www.records Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 I own a pair of Altec 620A oiled oak cabinets that the grain is raised on the tops and somewhat on the sides. What I want to do is get them smooth again, but I am clueless on doing anything with wood. I had thought of just sanding them down smooth and putting linseed oil on them. Is this the best thing to do? I don't want to screw the pooch on this project and won't do anything until I know exactly what I need to do. They are not REAL bad, but they are pretty rough to the touch. They have 1/4" oak veneer (sp?). I know these are not Klipsch, but I enjoy this site, and the way I see it, we have alot in common for our taste in speakers. Anyway, I hope some of you will help me with this. Long live horns!! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 A random orbital sander won't leave swirl marks............ Start with a coarse or medium grade paper then work down a couple steps to a finer paper. I really don't know what kind of finish you are dealing with though, hard for me to say without seeing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Steve, Good luck with the project. First, it may look like it is 1/4 inch veneer; however, I suspect it is probably much thinner than that. The actual oak may only be in the outer skin. With that warning, go very easy with the sand paper .... very easy. I would not use an power sander unless you are very experienced (and most of us are not). Rather use a 150 or perferably a 220 grit with a sanding block and be very careful not to round the edges. It sounds like you are just trying to get rid of some roughness. A light sanding with 220 is more than enough. If there are gouges and stains then more aggressive measures are required and things can get complicated The next issue is oil. First question regards whether you are trying to darken them or not? I would suggest using a Watco danish oil (this can come pigmented & is basically tung & linseed oil). Alternatively, you can dilute boiled linseed oil with turpentine. It is difficult to predict the color, so if you do pigment the mixture: go easy and try a test patch first on the cabinet bottom. When applying the oil, the surface must be in good shape (especially if it is pigmented and every flaw will show up). Multiple coats will be required. Read the instructions and don't assume you can finish all the steps in an hour or two. Good luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jheis Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Whoa Steve, Hold off on that coarse sandpaper! I may be completely off base, but I seriously doubt that you have 1/4" thick veneer. Most veneer is more like 1/32" - or less - and it's very easy to cut right through to the subsurface. James Oops, Tom posted while I was typing. Good advice. Caution is recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 LOl.....maybe try something on the bottom of a speaker so if things go wrong it will not be in an obvious place........lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.records Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 Hey guys, thanks for replying. I was beginning to think my post was invisible. The current color of the wood has a natural oak finish and is kind of dull, with no gloss. Yes, what I want to do is just smooth them out and re-oil them. The wood is pretty dry and rough to the touch. I don't plan on doing the fronts, as they still look very good. ALthough I might give them a good cleaning and re-oil them as well. But the tops and sides definately need some care. I dont' want them to get worse. The sanding I do will definately be gentle with fine paper and a block. I am going to take my time with these once I start, as I don't want to mess them up. Thanks for the feedback and if you have any other tidbits I need to know, I would sure appreciate the help. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 All of this brings up a question that I have, and no, I'm not trying to hijack the thread... [] Anyway, my brother (jt1stcav) brought to my attention the other day that the veneer on the top of one of my CW's has split. The split is about an inch long or so, and looks like it is just barely raised the slightest bit. What can be done about this? When my father bought them back in '79, they were raw birtch. He then applied walnut Minwax to them (in several coats I'm sure). Anyway, they have never had any kind of oil or anything applied to them at all over the years. The split is very small, but will applying oil or anything help at this point? Thanks, Charles T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Very simple, take a sanding block and some 220 grit paper and work it by hand in the direction of the grain slowly. Then go to 320 and final with 400. Spray with some semi-gloss DEFT and your done. That is how I did these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 some polks I did, shown here during and after. These were sanded ,stained and sprayed with DEFT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Here are some JBL L26 cabinets I did. The face was repainted with Krylon semi-flat black. The oak is natural with a couple coats of DEFT semi-gloss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewolf Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Ward, I am about to refinish my Lascalas. Do I need to remove the speaker components or can I sand and apply the finish with the elements installed? Looking for a best known method. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Removing them is always optimal but not always the easiest. I've done it both ways. If you leave them in, make sure you place something soft inside the horns to keep dust out of the driver or cover them with some blue painters tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.records Posted April 6, 2006 Author Share Posted April 6, 2006 wardsweb, thanks for the great photo's. Like everything I have seen you show on here, they look great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 wardsweb, thanks for the great photo's. Like everything I have seen you show on here, they look great. Thank you. It's all part of being obessive. The one thing that all my projects have taught me is patience. Take your time and the end result is always better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 That's real nice work there Wardsweb. You obviously have a lot of patience and experience. I am not that familiar with DEFT, although I've heard it mentioned many times. Is it a waterbased or sovent-based product? Do you polish after DEFT with steel wool or other fine sanding? Does it run? Does it have that "encased in plastic" look afterwords? Anyway, very nice pix and projects you have their - thanks for posting them. And of course, I have to ask, how do you like those Bose 901s? md Deft is a lacquer based finish. It can be brushed on (self leveling) or sprayed. I use the rattle cans for most of the stuff I do because it's so much easier. It works best to spray serveral light coats and build up to the level of finish you want. Two coats give you a nice finish that shows the grain. Like this cocobolo base I just did: You can keep building up coats if you want a slick furniture quality finish. There is no need to buff or polish. It does work better in warm weather. It tends to orange peel when sprayed below about 65 degrees. Even then you can light sand it and spray a final coat to get back to a smooth finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmsummer Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 You're using the DEFT Clear Wood Finish, am I right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 You're using the DEFT Clear Wood Finish, am I right? Yes thats the one. I use the semi-gloss. You can buff the stuff with the white scotchbrite for a satin finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I don't think that sanding will help at all with a split in the veneer. The surfaces are already nice and smooth as well without any scratches or stains. I just want to know about applying tung or linseed oil or something to help preserve the veneer for years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Chops my reply was to www.records original post and not yours. For you, I would recommend applying several coats of Howard's Feed-n-Wax. Your veneer will soak it up and love you for it. Let it soak in overnight and then buff them down with a soft dry cloth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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