Refinish WC22 Case in Black?

[gregmcm]

Have a 2275 (silver face) in the original WC22 case that's finished in a sort of mahogany oak colour that looks tired. The case itself is in excellent condition. I'm considering a refinish and thinking about changing the colour to what I would call a Black Oak. The finish would be satin black and the wood grain would still show.

Anyone out there who has undertaken this project and was able to get good results. Pictures.

 

[knockbill]

I've used thinned black ink on bare oak (phono pre pic) to get that look, grain is visible... I've also used thinned spray paints (sprayed paint into a can, and thinned with gasoline), on guitar amps,,, works very well on bare wood... I used it on White Pine and Oak... Either can be finished with polyurethene...

 

[gregmcm]

I've used thinned black ink on bare oak (phono pre pic) to get that look, grain is visible... I've also used thinned spray paints (sprayed paint into a can, and thinned with gasoline), on guitar amps,,, works very well on bare wood... I used it on White Pine and Oak... Either can be finished with polyurethene...

knockbill, looks very good -- what did you used for the application of the thinned paint? Brush, foam, cloth?

 

[knockbill]

Foam brushes...

 

[Fairlane]

Do it because you would like it Greg. But it will hurt the value somewhat in my opinion if you go to sell it.
Just my two cents worth.

(Based on your examples it will come out really nice though)

 

[_tk]

Might be better off selling the original and ordering an "unfinished" modern reproduction than you can stain yourself. Something like an "ebony" stain would come out looking really nice.

I'll post mine up when I get it completed.

 

[gregmcm]

Do it because you would like it Greg. But it will hurt the value somewhat in my opinion if you go to sell it.
Just my two cents worth.

(Based on your examples it will come out really nice though)

Not so much concerned with and value considerations as it’s going to my son and will likely be matched with a pair of Elac B6’s. I just thought if I could get a nice quality black finish on the case the match with the Elac’s would really tie everything together.

 

[gregmcm]

Might be better off selling the original and ordering an "unfinished" modern reproduction than you can stain yourself. Something like an "ebony" stain would come out looking really nice.

I'll post mine up when I get it completed.

Hadn’t thought of this - look forward to photos.

 

[_tk]

I'm specifically doing a "black oak" to match my Monitor Audio Silver 100's. The original cases are very nice, but they are rather bland and look a bit dated next to modern speakers/components.

Nice original cases seem to go for a decent chunk of money too and repo's seem to run around $200-ish shipped.

 

[gregmcm]

Foam brushes...

Any guidance on how thin you made the spray paint? One to one.......? Tks

 

[knockbill]

I just add a little at a time til it looks right on a sample of the same wood...

 

[_tk]

Why mess around with spray paint when black stain is sold? You can stain as dark or light as you want.

Unless you're not stripping the original finish down or you wanted a unique color...then I suppose spray paint would be a good option.

 

[gregmcm]

Update: used some paint stripper to remove the old finish followed by a very light sanding. At this point I couldn't bring myself to paint such a great looking wood so I applied 4 coats of tung oil followed by two applications of furniture wax and I don't think it could look better. Glad I didn't decide to paint the case.

 

[repomambo]

Update: used some paint stripper to remove the old finish followed by a very light sanding. At this point I couldn't bring myself to paint such a great looking wood so I applied 4 coats of tung oil followed by two applications of furniture wax and I don't think it could look better. Glad I didn't decide to paint the case.

View attachment 1269033

Great job my fellow Torontonian ! Beaches area here.

 

[Fairlane]

Nice! Just added more value too.

 

[tmccullough]

Wow. That cabinet looks amazing!

 

[gregmcm]

You have to admit - the 22xx series Marantz’s all looked great.

 

[rob Brandt]

thank god you didn't destroy that cabinet. They are beautiful in their original condition. I love mine

 

[gregmcm]

thank god you didn't destroy that cabinet. They are beautiful in their original condition. I love mine

Rob, I agree - once I removed the top coat and did a light sanding the walnut veneer was just too beautiful to cover with anything but a nice oil and wax finish. I’m now thinking how to take a pair of Elac B6’s and finish them to match the Marantz.

 

[satellite]

I've used thinned black ink on bare oak (phono pre pic) to get that look, grain is visible... I've also used thinned spray paints (sprayed paint into a can, and thinned with gasoline), on guitar amps,,, works very well on bare wood... I used it on White Pine and Oak... Either can be finished with polyurethene...

That blue guitar amp looks awesome!