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how to refinish speakers


mdbrien

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I picked up a used pair of Heresys and would like to refinish them. I'm not much on wood work so I was wondering if someone can give me some pointers. I would like to remove the old stain to change the color. Any advice would be appreicated. The speakers are made of birch.

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If the speakers are sealed with laquer or poly, this is a challenge.

As in refinishing any furniture, the old finish has to be stripped off and the surface prepared for the new finish. The outer layer of the birch plywood is quite thin, so care must be used not to sand through it when preparing the surface after stripping.

If it has already been sealed, you may or may not get the fresh surface to take much stain. It is generally easier to make the finish darker than lighter. But sometimes that can work o.k.

If the original finish is quite dark, some of it will remain visible in the pores of the wood. Also, sometimes this can look o.k.

Good luck with your project.

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First--securely tape off the front--speakers and everything with too much paper. The mess you'll make will make you glad you protected the working parts.

If the finish is the black lacquer--lacquer remover takes it off incredibly easy. Very little mess. Try that first.

If lacquer remover doesn't work, then go to the strippers. Spray on is best. Alot of mess--you'll need alot of rags and plastic spatulas to scrape it all off. Fill any holes, scratches, etc, with wood filler.

Go buy a power sander--$34 at Home Depot to sand it all smooth with small grit sandpaper. Hand sanding sucks and leaves an unprofessional look. Go easy with sanding--the veneers are not too thin, but you can overdo it--

I used a polyurethane stain finish after one coat of wood treatment. Rub with steel wool between coats. Keep applying thin coats of the finish until you have the desired color. I can't overemphasize "thin" enough. The polyurethane flattens out beautifully, but too much will make a lumpy finish. If you use thick coats, you'll have to re-strip and do it again--I know I did it-Those coats gotta be thin and always have a wet edge as you go around the cabinet--

Poly is the bomb--

Make sure you pick a color that matches your furniture so the wife lets you keep your Klipsches in the family room!

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  • 3 years later...

I just purchased a used pair of Forte II's with the black finish. I assume it's a black stain finish, because I can clearly see the wood grain. It appears to be a veneer, because it has some chips here and there revealing a veneer layer. I would appreciate any help on what I can do to refinish the cabinets. It has some spots along the edges where the black finish has worn off, and there are chips at corners as I mentioned before. Is it even possible to remove the veneer and put an entirely new finish on the speakers?

BTW, these speakers are awesome sounding and worth the work to bring the cabinets back to life.

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rhing: There are many, many threads on refinishing speakers; do a search and you should get lots of hits. Try "refinishing black" as search terms.

I have not tried myself, but I am guessing that it will be nearly impossible to take the black off of the black veneer. The veneer itself is about as thin as thick paper, and can't be sanded much. Completely reveneering is possible, but not easy, unless you have done something similar before and are handy with woodworking. Those who have done similar projects should chime in here about now.

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RichardP,

Thanks for the tips. I think I'll stick with the original black veneer finish. I'll need to know which stain to use and and how to patch those missing chips of veneer. These speakers are really impressive and I'm now kicking myself for being so prejudice toward Klipsch since I got into the audio hobby. The good thing about my pair is that all the drivers are completely intact and the grilles are in excellent condition.

I'll research wood repair techniques and materials and go from there. In the meantime, I'll enjoy Forte II's.

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When I suggested "search threads" I meant here on the forum. There must be a couple dozen separate threads over the past few years on refinishing/refurbishing the veneer, although most are probably about walnut or oak models. Some likely address replacing missing veneer chips. Luckily, your black finish means that you don't have to be as precise or careful in your repairs, they won't show up like walnut, etc.

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Wow! Thanks for the thread links. This is great stuff. I had a feeling that I'll need to use veneer to patch a few small spots, but that shouldn't be too bad. I love these speakers and just want to bring their exteriors back to their original glory.

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