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My Sunday project -- KLH Model 17 cabinet refinish

soundweasel

soundweasel

Super Member
Ahhh, the long weekend -- I actually had some time to do something "hobby related" -- refinish the cabinets of my KLH Model 17s that were acquired as "singles" via a church rummage sale and ePay.

While not perfect -- some of the water spots, chips and divots were too deep to sand out -- overall I think they look significantly better than before.

You be the judge. :thmbsp: :thumbsdn:

The photos are:
"before"
"stripped"
"refinished"
 

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Those look great!
What did you use to refinish the cabs? I have a similar project going with Wharfedale W70's and cannot decide what to go with; oil, wax, poly, stain......
Since I have no experience in this department too many options prohibit me from finishing ;)
 
arm013 said:
Those look great!
What did you use to refinish the cabs? I have a similar project going with Wharfedale W70's and cannot decide what to go with; oil, wax, poly, stain......
Since I have no experience in this department too many options prohibit me from finishing ;)
Click to expand...

Looking good :thmbsp: I have two sets of those, the sound is much better stacked :D You should get another set.
 
wow! those look damn good! Excellent work on those 17s.

Nothing like having something that looks as good as it sounds.
 
ARM813-- I used Homer Formby's High Gloss Tung oil finish. You apply it with a terry cloth applicator pad or a clean rag -- rub it in, wipe it off, let it dry -- fast drying, no brush marks, no runs, no drips! I refinished alot of antique oak furniture and it's the only finish I'll use. Once the finish drys and then "ages" for a few days, I'll gently rub it down with ultra fine steel wool, remove all "dust" and steel wool particles with tack cloth, and then I'll apply a coat of Butcher's Paste Wax. Let me know if you need more tips/pointers. My electrical skills are lacking but I do know wood refinishing.
 
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Soundweasel- Thank you for the advice. I was leaning toward the Tung Oil. I will posts some picks as soon as I finish.
 
Very, very nice work. I, too, like to use oil to finish my cabs. I use Watco Natural Danish wood oil, along with the steel wool as you do.

:thmbsp:

Those Seventeens are great sounding little speakers!
 
How did you take the old finish off? Hormer Formby?

I have a pair of 17`s I need to refinish. The grills could use a little help also.

TankDonovan
 
Model 17 -- stripping old finish, refreshing grilles -- directions

Tank -- I removed the old finish on one box with ultrafine steel wool because I wasn't sure how robust the veneer was going to be. The veneer is pretty darn good. I did the other box with 220 grit sandpaper by hand. The problem with using a vibrating sander is that it often loosens up the glue holding down the veneer. Don't use chemical strippers because they can also loosen the glue/veneer. And hand sanding builds burly forearms, too!

I came up with what I think is a novel way of brightening up the KLH off-white fabric speaker grilles.

Remove them from the speakers

Remove the speaker badges (need to do this to remove the grilles)

Make a 3:1 mixture of water to hydrogen peroxide (the stuff in your medicine cabinet)

Using a spray bottle with a "mist" setting, apply a light, even application of the mixture to the grilles. Don't soak them!

Let the grilles set in direct sunlight for several hours.

Repeat as necessary. I only did one application and saw a noticeable difference. I imagine multiple applications over several days will achieve better results.

Note: Although very weak, if you get this mixture on your clothing it will cause spots. It also bleaches grass and anything else it lands on.

Results not guaranteed but I'm going to keep working on the grilles until they look almost perfect. Remember, you don't want to use so much mixture and too many applications because you don't want to bleach out the dark flecks that are part of the fabric color.

I don't think this will work on other speaker brand's grilles since the KLHs appear to be cotton which bleaches/fades easier.
 
Soundweasel,

How many 'noughts' (0000's) is your "ultra-fine" steel wool?

BTW, I have been using Watco Finishing Oil and then Minwax Paste Finishing wax for my cabs, but forgot all about the steel wool trick!
 
Great advice above re: peroxiding the grills. I was gonna ask. I have some KLH 5s that need some work.
 
I'm going to have to remember this thread, I've got a KLH Model 20 with matching speakers thats been sitting here forever that could use freshening up.

Thanks for explaining in detail your technique, beautiful job :thmbsp:
 
How about commenting on the watco VS tung oil... Pros and cons... I have done a few sets of speakers and used 3 or 4 coats of watco, wet sanded in, and then let dry and came back with a top coat of gloss poly. Have never used tung oil yet.
 
I'll check my 'noughts' and get back to you -- I peel my steel wool off a large roll that typically gets attached to an electric floor buffer, but I have "numbered" steel wool for comparison. More to come.

BTW -- I've used Watco in several situations and I find it sets up "heavier" and dries to an even glossier finish than the Formby's High Gloss which is more satin in appearance. I guess it's more of an aesthetic preference than anything else. I prefer the satin look of Formby's.

Also, you shouldn't have to use polyurethane over the oil finish -- at least not with Formby's. It dries into a protective coat. Simply waxing over it later -- once it's completely dry -- works best.
 
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Like Soundweasel, I am a woodworker, too, and second his statement about not applying varnish; just wax on top of the oil: The main disadvantage of varnish, IMHO, is that you effectively preclude yourself (or some future owner) from re-feeding the cabs with oil if needed due to the surface characteristics of a varnish (at least without completely stripping off the varnish first). Again, oil and wax is my preferred method as it allows for re-oiling any time needed, and looks great!
 
I add one component to Soundweasel's three stage process of sanding, wet-sand oiling, and waxing: After I am "done" sanding, I wipe down the cab with a thouroghly wet, albeit not dripping, cloth, and leave them to dry completely. This water wet-dry cycle raises the fibres in the wood, which can subsequently be sanded down for an even smoother surface and finish.

I refinished some JBL monitors last weekend that came out great. The grille cloths were ugly, however - they were faded, had come partially off, and had cat scratch marks. I took the cloths off, washed them in the washing machine, and remounted them inside out. They came out "as good as new". Even if they hadn't come out this well, there is a guy over at the lansingheritage forum that sells the blue JBL cloth to original specs if I had needed them.
 
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