AR-3 Cabinents

[ninohernes]

What is a good brand or type of oil to re oil my "oiled walnut" cabinents?

Joe

[ar_pro]

Formby's Lemon Oil should be available at Home Depot...I've used it with good results - just use a little with a soft, clean cloth!

[tysontom]

>What is a good brand or type of oil to re oil my "oiled

>walnut" cabinents?

> Joe

Originally, AR used boiled linseed oil. Later, Watco Oil was used and may still be the oil of choice. Oils such as Tung Oil and such are not as desirable because they dry too glossy for the proper "oiled-finish" opaque look. The following description was AR's instructions for dealers (and end-users) on refinishing oiled finishes.

"Instructions for oiling AR speakers in Oiled-Walnut or Oiled-Teak:

Prepare the cabinet by lightly sanding with 600-grit sandpaper; remove sanding dust. Apply a heavy coat of boiled-linseed oil. Wait 8 hours and sand lightly (again with 600-grit sandpaper). Apply second coat of oil; wait 4 hours and apply third coat of oil. Wait 4 hours; wipe of excess oil, rub with pumice, and wax lightly.

Note: To take care of oiled-finished cabinets apply boiled-linseed oil about every 6 months. Let set for 30 minutes, then wipe off dry."

--Tom Tyson

[tysontom]

I failed to mention that AR always cautioned users to destroy rags used with linseed oil (or any other mineral oil for that matter) to avoid the possibility of spontaneous combustion. It usually goes without saying, but sometimes people forget this important warning about oily rags.

--Tom Tyson

[Guest dogmeninreno]

>I failed to mention that AR always cautioned users to

>destroy rags used with linseed oil (or any other mineral oil

>for that matter) to avoid the possibility of spontaneous

>combustion. It usually goes without saying, but sometimes

>people forget this important warning about oily rags.

>

>--Tom Tyson

Tom, I had an experience that backs up your warning. Lost a good jacket in the laundry because of my sons mistake. Lucky the house was saved....Dale

[Guest]

Tom -

Would that be Watco Danish oil or Watco teak oil?

Thanks --

--Daniel

[tysontom]

>Tom -

>

>Would that be Watco Danish oil or Watco teak oil?

>

>Thanks --

>--Daniel

Daniel,

That's a great question! Watco Danish Oil Finish is the usual oil finish for woods such as Oiled Walnut, etc. The Watco Teak Oil Finish, on the other hand, is primarily designed for Teak, Rosewood and other exotic woods used outdoor such as boat railings and such. It also works just fine indoors on Walnut, but it has extra ingredients in it to provide mildew and ultraviolet-light protection in addition to the finish.

Danish Oil Finish is also available in stain colors, such as light, medium and dark Walnut, Cherry, etc. For your "yearly" follow-up oiling of oiled finishes, you can also use Watco Satin Oil finish. If you are re-finishing an Oiled-Walnut AR cabinet from start, you can do the final treatment using Watco Satin Finishing Wax along with a block sander and 600-grit sandpaper. Buff that down and you have an opaque finish that seals the pores and feels like a Steinway piano, but without all the shine. Incidentally, AR's old recommended procedure for refinishing oiled finishes after the final coat of oil had dried for four hours was to rub with pumice and wax lightly.

There are many other oil finishes, not to mention boiled-linseed oil, but Watco stands out as an ideal finish for Oiled Walnut finishes. Any oil is better than no oil, but such products as Tung Oil -- an excellent oil finish for some furniture -- is a varnish-based finish, and will leave the cabinet too shiny. Lemon oil probably does not have enough oil ingredients to properly treat the finish, but I have used it to some success, and some people swear by it.

http://woodworkerssupply.com/Watco.htm

--Tom Tyson

[Guest]

There is a gentleman who often posts items for auction on ebay who was a former AR dealer. I've oredered a few things from him and I've even seen original AR cabinet refinishing kits offered at a very reasonable, if not low price. Everything seems to be included in one kit (including AR brush, oil, stain, and gloves) and I would check into it if you ever notice the items on ebay.

- Anthony v

[Guest]

Tom -

What variety (tint, if any) of the Watco teak oil would you recommend for a, um, partial refnishing? That is, the cabinets are pretty good, but I sanded the tops down a bit to lessen the visibility of some marks and water stains, but I'm not doing a whole-hog refinish. Will the untinted teak oil darken the wood sufficiently? Is that what AR was using to finish the cabinets in the first place?

Also, I noticed you characterized the Watco Satin Finishing Wax as providing an 'opaque' finish; that doesn't sound right. What did you mean?

Thanks!

--Daniel

[Guest]

Yep, I saw these kits too, but his system involves first staining the cabinets, and I think that's at variance with the original look (the refinished speakers he sells on eBay look nice, but they're quite dark to my eye).

Thanks --

--Daniel

[tysontom]

>Tom -

>

>What variety (tint, if any) of the Watco teak oil would you

>recommend for a, um, partial refnishing? That is, the

>cabinets are pretty good, but I sanded the tops down a bit

>to lessen the visibility of some marks and water stains, but

>I'm not doing a whole-hog refinish. Will the untinted teak

>oil darken the wood sufficiently? Is that what AR was using

>to finish the cabinets in the first place?

Well, assuming that you do have an AR Oiled-Walnut cabinet, you might try the Light Walnut Danish Oil Finish, as it contains a small amount of stain. Even if you use the darker finishes, it is the method by which you apply the finish that determines the darkness of the coat. If you wipe off the excess quickly after applying, it will not stain as darkly, etc. If in doubt, you probably should experiment with a piece of scrap wood to verify the results. The AR American an Black Walnut cabinet finishes are fairly dark to start with, so any of those Watco Oil finishes should do okay to first cover scratches, etc. Then you can go to clear Watco for the final coats. Don't forget to use Watco Satin Wax to finish the job. Incidentally, you don't need to use the Teak Oil Finish unless you plan to use your AR speakers outdoors (which I am sure you do not plan to do). It's fine, of course, but designed primarily for Teak decks, railings and such that are exposed to the elements.

>

>Also, I noticed you characterized the Watco Satin Finishing

>Wax as providing an 'opaque' finish; that doesn't sound

>right. What did you mean?

>

You're correct: that's not a good description of an oiled finish. "Opaque" characterizes flat-black or flat-white or something. What I meant to say was that you want to avoid ending up with a shiny finish as in a lacquer finish. A good oil finish will have a deep luster, but it will not be shiny, as such, and this is also the reason you don't want to use most Tung Oils for refinishing.

--Tom Tyson

[Guest]

Daniel: Unlike Advent, who seemed to sell two different shade walnut cabinets for their Loudspeaker model (lighter and darker), AR's cabinets seemed to all have a very "amber" tint to them that was consistent from speaker to speaker.

I've used the AR kit some years ago on a pair of old 4X models and they seemed to stay consistent with the original shade using the AR kit - then again, my cabinets seemed to soak up the stain quickly. They might be slightly "darker" but not enough to take away from that classic, vintage look.

[Guest]

Tom -

Thanks for the additional info. I meant to write Danish oil, not teak oil, of course -- just gettin' sleepy, I guess! I didn't find the Danish oil at the local Home Depot (they had the teak oil), so I gotta look around a bit for it. Anyone know a source?

Thanks!

--Daniel