the shout because it is that important. Great to know it is paint on there, not resin, but again, the patina. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1291 Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 You've got some work ahead of you but you'll smile when you can kick back. Patience is a virtue and you'll enjoy for sure. Have ya sum fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWOReilly Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 4 hours ago, RichardRed said: Thanks Deang, CWOReilly and Dave1291 for thoughtful comments - Speaker Exchange looks to be a great resource and I like the thought of keeping the patina for several reasons but touching them up without cleaning it up too much could be nice. Greatly appreciate the tip on NO LACQUER THINNER - and the shout because it is that important. Great to know it is paint on there, not resin, but again, the patina. Acetone or thinner would probably clean the trim of glue without harming what anodized finish is left. But yeah. Careful on the cabs with it. Otherwise just wash em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardRed Posted September 16 Author Share Posted September 16 6 hours ago, Dave1291 said: No experience w/cabs but I did pick up a twin 18 JBL sub, which was covered w/Duratex. Yea, it was crummy looking so I just scrubbed it off and hammered it w/Armor All. Looks great and sounds even better. Chemicals would be my last resort to remove that old crummy Duck tape residue. Hair dryer and a rag maybe? The strips REALLY have to come off? Don't know but why remove them all if you don't have to? Dunno but not a cabinet maker myself. The guys will pick it up I'm sure. Welcome to the Forum. Actually no, Dave, you're right - total PIA to remove them and possibility of damaging cabinets is part of the thought, but also that these are the most durable of LaScalas is, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff. Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 @RichardRed, I use this stuff to safely remove stickers from any gear. I also use it with the black marker trick to touch up black speakers without leaving the sheen. It’s the stuff car manufacturers recommend for the weatherstripping once a year (it’s in the back of the manual, lol). There are other brands but this one goes on sale pretty cheap a couple times a year at Princess Auto, our equivalent of Harbor Freight. I usually let it soak for several minutes before trying to remove stubborn stickers. Old paper labels will turn translucent and then you know it’s saturated. This may sound like too much work, but to make sure I don’t accidentally scratch anything I usually wind up using my thumbnail as a scraper, and paper towels to remove the excess. It leaves a dull shine that fades with time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWOReilly Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 6 hours ago, geoff. said: @RichardRed, I use this stuff to safely remove stickers from any gear. I also use it with the black marker trick to touch up black speakers without leaving the sheen. It’s the stuff car manufacturers recommend for the weatherstripping once a year (it’s in the back of the manual, lol). There are other brands but this one goes on sale pretty cheap a couple times a year at Princess Auto, our equivalent of Harbor Freight. I usually let it soak for several minutes before trying to remove stubborn stickers. Old paper labels will turn translucent and then you know it’s saturated. This may sound like too much work, but to make sure I don’t accidentally scratch anything I usually wind up using my thumbnail as a scraper, and paper towels to remove the excess. It leaves a dull shine that fades with time. I’m curious as to whether or not this would work on dried duct tape glue. Hmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MookieStl Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 Great set up and project. Love the LSi! You can buff the aluminum trim to look nicer but you will be removing the anodized finish, so the alum will oxidize over time. The corner brackets will not polish up like the rest. Since your set has the fiberglass in the finish, you should not use duratex. A good cleaning could work but a light painting with whatever level of sheen you prefer is best. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickyboy6100 Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 Trim pieces will come off with plastic trim tools or a 2x4 and a mallet. You have to be careful because they are attached with glue and screws. The glue will sometimes take splintered wood with it if you are too forceful. I use a trim tool to get a corner started and either run a razor blade or the trim tool down both sides of the trim piece to loosen before pounding off with a 2x4 and a mallet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MookieStl Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 This is how the "brushed" trim turned out on a pair of diy Heresy. If you have two pair of LSi and one pair are splits, you can start stacking them. Just for fun. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardRed Posted September 17 Author Share Posted September 17 What a great bunch of comments, all, thanks. I spent about 5 hours prepping and painting the interiors of the bass cabinets. Started with steel wool and went with 600 sandpaper before going back to steel wool and LOTS of compressor at 100psi blowing it out through all ports. Went flat black and the wood soaked it up. Looks good enough that I now feel the need to redo the fronts/logo areas. Anyone have a stencil or good logo file? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MookieStl Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 I sprayed the inside of the bass bin when I redid one of my LS. I just used a flat (mat) latex and added a very small amount of fine silica to the paint to give is a very subtle texture. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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