Refinishing: to sand or not to sand?

[JoeRiff]

I've read a few threads on here about refinishing, and some

people have given their speakers a light sanding to remove any small scratches

and imperfections. I've also talked to a few people who recommend against

it.

I've got one Belle disassembled and stripped down with a chemical

stripper. The original lacquer came off very easily using some Meth-Chlor

stripper with some steel wool and a plastic scraper. I must admit it

looks better than I thought it would consider how many scratches it had.

However, there are still some small scratches and imperfections that are visible.

I spoke with my uncle who does a lot of wood working, as a matter of fact he does

it for a living. He told me not to sand it unless the scratches were very

noticeable because they will blend in when I apply my oil finish. He also

said that sanding will make some parts of the wood lighter and while leaving others darker,

which will make obtaining an even finish more difficult. What are some

opinions from forum members on sanding? I know you can't take off

much if you do sand, being it is veneer.

I plan on finishing it with Watco. I'm looking for a light color and am

thinking about just using the Natural. I found a thread on here where

someone used the Cherry, and it looked nice. However, I don't want to go

that dark. Has anyone on here tried any of the other colors?

[meagain]

The natural Watco is actually golden looking if you look at it poured into a bowl. It might do the trick just on it's own. I think you can always go to a golden oak Watco if you needed some oomph.

I would sand. I've had great luck with finishing with wet/dry 600 grit. Smooth as glass. I really like the wet/dry papers. I would sand them. If you have to go low in grit number, just make sure you get the increments above that to ensure no scratches from the lower grits.

[Jay481985]

I agree with sanding but I am not for the lower grade grits. Start off high and use lower if needbe. Try 800 first wet of course If you have a hard time finding it at homedepot or lowes try pepboys or an automobile place.

[Malcolm]

The finish you wind up with can only be as good as the substrate you lay the finish down on.

[Klipschguy]

I agree with Malcolm and Meagin. I actually like to apply the Danish oil and sand at the same time. 600 grit on a sanding block should work great. Follow the 600 grit with a very fine Scotchbrite pad saturated in Danish oil for a very even looking finish.

Meagain, did you wet (oil) sand your Khorns?? How did they come out?

Andy

[meagain]

Andy - I didn't do the khorns yet. I did my KG4's and Walnut Cornwalls with the sanding & Watco. The Watco darkened them both quite a bit which isn't good for me. But I guess that's how they should be if hydrated. Both these walnut pairs naturally had some red to them. My khorns are poop brown and I learned by doing the other sets that I'm only going to make them poop brown-ER.

I'd sure like to bleach them or get the old stain out and redo them from scratch. Minimally, I'm going to add some cherry to these to warm them up. I wish they had more red like my KG4's. But I guess I'm going to be stuck with them being very dark.

[Klipschguy]

Well Lisa, there is no doubt you are correct about deepening the existing color. Really it takes them back to the original richness. The look of dry veneer, albeit lighter in color, displeases me. Aside from the deepened color, do you like the quality of the finish using Danish oil with 600 grit followed by a Scotchbrite??

I did some maple veneered cabinets (non-Klipsch DIY project) using the above method and they came out sweet. I custom mixed a yellow/burnt umber color into the danish oil. I'll post a picture later.

Andy

[meagain]

Yes - using the 600 grit wet/dry with the oil made them feel like fine silk. No lie.

[Klipschguy]

Here's a little Danish oil action. The little guys were raw .75" maple veneered plywood. BTW, the Cornwalls are not near this dark or red. My Nikon digital does a lousy job reproducing reds.

Andy

[JoeRiff]

OK, now I have an additional problem to add. The first
few pieces I did were done with RAP, a locally meth-choloride based
product. They looked fantastic. The other pieces, including the main top
piece, I did with a Kleen Strip brand Meth-Chloride based stripper. This,
much to my chagrin, has a left a nice streaky frosting look on the
wood. I figured that it must be just smeared finish/residue so I
put on a few more coats. DOH!!!



Turns out what it was doing was bleaching out the pores of the
walnut. If
I sand will I end up with dark and light spots? I tried wiping
paint
thinner on the wood in an effort to get the white out. It looked
fantastic while the wood was still wet with thinner, but the frosty
look
returned a few hours later once the thinner had evaporated. My
uncle said
that with an oiled finish, you may not even notice the white look, but
he's
also seen it nearly ruin some darker finishes. Anybody have
any
experience with this problem? He suggested that I could probably
sand it
out or work it with some #000 steel wool, but I would have to be
careful.
He also said it would take a lot of work to get the entire piece even
looking. He also suggested wetting a rag with water and simply
trying to wash it away, which I will try next. Do you think the
whiteness will show through the finish
or should I start sanding?

[Klipschguy]

The 600 grit and Danish oil should do the trick. The slurry it forms helps fill and seal the grain - in a good way. BTW, the grain will not entirely filled with the oil finish (and you probably don't want it to be).