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Klipsch Walnut Coloration


JoeRiff

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I've noticed on several Walnut Klipsch speakers including my

Belles and my father's Khorns that the walnut Klipsch uses has a very light

brown almost orange hue to it like I've not seen before. At first I

thought it was the BLO in the wood changing color with age, but my Belles

were Lacquered and they still have the same hue to them. When I stripped

them down, I noticed the color was still there in the bare wood.

I'm considering re-veneering a small section of one of my Belles and I'm having

trouble finding any pieces of veneer that match the stuff Klipsch uses.

Most of what I find is darker and greyer. Some have suggested English

Walnut, but it still does not quite have that orange hue to it. Has

anyone had any luck finding a stain that will make common walnut match up to

the walnut used by Klipsch?

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I have refinished furniture several times, as well as staining new furniture that dtel has built. Ocassionally I have had to mix two or more stains to match the original color, or to achieve a match to existing furniture.

Sometimes you can blend two or more stains to achieve the coloration you are looking for. However, I have always "tested" the mixed stains on scrap pieces of wood from the building project.

During the Pilgramage to Hope we were told the walnut currently in stock is from a new supplier. I would assume the various veneers are not always purchased from the same manufacturer. IMO, this practice is to assure some of the nicest veneers are used on the Heritage line.

Maybe the same manufacturer supplied the wood for all of your speakers. Check the dates and see if they are close.

It is possible someone at Klipsch could answer this question.

Or if you are really not happy with the finish, read some of the past posts on this Forum regarding refinishing. There are many threads that discuss the various processes. Most of the refinishing threads would likely be in the past pages. You can also search the forum for the topics.

I hope this helps.

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There is an American Black Walnut that is much darker as well. Make sure you aren't buying this if you want the warm hue.

I have a pair of walnut lacquered Heresies that are almost yellow- I think the sun got to them and aged them terribly.

Mrs. Dtel's idea of mixing stains and testing on a scrap is the right idea.

Michael

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I did find one good link in a thread:

http://www.dcchomes.com/WalnutKhorn.html

The gentleman achieved what I would consider an acceptable

match, however, he opted to change his veneer completely in the end. I

couldn't help but notice that the Minwax stain in the picture is water-based

and he mentions mixing it with Watco Teak oil. Later in the thread he

mentions having a problem with blotchiness. Not too difficult to figure

out what went wrong there. To his credit, it looks like he did extremely suberb work with the veneer, though.

I also e-mailed Klipsch customer service, but have not yet received a response.

I don't know if they'll be able to help me or not. Hopefully they can

provide some direction.

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I was supposed to buy that pair of Khorns in the first picture in the link above. I really liked the red color of those KWOs. Unfortunatley, Greg had some difficulty with color matching and he found me another pair which were KWL and much lighter in color.

If I stripped down the varnish, would it be possible to stain them to make them a little more reddish?

Kudret

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I still struggle with this when I look at my khorns which are a dull dark poop brown. My KG4's have a reddish warmth to them and are quite pleasing. I'm still tempted to test a light wood bleach solution on them, but am reading that walnut doesn't really lend itself to bleaching like oak. Merely adding some cherry stain to Watco or BLO won't work I think as it'll make them more dark. Some day I'll tackle them. Somehow. But it does seem there are 2 types out there. Poop and Red toned Warm.

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In the klipsch speakers I have looked at I have always found that the lacquer finishes always have a lighter look to them over the oil finishes. Does not matter if it is walnut or mahogany.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Meagain, have you tried this just to make sure yours are clean and fresh? Helped mine out a lot.

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I cleaned with Mineral spirits and put lemon oil on them for a quick drink. I think if I just put Watco clear on them, it'll just retain the bad color but also make them MUCH darker. I treated a pair of Cornwalls like this and I actually liked them better not oiled. It really darkens them. IMO

I might try using a gentleish paint remover to try to get the stain out but I think it's too in the wood or the wood oxidized dark. IDK. I just wish they were raw so I can stain them myself.

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