Heresy II veneer restoration Qs and crossover mod Qs...

[Rootpusher]

Greetings all; I'm new here and it looks like a great place. I joined because:

I just acquired ($20 yard sale) a pair of Heresy II (sans risers) made in 9/89; oiled oak finish with a light-colored, basket-weave type grill cloth. One speaker has a 7" diameter, grey, circular water stain on stop; the exposure to water has raised the veneer grain within the circle. The grill cloth on that speaker shows some very slight, small water stains. Both speakers work well and sound fine; there is no apparent damage, water or otherwise, to the baffle board or drivers of the stained cabinet.

1.) Is there a way to clean off the water stain on the cabinet?

2.) Is there a way to clean off the water stain on the grill?

3.) Can the cabinet veneer withstand light sanding?

4.) If sanding is appropriate, what is the best method of matching the original finish? I'm inclined to the Minwax rub-on (satin), one-step oil stain/finishes, probably the one called "Natural Oak."

5.) The grills seem far too thick to be acoustically transparent. (I have not had time to listen to the speakers with the grills off.) Is the grill acoustically transparent, or purposely not acoutically transparent (maybe an attempt to reduce highs)?

6.) Crossover caps necessarily shot after 19 years? Should I recap w/the assistance of Mr. Crites?

7.) Do the horn diaphrams wear out? Or is a case of, "if it works, it works?"

8.) Any other "must-do" mods for these speakers?

9.) I'm enjoying their sound on 14" high stands; do some feel that the speaker is "voiced" for floor (or low riser) mounting?

Thanks in advance!

[Daddy Dee]

Congrats on the fabulous Heresy II score and welcome to the forum.

A few thoughts on your questions:

Yes, Mr. Crites is an excellent contact on recapping your c rossovers.

Those grills are rare classics. Hang on to them. If you like the sound better with grills off, fine. What sounds good to you is what's good.

On the cabinet veneer, yes, be careful. It will be a challenge to get the water stain out, but you can diminish it's appearance. The veneer, though, is indeed thin. It wouldn't be hard to sand through it. Hand sanding would be recommended.

[WMcD]

I would advise the same re sanding. Hand sanding only.

I was going to point out that oak is prone to staining when a container made of steel or iron leaks. One classic stain for turning oak black is to put nails in vinegar for a few days, and then apply the result. The iron reacts with the tannen (sp) in the oak. This is also why oak floors get stained from planters. (I'm not sure that soldered brass planters have quite the same effect, there may be another reaction which is less intense)

Before this morning, I would have said it is likely that it is likely the damage to the veneer goes deep. Now I'm not so sure.

Some of the horizontal areas at the office are oak veneer and have suffered water damage, again from planters. Lacquer is a favorite in commercial woodworking because it is easy to spray on a thin coat and it dries very quickly. Hence there is little resistance to water. Such is the case at the office.

The damage at the office looks bad in that the oak has turned grey. However, I experimented with some 220 paper with light pressure and the result in a small area looks promising. It doesn't take too much to get to clean wood.

Naturally I can't speak to your situation but it might not be as bad as we think. The grain raising gives me some pause, though.

Wm McD