K-horn wood finish

[MacKlipsch]

Any suggestions for maintaining oiled wood finish on my k-horns. They are in great shape but the surface has smudges and years of build up. What would be best to take it down? I'm thinking a fine steel wool and then re oiling. What kind of oil do you folks use?

[Malcolm]

You wont't get all the finish off, but then, you really don't want to. The oil finish polymerizes, effectively locking it into the wood. The only way to get it all off is to sand. And, by the time you get it all off, you will be through the face veneer,

So, you are on the right track. But, use 0000 bronze wool. Little pieces of the wool will get embedded into the wood. Steel will rust and discolor over time. Bronze will not discolor. Go with the grain, not across it. Wet the wood with boiled linseed oil or whatever finish you are using while rubbing, at least once you break the surface.

Most oiled finishes are basically boiled linseed oil. You can use that, or just use a "Danish oil finish" available at your favorite hardware store. You can get them clear, or with a stain mixed in. Follow directions on the container. If it is stained, try it in an inconspicuous location first.

[mwiener]

You may be able to remove some of the buildup with turpentine, if you are talking about that gummy residue that builds up. But I am not exactly sure if it would work or not.

It would be worth buying a quart and see if it works. Try it someplace where it would not be a disaster first.

Be carefull with turnpentine mixed with lindseed oil. It would ruin your day if the rag you used caught your house on fire from spontaneous combustion. Soak the rags in water.

Mike.

[MacKlipsch]

I think I rubbed too hard...walnut isn't supposed to be white is it?

[mwiener]

Malcolm,

Walnut will never be white, it is a darker wood to begin with. Does it look like a chemical reaction with the existing finish, or does it look like it went through the stain to the wood? If it went through to the wood and the wood is white, then you went through the layers of oil, and through the stain that was used on the speakers. You had to be rubbing pretty hard. You did not need to get the electric car buffer out. ;-) Either way, no need to panic.

One of the benefits of oiled wood finish is that it is extremely easy to fix scratches or blemishes. To fix it, you need to mix some linseed oil, some turpentine, and maybe some oil based stain until you get the right color. Once you have the right color, and then apply a coat or two. Then you just continue to recoat with oil annually. Note, I have never mixed the oil based stain into the linseed oil mixture, but I cannot see why it could not be done that way.

If it is a reaction with the finish, then they may not have an oil based finish or possibly they were sealed with some type of shellac or varnish or possibly wax. Try this test. If you place linseed oil over the white area, does the wood soak up the oil or repel it. Also try it on the finished area. If it repels it, they are somehow sealed with something. It may be a little more difficult to fix.

Check the following URL. At the bottom of the page they have a step by step method of how to figure out what the furniture ( speaker in this case ) is finished with:

http://doityourself.com/wood/lacquer.htm

Also, another quick way to fix most darker colored woods with oil-based finish is with Old English 800 scratch remover. BE VERY CAREFULL. Test it on a piece of unsealed wood that is similar to what you will be working with first. To match the color, place a drop, AND I MEAN A DROP, on a soft cotton cloth allowing the cloth to completely absorb the drop. Rub it in very very lightly when you start onto the bare wood, being careful not to rub too much in the areas where the finish is not damaged. Gently increase the pressure as the stain is transferred to the wood. Continue apply more pressure until you reach the right color, or the wood no longer is getting darker. If you need a darker color, put a second drop on the cloth. Start lightly again, and increase pressure as before. Note, once it gets too dark, it will be impossible to lighten, so go slow and take your time. Try it on your spare piece of unfinished wood first.

Also, one possible problem that you can run into while working with the finish on speakers is the veneer may peal off due to the use of the turpentine solvent. If this happens, it is really easy to fix. Place a heavy piece of cardboard, a little heavier than construction paper over the area then iron it. The heat liquefies the glue and when it dries it sticks. I had to do that with my Cornwalls.

I learned most of this wood finishing stuff from

http://forum.doityourself.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=34 They have a great forum for asking questions on wood finishes and how to fix problems like this. They primarily answer questions related to furniture, but Khorns are furniture in my book. ;-)

Mike.

[Dick]

The following can be used for OIL FINISHES ONLY. IF its varnished, shellaced, or whatever else try something else.

For an old oil finish I would give it a light touch of Scott's Liquid Gold to clean it up and get the grunge off. Then let it set for several days. Once you are ready to refinish I would use something like WATCO Danish oil finish. (Try Lowe's, Home Depot doesn't seem to carry WATCO anymore.) You can use a clear one or a walnut stain - of which there are two shades. I have found over the years that the WATCO stains work really well. You can put on several coats and if there are some dings etc. you can use a little 0000 steel wool doused in the oil or stain, which ever you're using and a light but thorough rubbing with the steel wool will clean up some of the thin dents. Once you've put on as many coats of oil as you deem necessary let it stand for several days agaiin to dry completely. Then use either a satinn finish or high gloss hard wax that has a lot of carnubba wax in it - and a ton of elbow grease. You'l;l love the result. Of course after all the work you'll have to love it.

If it were new wood the rule for oil finishing (without wax) would be 1 coat of oil each day for a week, then 1 coat each week for a month, then one coat each month for a year. Then once or twice a year therafter to keep the finish in top shape. Of course you have to be really anal in these days to go to that extent to get a super finish.

------------------

Richard Hemmings

[John Warren]

I don't know what Scotts Liquid Gold is but I use Fels Naptha (soap) mixed with turpentine to clean oiled finishes. Clean and let stand about a week, then oil, then bees wax. The amount of crap it takes out of the finish will blow your mind and the venner really brightens up. Real easy to do but the rags are flammable so don't leave them lying around, let them dry out.

[MacKlipsch]

John,

Thanks for the info. What mixture of Fels Naptha and turpentine do you use? How much elbow grease should you use for this step? When I bought these K-horns I talked to someone at Klipsch who told me to use tung oil, like used on gun stocks, to the speakers. Well it was a freakin disaster. My brand new babies had smudgy swirls all over the surface that really looked terrible especially in direct light. I have as of yet been unsucessful in fully removing the tung oil swirls that I created in 1980. I will however not give up.

[John Warren]

a couple tblspns of grated soap in a pint of turpentine. soap improves wetting action of turpentine and reduces work.

soak rag (not sopping), lightly rub, repeat, work the whole surface until it brightens. when done you have to remove soap residue so finish wipe with turpentine only. if it still looks swirled, try again, if after two attempts, and still looks bad, I'd say re-veneer.

if not experienced working with flammable solvents, better to re-veneer, sand and re-stain. khorn is large and ventilation is important--->not worth having a house fire over.

also, check out ingredients of Scott's Liquid Gold, it might be turpentine based, if so I'd just use that.

[Dick]

John,

I'm not sure of the ingredients of the Liquid Gold either, but it certainly doesn't smell at all like turpentine. I've used both and they seem to work pretty much the same. Turpentine is probably a little more effective, but it does have to be mixed, so to keep it simple, I use the Liquid Gold. It too will amaze you at what will come off the surface. In an earlier house I had a den wall with cherry paneling and decide it needed a little cleaning in one spot an it looke dso good there, that my wife wouldn't let me stop util I had finished the whole room. It took a day and a half but, hey, keep the woman happy whatever the cost...

Dick