tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I live in the desert and my speakers are getting dry. Outside of spray on cleaners like Pledge, what can I put on them to restore their moisture? At Lowe's, they told me that I shoudl not use boiled linseed oil. Is this true? Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 If they are an oil finish to start with, then BLO would be fine. It's hard to mess anything up with BLO. Danish oil is also good being BLO-based. Tung oil is good, too. Lemon oil is ok, but it smells like lemons, if that's what you want. I would not use any wax-based products on them. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 10, 2004 Author Share Posted December 10, 2004 ---------------- On 12/10/2004 4:09:24 PM D-MAN wrote: If they are an oil finish to start with, then BLO would be fine. It's hard to mess anything up with BLO. Danish oil is also good being BLO-based. Tung oil is good, too. Lemon oil is ok, but it smells like lemons, if that's what you want. I would not use any wax-based products on them. DM Some of the speakers are oil finished. My k-horns are shinny tigerwood. Does this mean that they have a urethane on them? They were looking dry (turning a whitish color in areas) and after I put pledge on them, the white went away. That would suggest that they are oiled right? Thansk, Chris ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 No, if they are shiny, I would also think poly rather than oil. Oil finishes are not shiny on production speakers. See if the white comes back, otherwise, I think you've got it. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Check the label on the back of your speakers. Post the model name here and perhaps we can help determine what the finish is and better advise you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 All the tung oil products I've ever seen are a finish type product, similiar to poly. I wouldn't use it for maintanence. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 I just fill 'em up with good ol' 10-40 and they're good for another 3,000 hours. I use Watco Rejuvenating Oil on my Walnut Oil KG4s and Forte's. I put it on once a day for 3 days, buffing off the excess after about 15 minutes each time. Leaves them with a beautiful warm glow, but not shiny. My 20 year old KG4s look like they just came out of the box, and they spent all 20 years in the Arizona desert climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 http://www.kingdomrestorations.com/furniturepolish.html Pros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 ---------------- On 12/11/2004 3:04:13 PM dougdrake wrote: I just fill 'em up with good ol' 10-40 and they're good for another 3,000 hours. I use Watco Rejuvenating Oil on my Walnut Oil KG4s and Forte's. I put it on once a day for 3 days, buffing off the excess after about 15 minutes each time. Leaves them with a beautiful warm glow, but not shiny. My 20 year old KG4s look like they just came out of the box, and they spent all 20 years in the Arizona desert climate. ---------------- I will second that. I use it on my oiled Cornwall IIs. For my taste i have not found anything better. I also make sure that it is Watco. dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 What local retailers carry the Watco line? Checked Home Depot and Lowes and they don't ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Tung Oil furniture polish From a previous post: In the northern US, the low humidity of cold winters dries out wood, ruining the sheen and eventually cracking it. Old steam and hot water radiators contribute to the problem, sweating out what little moisture there is in the air with condensation. Most commonly recommended is a quarterly rubdown with furniture oil to nourish the wood; NOT furniture polish to merely dust it. In the southern US, high temperatures and high humidity rate - both over 90, Fahrenheit and percent - combine to create scalding heat indexes over 100. Sensitive wood designs are protected with an annual rubdown of lemon or tung furniture oil. I have been using Old English lemon oil for years, but the bottle ran low. I also used a little of Formbys Lemon Oil, which seems like Old English. I oiled my classic Klipsch corner Khorns with Formbys Tung Oil and was surprised at the difference! Tung oil is a golden brown oil extracted from seeds of tung trees and used as a drying agent in varnishes, paints and waterproofing. It is also called Chinawood oil. Tung oil makes a durable matte finish. Brush or wipe tung oil into the wood in thin coats. The Tung oil is thicker than lemon oil. It is an amber blend of molasses and old fashioned syrup. Stickier than syrup too, it doesnt simply rinse off, but needs soap. It smells like dark nut oils blended with a hint of turpentine, paint thinner, varnish or something. It coats the wood and fills in the scratches. It is quite nice for old horns. It gives the walnut a darker, glossier, warmer appeal. Looks beautiful, but goes on rich and dark. Tung Oil takes a day to dry, especially when applied so thickly that it fills the scratches. It is classed as a drying oil along with linseed, poppy seed, safflower seed, walnut, soybean, oiticica and a few other oils. Until this century, China was the main source for the oil. It comes from the seed of Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana, deciduous trees susceptible to frost damage. This vulnerability restricts tung trees to China and South America. It is said to have been introduced to the West by Marco Polo. Recently, tung oil gained favor over linseed oil for furniture finishing because dries faster and does not darken as much with age. Tung oil is more durable than lacquer and is impervious to water stains. As mentioned before, minor scratches are easily repaired. It's readily available and an ideal finish for butch block tops in kitchens, as well as wooden salad bowls and other wooden food preparation surfaces. Furniture in areas of high use (or abuse) could also benefit from a tung oil finish. Tung oils are usually applied in a wipe-on wipe-off method with a short drying time in between. After the wipe off and when the coat has dried completely, # 0000 steel wool removes small surface irregularities, and the oiling process is repeated. Depending on the look, you'll apply anywhere from 3 to 6 coats in this manner. I only applied one coat and it looks fine to me. However, it does seem to seal the wood more than simple Lemon Oil furniture polish. I wont try the BLO over the Tung Oil of course. IF I had to do it over again, I would try the BLO first. Although marketed for teak furniture, I will save the lighter Lemon Oil for my office. The Lemon Oil should also be fine for the black wood entertainment center or modern black loudspeakers. HDBRbuilder said: Once you use tung oil, you no longer will use Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO), because tung oil is a finish in and of itself. BLO is what is used on the factory oil finishes to replenish the wood. There is a big difference in tung oil and what is used for the factory oil finishes. Tung oil is more akin to a varnish type of finish, and once applied it is not supposed to be re-oiled at all. Tung oil is actually supposed to be applied to clean surfaces with no more than a stain already applied to them. A word to the wise here: There is a possibility of tung oil finishes appearing to adhere well initially to a previously applied BLO-based finish, but over time the tung oil finish MAY loosen from the surface as the BLO weeps out of the wood grain...the same goes for applications of lacquers or urethanes and such to previously-applied hand-rubbed oil finishes using BLO as the base. In order to ensure tung oil finish adherence to surfaces with previously-applied-BLO based finishes, it is WISE to thoroughly clean the BLO finish from the wood using acetone or something of that nature, BEFORE using the tung oil finish. Remember, just because something is labeled an "OIL" finish does NOT mean it is completely compatible with other types of oil finishes previously used on wood surfaces. The question is what do I need to know about tung oil? Googles new Froogle (get it frugal? service finds Parks tung oil for $8.30 a quart at Go2Marine.com, is there a better place or product to buy it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 ---------------- On 12/19/2004 12:55:24 PM Chris Robinson wrote: What local retailers carry the Watco line? Checked Home Depot and Lowes and they don't ... ---------------- I have found it at both Lowe's and Home Depot. Bought it at HD as it was a couple bucks cheaper there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted January 4, 2005 Author Share Posted January 4, 2005 Wow, this post is still going! I oiled all of my speakers with boiled linseed oil a few weeks ago and they all look (and feel) great. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 If your tigerwood has a laquer finish, that may have been a bad idea. My zebrawood label says "CZSL" which stands for "Cornwall Zebrawood Satin Laquer." Does the label on your khorns say "KB-TSL" or "KB-TO" ????? You never want to put BLO on a laquered finish. I use watered down Murphy's Wood Soap. Darkens the finish somewhat. Works well with laquered finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Right-0 Gary....Spot On. Since he mentioned that his speakers finish is shiny, I'd bet he just put oil on a laquered finish. .....POST A FEW PIC's OF YOUR TIGERS, PLEASE..... also, when you apply BLO, you only let it set for about 10 to 15 min., then wipe off the excess. Mixing in a little mineral spirits with the BLO will aid in the veneers ability to absorb and soak up what it needs. I've experimented, and if your speakers are really dry, mix about 20 to 30% Mineral Spirits to BLO. This mixture makes for an excellent first and even 2nd coat (depending on how dry), to be followed up with a final coat of pure BLO finish......DON'T FORGET TO WIPE-OFF THE EXCESS...or you'll be sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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