** BEST WAY TO RE-FINISH MY FORTE II AND HERESY II??!!??!!?? **

[StLouisVegan]

Wanting to refinish my black Forte II and Heresy II speakers. Would it be bad to use a paint stripper to take off the old paint on these? Or should I just sand them down to bare wood? These have scratches on them and want them to look good again....ALSO what BLACK paint should I use that is close to what KLIPSCH uses on their speakers....and best way to apply it (brush, roller, spray, ect....).

Thanks,

Michael

[Bill H.]

Vegan,

Send a PM to Member William F. Gil McDermott - he had some info on the subject.

I could not find my link I had.

Also try this link which has been discussed here before......he is the Master at refinishing speakers.

http://www.dcchomes.com/index.htm

Click on the Audio links for Pictures.!

[theryugobuddy]

Don't use the stripper!! its a mess.

You won't believe how easy the black lacquer comes off with lacquer thinner, which you can get at Home Depot. Put it on liberally with alot of rags and it will dissolve the lacquer deep into the grain--

Then fix marks or chips with putty and sand with a power sander--

I used before-stain treatment to bring out the look of the grain, then 2 or 3 coats polyurethane/stain with great results. Scrub with steel wool between each coat. The polyurethane flattens out beautifully --

Stain them the sme color as your living room furniture and maybe the wife will let you put them in the living room!

[WMcD]

I'll give may typical little scpheel here. This is so others, who really know what is going on, can correct me.

It seems like your are just going ot paint them with black lacquer again. That makes things easy.

Generally lacquers and shellac BTW are solvent release finishes. That means they solidify as the vehicle (thinner) evaporates. This is why lacquer thiner will remove the finish. It melts it. Importantly when a second coat is applied, the wet film partially melts the undercoating and bonds to it.

As I've pointed out. Nail polish is lacquer and can be removed with nail polish remover (acetone). Not paint stripper.

Shellac is made from the shell of the lac bugs and is thinned with alcohol. It is fairly clear but is somewhat yellow or brown.

This is in contrast to just about all other finishes. In those the molecules link up with each other upon exposure to air. It is not quite evaporation but rather a chemical reaction.

This is somewhat like plastics. They are made of mers (e.g. ethelene or urerethane). Mer is a very general term. When they link they form a poly-mer. Many mers. What the mer is, dictates the type of plastic.

These paints are potentially quite tough (even latex) and you need an agressive stripper to attack them. You don't have this problem. But you should know what is happening before you go off in the wrong direction.

BTW, this is why sanding is necessary between applying coats of varnish. The rough surface is needed to form a key for the second coat to bond to. Lacquer does not require it and dries quickly. No wonder industry uses lacquer so much.

If I was in your spot I'd not remove the lacquer at all. Rather sand with very fine sandpaper on a block. I use a wooden block to which I've glued rubber from ACE. It is used to make replacement washers and is in the plumbing section. You may find some premade ones.

You'll probably have to use filler on deep scratches. Plastic Wood uses a lacquer type solvent. Maybe that is the way to go. Greg928 has suggested a Minwax product which is says is like Bondo. He is the expert. I don't know if there is a compatability issue.

As far as what to use for lacquer, I think Krylon is about the only available in a spray can. You might find others but I've not. I'll assume Krylon is compatable with what is on there now. I don't know for sure. Mabye someone can tell us.

All the wood working books say the same darn thing. Experiment. This is so that you get some experience before doing the job on your prizes.

You should start on some scrap wood.

Note you'll have to mask off the front and back of the speakers. Also, the base comes off the Forte. Mabye you start with the bottom.

This is no small job. Now you know what I know.

Best,

Gil