ADS L810 Cabinet Build

[Young46]

Hello all, I am building a set of ADS L810 speaker cabinets and am seeking advice on what to use for the finish on the walnut veneer. I had boxes built out of mdf by a guy who lives in my neck of the woods. I have been planning to finish this project for a while now. I purchased a very nice 4'x8' sheet of walnut veneer for them. I have now applied the veneer to the boxes. I applied it in a waterfall effect and I think it looks very nice. Soon I will be ready to apply the final finish to the veneer. This is my plan. The veneer as purchased has a nice smooth finish so just a light sand with 220 grit working up to 400 grit sandpaper. I am on the fence with what to use for the final finish. I am leaning towards Tried and True and General Finishes. I recently restored the finish on a friends L910's and I used Watch's. They turned out really nice but I would prefer just a little more Satin finish to my 810's. Comments and advice are greatly appreciated because I want to do this right the first time.

 

[Spiceman50]

Hello all, I am building a set of ADS L810 speaker cabinets and am seeking advice on what to use for the finish on the walnut veneer. I had boxes built out of mdf by a guy who lives in my neck of the woods. I have been planning to finish this project for a while now. I purchased a very nice 4'x8' sheet of walnut veneer for them. I have now applied the veneer to the boxes. I applied it in a waterfall effect and I think it looks very nice. Soon I will be ready to apply the final finish to the veneer. This is my plan. The veneer as purchased has a nice smooth finish so just a light sand with 220 grit working up to 400 grit sandpaper. I am on the fence with what to use for the final finish. I am leaning towards Tried and True and General Finishes. I recently restored the finish on a friends L910's and I used Watch's. They turned out really nice but I would prefer just a little more Satin finish to my 810's. Comments and advice are greatly appreciated because I want to do this right the first time.

Others will chim in with their thoughts, but I just wanted to take a moment to compliment you on your work. Very nice job Young46. Nice router work there. Did you use a template or CNC? I recall seeing your thread on the 910's. Very nice work there too.

Garry

 

[Young46]

Others will chim in with their thoughts, but I just wanted to take a moment to compliment you on your work. Very nice job Young46. Nice router work there. Did you use a template or CNC? I recall seeing your thread on the 910's. Very nice work there too.

Garry

Thank you Garry. The credit for the box build goes to a guy who lives near me. He does very nice work and mostly does custom box work for automobile audio systems. He worked from the original cabinet I had. He made a template and did it by hand with a router. I applied the veneer though and am rather proud of my work so far. It is my first time applying veneer. The sheet of veneer I bought had an absolutely beautiful pattern. I cut the panels to effect a waterfall pattern for both cabinets. I cut them about 3/8" over size using a razor knife. Advice for anyone who wants to cut veneer is budget to use a lot of blades. Sharpness is key in cutting it imho.

 

[homebrew]

Too bad the mid/tweeters weren't mirror imaged. But I'd suggest oiling the walnut with Danish oil for a traditional finish. Three or four coats should suffice. You can finish with paste wax if you like.

 

[Young46]

Too bad the mid/tweeters weren't mirror imaged. But I'd suggest oiling the walnut with Danish oil for a traditional finish. Three or four coats should suffice. You can finish with paste wax if you like.

You know, I never thought of mirror imaging the tweeters. Have others done this? And if so, what results? I may make another box to see. Thank you for the suggestion on the finish to use.

 

[GD70]

Oooooo! You have a blank canvas to create a master piece!
I restored a set of L980s for a gent, and used wipe on gloss poly.They are gorgeous! What ever you decide to do, do tests on left over veneer first.

 

[Young46]

Oooooo! You have a blank canvas to create a master piece!
I restored a set of L980s for a gent, and used wipe on gloss poly.They are gorgeous! What ever you decide to do, do tests on left over veneer first.

Thanks Glenn, I’ve seen pictures of your work and I complement you on it. Was the gloss poly oil or water based? Number of coats? I’ve been working on the black painted faces too. Not having much luck getting the finish I want (satin smooth black) with brush, roller, or rattle cans. I may have to try my air sprayer. That may be another thread though.

 

[GD70]

Thanks Glenn, I’ve seen pictures of your work and I complement you on it. Was the gloss poly oil or water based? Number of coats? I’ve been working on the black painted faces too. Not having much luck getting the finish I want (satin smooth black) with brush, roller, or rattle cans. I may have to try my air sprayer. That may be another thread though.

Thanks! It was water base.
Link to the resto thread. Cheers!

ADS L980 Refurb

Hi all! I've been working on a set of gorgeous L980s for a client in Puerto Rico. He worked out a deal and bought these from the 2nd owner and I picked them up last December, 2 hours north of me here in NY. They were in storage for years, in their original boxes with all the documentation! My...

www.audiokarma.org

 

[Spiceman50]

Thanks Glenn, I’ve seen pictures of your work and I complement you on it. Was the gloss poly oil or water based? Number of coats? I’ve been working on the black painted faces too. Not having much luck getting the finish I want (satin smooth black) with brush, roller, or rattle cans. I may have to try my air sprayer. That may be another thread though.

Try Matt Black on the front baffle. Prep the surface, I've always used kills spray sand then apply again, sand with higher grit until it's smooth as silk. Rattle can's black matte is fine, just use several coats. Give it a couple days to cure, then buff to a sheen. Use Matte Lacquer to seal. Leave it alone for at least week, then "Lightly" buff (no pressure) to a sheen (not shine). Don't get aggressive on the buffing. I don't care how dry it feels, it takes a good solid 3 to 4 weeks to cure properly.

Garry~

 

[Spiceman50]

Thanks Glenn, I’ve seen pictures of your work and I complement you on it. Was the gloss poly oil or water based? Number of coats? I’ve been working on the black painted faces too. Not having much luck getting the finish I want (satin smooth black) with brush, roller, or rattle cans. I may have to try my air sprayer. That may be another thread though.

This is what your likely looking for Young, not a great pic to be sure, but it's a pic of my custom center channel. It's a flat sheen from the matte, not the satin shine.

 

[Young46]

This is what your likely looking for Young, not a great pic to be sure, but it's a pic of my custom center channel. It's a flat sheen from the matte, not the satin shine.

View attachment 3333360

Yes, from what I can tell it’s the paint effect I’m looking to get for the face of the cabinets. The boxes are mdf and I used shellac on them before I applied paint. I keep getting a a frosty like finish with rattle cans (although I haven’t tried matte black yet) and a leather look when rolled on with foam or very close nap roller, and brush marks (using Purdy Nylox brush) when brushing. I did apply some Kilz I had and same results. I’m not a good painter .

 

[GD70]

This is what your likely looking for Young, not a great pic to be sure, but it's a pic of my custom center channel. It's a flat sheen from the matte, not the satin shine.

View attachment 3333360

Every time I see this, I drool!

 

[Spiceman50]

Yes, from what I can tell it’s the paint effect I’m looking to get for the face of the cabinets. The boxes are mdf and I used shellac on them before I applied paint. I keep getting a a frosty like finish with rattle cans (although I haven’t tried matte black yet) and a leather look when rolled on with foam or very close nap roller, and brush marks (using Purdy Nylox brush) when brushing. I did apply some Kilz I had and same results. I’m not a good painter .

Forgive me for not getting back sooner, I got buried at work. Try to find the Rust Oleum with the comfort grip sprayer. It sprays a fan stream. It's harder to find because Rust Oleum is replacing it with a 5 in 1 sprayer. If they don't have the Comfort Grip, then get the 5 in 1 and select the fan spray setting. You don't need to be a professional to get a professional result.

Make some practice runs on something. Work left to right or right to left not too fast not too slow, don't flick your wrist. Keep your wrist straight start to finish. Spray approximately 6 to 8 inches away. ALWAYS over spray your work area from start to finish. Spray before you start the baffle, and continue to spray until your past your baffle. The comfort grips can spit if you don't clean the spray tip before you start a second coat. Always test spray on something to make sure the tip is clear regardless if it looks clean. Don't try to correct any mistakes by painting over. Black is the worst and will show blemishes. If the spray spits, continue to finish the rest of the baffle, let it dry and with a fine grit sandpaper sand the area smooth again, clean, then continue with more coats. Shake Sake Shake those rattle cans. Grab a drink, sit down for a minute and continually shake that can. More so when you first buy it because those cans have been sitting upright for a long time. You can never shake too much.

YOUNG46 You can do this!

Garry~

 

[Young46]

Forgive me for not getting back sooner, I got buried at work. Try to find the Rust Oleum with the comfort grip sprayer. It sprays a fan stream. It's harder to find because Rust Oleum is replacing it with a 5 in 1 sprayer. If they don't have the Comfort Grip, then get the 5 in 1 and select the fan spray setting. You don't need to be a professional to get a professional result.

Make some practice runs on something. Work left to right or right to left not too fast not too slow, don't flick your wrist. Keep your wrist straight start to finish. Spray approximately 6 to 8 inches away. ALWAYS over spray your work area from start to finish. Spray before you start the baffle, and continue to spray until your past your baffle. The comfort grips can spit if you don't clean the spray tip before you start a second coat. Always test spray on something to make sure the tip is clear regardless if it looks clean. Don't try to correct any mistakes by painting over. Black is the worst and will show blemishes. If the spray spits, continue to finish the rest of the baffle, let it dry and with a fine grit sandpaper sand the area smooth again, clean, then continue with more coats. Shake Sake Shake those rattle cans. Grab a drink, sit down for a minute and continually shake that can. More so when you first buy it because those cans have been sitting upright for a long time. You can never shake too much.

YOUNG46 You can do this!

Garry~

No problem. I’ve finished applying the veneer to both cabinets and am now preparing for the finish on it. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

 

[Young46]

Well, now I've gone and done it! Burn through veneer on edge of one cabinet. I'm going to try to make it as presentable as I can. Crap. Oh well, I'm sure it won't be the last one before I finish. Although I've resolved with myself that this effort is not going to produce the beautiful results I was hoping for, I am learning a lot in the process. I am going to order the comfort grip handle today for the rust-o-leum paint. I couldn't find them in stock locally. I continue on.

 

[Young46]

Applied finish

 

[Young46]

I have finished the L810's except for the grilles. I applied the new veneer and Odies for the finish. I reworked the crossovers with the inductor coils turned vertical ( one horizontal, two vertical) and they sound great. I also upgraded the speaker connectors to 5 way binding posts. This has been a lot of work. For the most part it has been fun. Now I have to build some grilles for them. I am thinking of expanded metal grills. I will post whatever I do. I appreciate all prior replies. Attached are photos of my work.

 

[Spiceman50]

Well, now I've gone and done it! Burn through veneer on edge of one cabinet. I'm going to try to make it as presentable as I can. Crap. Oh well, I'm sure it won't be the last one before I finish. Although I've resolved with myself that this effort is not going to produce the beautiful results I was hoping for, I am learning a lot in the process. I am going to order the comfort grip handle today for the rust-o-leum paint. I couldn't find them in stock locally. I continue on.

Hah, I was working on a plinth for my Pioneer TT. I'd never veneered anything in my life. Took me three tries to get exactly what I wanted. The process taught me a lot. Not excluding the fine members of AK who helped me along the way.

Garry~

 

[gizzyman47]

Nice job! Looks very good! I have the same speakers. Mine have the metal grills. Luckily my cabs are in pretty decent shape. Have some Yamaha ns-1000m's and ESS AMT 1a's that need to be restored. Hope they will look as good as yours when I get around to re-veneer them.

 

[Young46]

Nice job! Looks very good! I have the same speakers. Mine have the metal grills. Luckily my cabs are in pretty decent shape. Have some Yamaha ns-1000m's and ESS AMT 1a's that need to be restored. Hope they will look as good as yours when I get around to re-veneer them.

Thank you! I have another pair of L810’s with metal grilles too. This was my first attempt at veneer application and I just took my time from planning the panel cuts to applying the adhesive, and then the veneer. It is not real hard and you should be able to do it with no problems. Just don’t rush it. I wish I had sought help and information from experts on how to handle the veneer at the edges in order to get a smooth finish. I used a razor knife to cut the panels and it worked great. Just purchase a good razor knife and lots of blades. Sharp blades are a must for smooth cuts. I have a small Ridgid hand held router I used to trim the edges. Good luck to you and post your work to AK when you get started. Not only will you help others but there is a wealth of of information from AK members available to you.