How to restore a Marantz wood case

Jailtime

Standin' on a corner
Go here to see pictures of the original case--

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=254577

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=275483

Post 14 in the second thread has some pictures of the completed case.

What you'll need--

- Marantz case :D
- Sandpaper (120, 220, and 400 grit)
- chisel :yikes:
- fine file
- razor knife
- Sander
- Band-It veneer
- Varathane cabernet color wood stain
- Clear satin or semi-gloss poly
- Vacuum
- Tack cloth

If your case is the style of mine, and has the chewed up strip on the top of the left side, you'll need the chisel and the Band-It. I just patiently scraped off the old veneer until I was down to the particle board. Be careful, a chisel will take a big chunk out of the particle board if you try to take off too much. Once the old veneer is gone, put a thin coat of wood glue on the surface and let it dry. Then iron on the Band-It, trim it close with a razor knife, and file the edges smooth with a fine metal file. My case also had the veneer worn away from the edges on the bottom of each side, about 1/16". The case overhangs the bottom of the amp chassis by 1/4", so I sanded the bottoms down with a 36 grit belt sander until the veneer extended all the way to the edges. So the major repairs are finished now.

I then hand sanded the entire case with 120, 220, and finally 400 grit paper. No power sander on the veneer surface, you can eat through the veneer pretty quickly. The veneer is relatively thick, so no worries if you are hand sanding. I went just far enough to remove the old finish and some of the scratches. You can get the tight spots by wrapping a bit of sandpaper around a small wood block. When you're done sanding, vacuum the case to remove the majority of the dust. Oh yeah, don't forget the safety gear when sanding. :yes: Wipe the case with tack cloth or just a damp cloth to remove the rest of the dust.

I found that Varathane cabernet color wood stain is close to the original Marantz color. I applied two light coats with a small cloth. Three coats of clear satin poly completed the project. Turned out pretty nice if you ask me. :D I've seen a few questions about restoring cases here, so hope this helps!
 
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