raw birch la scala, stain with mini wax colonial maple

[tuned4life]

[cueman]

The Colonial Maple stain should look real nice on those. You should first sand the entire speakers, so you get a good, even coverage with the stain. I would start with 150 grit, then 220 and that should be enough. The proper way to use that stain (I just did a set of Heresies with it)is to brush or sponge it on, then wipe off all excess after 15 minutes. You can repeat this process until you get the color you are after, as it will darken with each application. Good luck, and post some pics when done !! They look like they are in excellent shape.

[WMcD]

We've had people here consider staining birch with the hope of making it look like walnut. That is pretty much impossible. And I realize you're not doing that.

I have seen stained birch commercial showroom cabinet. This is a local jewelery store. Stained reddish brown. It really doesn't impress.

Much of the history of woodworking is trying to make inexpensive wood look like expensive wood. For the most part, it doesn't work. Nonetheless, you could get something pleasing.

The woodworking books all say the same dang thing. You have to experiment.

Part of problem with most hobby projects is that your first effort is the final effort. In most engineering efforts there would be a prototype. Even the guys who built the Brooklyn Bridge had experience and drove to test pilings.

You should buy some birch ply at HD. Granted that is not going to be the same as your wood, but it'll give you something to test with. You can probably get a 2' x 4' and HD can cut it into 1' x 1' pieces for you. You'll have 16 test surfaces.

If you're getting close to the results you want, you might take the bottom hatch off the LS and test on the inside surface. If things are not to your liking, it will not show.

Let us all know how things work out.

Gil

[JohnA]

As usual, Gill gives good advice. There is a "conditioner" you can buy and use on birch to even out the stain absorbtion. Use it liberally. My brother did not and was very unhappy with the results. His custom Heresy center is now satin black.

[colterphoto1]

I just bought a pair of LS BR's that the owner stained Minwax 'Special Walnut' They are beautiful. He took the extra care to put 4 coats of BLO on afterwards and they are like glass, very smooth. Of course he did this 20+ years ago when they were new. I think the wood treatment the poster discusses above would be prudent. That would be my concern, that the stain was evenly absorbed.

The back or bottom probably did not see the amount of sunlight or age due to air, but would be good panels to test your finishing technique on.

Take your time. keep it dust free using a tack cloth. If you do any sanding, sweep up well afterwards and don't do any finishing the same day- dust hangs in the air.

Michael

[tuned4life]

thanks to all for your input. im going to wait for some nice weather so i can do my sanding outside. i will post pics when ive got them finished.

[Q-Man]

You received good advice as usual.

Birch looks a little like maple and cherry. So those types of stains will look best on birch. Cherry is really a light colored wood with a mixture of light and dark colors. Most people don't know what cherry really looks like because it is always stained a dark color.

As said above, use a minwax wood conditioners first or the stain will come out blotchy and dull.

The stain color that you picked is a good choice. Keep the stain color light. You can also use golden oak, or a light cherry stain.

Have fun in the dog house

[PrestonTom]

Good Luck on your project! Let me chime in and merely echo what other have already said. If you are going a for a darkish stain then by all means use a conditioner ahead of time. Otherwise it will definitely be quite splotchy (some woods including birch are like this). Even with a lighter stain, doing this on the edges (where there is open grain & ply) will help quite a bit. Using some birch ply from Home Depot (to experiment with) is also an excellent suggestion. In my personal experience, I have always had good luck with the Watco danish oils (they are pigmented to various shades). They are fairly forgiving, especially if you are not trying to achieve a dark color. As usual reading the instructions, taking your time, and using a sanding block(esp at the edges) are all key ingredients.

Good luck

-Tom

[colterphoto1]

If you're so inclined, standard screen moulding can be used to trim out the front edges so that the veneer plys don't show. The previous owner put grille cloth over the mid/highs and trimmed out prior to staining. It is very simple to do and gives a more finished appearance.

Michael

[Marvel]

Perhaps John can post some more pics of his LS... Trim added on the edges and a NICE finish.

Marvel

[JohnA]

Gladly. The edge trim is 3/4" x 3/4" cherry. The stain is red mahoghany with satin polyurethane on top.

[tuned4life]

wow, absolutely beautiful. i really like the red mahogany. also like the grill clothe covering the horns. i was wondering how the grills actually attach to speakers. i dont think i would want to put any kind of velcro on the speaker cabinet. i image if it is a snug fit you wouldnt need velcro. thanks for posting the pics.