J.4knee Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 I have a pair of Laqered Birch La Scala's that are about 20. Their cabinets don't have the sheen they once had. Has anyone out there ever tried to refinish a set of Laqered Birch La Scala's? If so what did you use to remove the laquer and touch up minor dings with. Also I noticed on one of the upgrade threads that one of you procured a set of premanuafactured ALK crossovers, where?? Cost?? Thanks for all for the input guys I am now searching for the time to tackle this should be a rewarding if not challenging project espcially refinishing the Bass Bin R/ J.4knee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 Been there, done that. You can go to Home Depot and buy furniture finish stripper. They sell them in about three price levels, buy the most expensive one. I don't remember the name, but any stripper will disolve the lacquer. The hard part will be working in the mouth or throat of the bass horn. You will need to make an angled scraper with a long handle. The job will be messy. When that is done just fill in all the nail holes, sand and finish. That's the easy part. It's the stripping that is a pain in the butt. If your going to do all that work you should think about covering the raw edges of the plywood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 To find out more about Al Klappenberger's crossover balancing networks, go to www.alkeng.com I don't think he is making his normal networks anymore, but he has a new design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 Q Man is more of an expert than I am. My thought is that a chemical stripper should be used only if it is necessary to remove all the old stuff. Maybe you don't have that problem. My guess is that you don't have much damage in the interior of the mouth of the bass horn. Lacquer is typically very thin. Some sanding with very fine paper should be enough. The downside to sanding is that you might go through the top veneer. But in working with birch, I've not managed to do that. The downside to chemical stripper is that it is messy and might attack the glue. Lacquer has the advantage of melting into the previous layer. So you don't have to remove the original. Tapeing the exposed edges with veneer will certainly improve the looks. There is, naturally, a lot you can do beyond clear lacquer. The Klipsch engineering facility has a pair with half round on the edges, grill cloths, and finished in satin piano black. Wow. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 If they are truly lacquered, all you need to do is sand them smooth and apply some more lacquer. As a finish, lacquer is known for its ability to be rubbed out to a fine shine, but it is softer than the varnishes, like poly, so can wear away. It is a film finish that is dissolved in a solvent, so each coat actually melts into the previous coat. It also dries fast, so one can apply several coats in a single day. You probably can sand it up and apply some Deft either by spray or brush. Personally, I'd apply about 2-3 coats of gloss with light sanding in between, and top with a coat of sation. The gloss coats will add depth. Stripping is a pain and wouldn't be necessary unless there are some cosmetic issues you need to clear up, as lacquer will adhere fine to itself or shellac. I've got a set of black La Scalas and I'm considering stripping the black off and staining the birch, as I prefer the wood tones to black. There are issues of getting all the black out of the pores and the difficulty of staining birch evenly (it blotches, like pine) that have kept me from actually doing it. It may actually be easier to re-veneer them in walnut or something more exotic than scraping and scrubbing! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I have been very pleased with the results of the ALK crossovers. He is a good guy and will build them if desired or provides schematics and parts list for DIY. There are also some threads on the forum regarding modifications for other Klipsch crossovers if you don't want to build from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggy Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I added the Harmony 1uf By-pass cap to my AA crossovers as per Al's instructions. It really works great and will hold me until I get the ALK's I ordered from Al. Worth while $22.00 investment until than. Of course I have Belles not LaScalas but close enough. hoggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggy Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Oops did I cross post? hoggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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