Refinishing the AR-90

[Guest radkrisdoc]

Oiled walnut. I know thats the original finish, but it is a very high maintenance finish that scores low on protection. Certainly dont want glass rings forming again (though as a rule I dont substitute my speakers for coffee tables), dont want it to get easily scratched, dont want it to get bleached on one side because the speaker was placed near a window.

I need:

1. Protection...from UV rays, fine scratches, humidity

2. Low maintenance: I mean to say I dont wanna work on these every year! I wanna work on them now and forget it. Maybe wax em/clean em but not apply oil all over again. And applying too much oil might cause an oil build up, so dont want that either.

So now, gang, tell me what you think I should do: oiled walnut (all about preserving the original) or lacquered walnut or walnut finished with polyurethane?

I need to work on sanding, right now the speaker is bare, no acoustic blanket, no drivers, no stuffing, no crossover. Plan is to sand it tomorrow with 120 grit first working my way upto 300. Before sanding I am going to remove any old oil with mineral spirits (paint thinner) so there is no dirt and the built up oil does not clog the sandpaper. Sure is a lot of work though, but I like doing it.

[ar_pro]

How were you able to remove the acoustic blanket without destroying it?

I've had success with MinWax products - you can get an excellent original color match by mixing their walnut & golden oak stains. I've also sealed the finish with multiple rubbed coats of their matte spray poly - the surface is then completely water-resistant, and maintains the smooth, deep look of an oiled finish.

Since you've got the speaker bare, now would be a good time to remove that cheap vinyl applique that mars the front panel - there's finished wood under there, and the speaker looks great without the sticker.

[Carlspeak]

Wow, lots of views but no responses so far. Here's my two cents if it's not too late.

I do speaker cabinet refurbishing as part of my speaker repair/upgrade business and one of the options I work with may help answer your question. Tung oil. I generally blend it with linseed oil at a low level to help make the finish a little more durable. You may want to try using a mixture of 75% Tung and 15% linseed and the rest turpentine to thin it so you don't wait a week for it to dry. Apply it liberally to the top of the cabinet in particular. The Tung oil provides a hardened component that will help seal and protect the veneer.

Just to prove it to yourself, apply the mixture to the bottom first before applying it anywhere else to test my advice. Good luck.

Carl's Custom Loudspeakers

Enfield, CT

[Guest radkrisdoc]

>

>

>How were you able to remove the acoustic blanket without

>destroying it?

Just my bare hands. I've attached pics, of the felt and the speaker baffle with adhesive and after adhesive was removed.

>I've had success with MinWax products - you can get an

>excellent original color match by mixing their walnut & golden

>oak stains. I've also sealed the finish with multiple rubbed

>coats of their matte spray poly - the surface is then

>completely water-resistant, and maintains the smooth, deep

>look of an oiled finish.

Thank you, I did not think of a walnut and golden oak combo. But while I was at it, I noticed that someone had tried to stain one side of a cabinet with walnut (I do not know if it is walnut), as its got a very light red tinge to the stain and is darker than the other two sides. I guess I have to tackle it by ending up with something that makes the enclosures uniform throughout. Its a bit frustrating, but well, it cant be helped.

>Since you've got the speaker bare, now would be a good time to

>remove that cheap vinyl applique that mars the front panel -

>there's finished wood under there, and the speaker looks great

>without the sticker.

Wow I did not know that. So you are saying that there is wood veneer underneath? My impressions based on the few small areas which have lost the black paint was that its just plain particle board. Maybe only the AR-9 had veneer on the front baffle, not the AR-90.

Thank you for replying! I was about to give up on this thread.

[Guest radkrisdoc]

Thank you Carl. Advice taken, am still working on the wood prep part. This part will take the longest time and I will be working on just sanding, filling defects with wood filler and sanding again for at least a month as I have only weekends free. I have time till then to decide whether to "upgrade" the finish to what is available currently. Of course, I am keeping a log of everything; including pics. Hopefully it should come to a good, happy ending. Kris

[johnieo]

Hi Kris:

Refinishing furniture is a lot of fun, but those of us who have done it for some time realize that patience is required! This is an art, not an exact science so you will receive unique suggestions from each who responds to your post. Personally, I know of no finish that can be applied and forgotten. All require some kind of annual waxing or re-oiling. After spending considerable time in creating a beautiful surface, you will want to keep it looking great. Both varnish and oil finishes are beautiful, but different.

For a nice oil finishing method, see Sal Marino's article at:

http://www.woodworking.com/wwtimes_oilfinish.cfm

Varnish processing is less forgiving than oil, but spray varnish applied in multiple thin coats, one surface at a time, produces a uniform coating. Wet polishing will yield a smooth finish. Lubricating with polishing is easier than with water, as one cuts more slowly. First, 600 paper with oil, then 1200X pumice and oil under felt on a smooth pad for the final polish.

Either finish is attractive--depends on personal preference.

[Guest radkrisdoc]

Thank you very much John. Sal Marino's article is very informative. Kris