sean5340 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Has anyone sanded down and refinished Lasclas? I'm worried once I start I might not get all the old stain off. Any advice would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 A few questions must first be answered. 1. What is the current finish (this is indicated on the sticker on the back)? 2. What is the condition of the current finish (deep scratches etc)? 3. What kind of finish/color are you aiming for? Good Luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean5340 Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 The model is LSBR. They were originally purchased new by a friend. He admittedly didn't do a great job on the stain but he did give them to me. (I love that dude!) 1. Current finish is dark. Maybe a dark cherry. 2. Condition is pretty good. One has 3 deep scratches on top. Did not penetrate the finish. Probably won't sand smooth. The other is really nice. 3. I was wanting to go with a goldenish stain. Nice light color. I do some wood working and finishing. (Better at wood working than finishing.) I'm wondering about all the edges and angles inside the bass bin. Looks kinda tight in a lot of spots. Any tricks or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 To be honest with you, it looks like you are headed for a great deal of work. The "BR" indicates Birch Raw and these have a dark stain (and who knows what sort of finish on top, eg, oil, polyurethane etc). Since you are aiming for a lighter color, you will need to be even more diligent in getting the old stain and finish removed. Unfortunately, sanding is not always a great way to do this. You can inadvertently sand through the top ply (the birch) if you are not careful (especially at the edges) and sanding in the tight corners etc will be a real headache. These cabinets are not easily taken apart, so that is not a realistic option. What ever you do, you will need to remove all the drivers and horns and crossovers. One option is to use chemical stripper. If you go this route (and others will have good reasons to shy away from this approach) you will need to use the heavy duty stuff (the stuff that contains methyl chloride). The first pass or two will take off the polyurethane (or whatever is on top) the and the next pass is done with a water rinse to remove the stain. This gentler strippers are not very good at removing the stain, but they are less aversive to work with. Ventilation, lots of rags, scraping, and sanding are all involved. It will be a mess. I wish I could give some magic cure that would make this a simple process, but this is a great deal of work with many different steps involved and attention to detail is a must. One possibility is to paint the cabinets. The scratches will still need to sanded down, as well as the rest of the cabinet, and any dings on the edges & corners will need to be fixed (bondo or something similar). The glossier the finish, the more it will show any imperfections. This requires that the cabinets are primed (I have never believed in "one-step" products) and the top coat(s) are best done in multiple layers (with light sanding in between). It is also best done using a sprayer, if you have any friends that work at an auto body shop, now is the time to call in some favors. Yet another possibility is to apply veneer on the major surfaces. There still many surfaces to contend with in terms of prep and finish. However, there have been some threads where this was done (without breaking apart the cabinets) and the results were absolutely stunning. It is still a good deal of work, but the results can be amazing. I realize I have been pessimistic in this reply, but it really can be a big job. Good Luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean5340 Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 Tom Thanks for the advise. I was thinking it would be a major undertaking. I will probably apply veneer and paint the very back of the bass bins where all the edges and back of the box are. I really appreciate your honesty and interest. I would have been upset if I messed them up bad or got discouraged and didn't want to finish. Thanks a bunch Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Certainly look up some of the older threads on this topic. I remember being very impressed with a project where the guy had them painted black at an auto body shop. The other very impressive project involved (as I remember) 1) veneer on the outside, 2) veneer on the "nose", 3) inside horizontal surfaces painted (flat?) black 4) I think the inside vertical surfaces were probably black but they may have been veneered also. I imagine this took a bit fitting to get it right, but it certainly paid off. When you tackle this project, many us would appreciate it if you could post photos and commentary on your progress and results. Good Luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean5340 Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 Tom Thanks again. I searched the forums and found some really good insight. I am currently building my "Man Cave". If I can figure out how to post some pictures I'll start with some progress shots on that. I guess I'll post it in 2 channel. I can't believe I joined this insanity. My wife wants to kill me! Regards Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 If they are already stained, veneer will be your best bet. Strip off the finish, leave the stain that remains and add theveneer. I'll attach a pic if mine. They are stained mediummahoghany. We used a 3/4" x 3/4" cherry strip to frame the grilleand cover the exposed plies in the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean5340 Posted October 25, 2007 Author Share Posted October 25, 2007 John That looks very nice. How did you handle the rear corners inside the bass bins? Have you seen any done with oiled natural wood or very light stain? Just wondering how they would look light. Regards Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Mine were unfinished birch when I bought them. The plies atthe back of the V are stained and show. Mine are dark enough thatyou only notice if you look. They are stained and finished as farback behind the doghouse as a hand can reach. So, the back insidecorners are stained and finished. The splitters (behind thedoghouse) are not finished and cannot be seen. We used awater-based polyurethane. My boys were about 4 and 6 when I gotthem and I was really worried they'd spill something or set a wet glasson one. They haven't and have been really good with them. Isold my rear pair to my brother. When I bought them, they wereraw birch that had been stained light oak and finished with glossypolyurethane. I disliked the gloss, but the light oak lookedquite attractive. He had them stripped and stained a mediumcherry with satin polyurethane. He wanted them dark like mine,but they didn't come out that way. The satin finish looked oiledand the medium cherry actually looks quite good and very real, sincecherry is dark only if it's very, very old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I might suggest veneer, especially if they have been stained already.. I have seen some outstanding Veneer jobs too on this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahaSHO Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 My dad refinished his La Scala's a few years ago (orginally bought new in '81) and they turned out great. The orginal stain he put on was pretty dark. He sanded them down, fixed any imperfections, and the routed all the edges/corners for a cleaner look. If you're interested, I can have my dad send me pics of before/after and post them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrench722 Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Check this guy out. He is realy good and he is part of this forum. "M" Khorns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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