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ADS Urethane Finish Repair

mrk229

mrk229

AK Subscriber
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I am in need of some help in an area I have very limited experience and expertise in. I know there are some woodworking gurus here, please set me on the right path.

I have recently acquired a pair of ADS L1590 Series II speakers with the black urethane finish. One of them has a crack in the finish all the way across the top. The picture does not show that the edges of the crack are raised up a little bit. Other than this crack they are in quite good condition.

l1590 crack.jpg

How does one go about repairing or minimizing something like this? I am not a wood finishing repairing expert. My best carpentry work would be in framing where the work is not seen :) (no pun intended)

Thanks for any info
 
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How do you know the finish is urethane?

The finish is very rough, looks more like some sort of crappy vinyl laminate.

It appears the finish/covering, whatever it is, has a stress fracture and is delaminating along that line, which is a real problem. As a pro I could not repair that without either stripping and refinishing or applying new laminate.

Edit: I just noticed another area where the finish/covering is wrinkled. Again, looks more like a vinyl laminate. If you want a cheap fix get two pieces of textured black plastic or maybe black glass cut to cover the tops.
 
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F1nut said:
How do you know the finish is urethane?

The finish is very rough, looks more like some sort of crappy vinyl laminate.

It appears the finish/covering, whatever it is, has a stress fracture and is delaminating along that line, which is a real problem. As a pro I could not repair that without either stripping and refinishing or applying new laminate.

Edit: I just noticed another area where the finish/covering is wrinkled. Again, looks more like a vinyl laminate. If you want a cheap fix get two pieces of textured black plastic or maybe black glass cut to cover the tops.
Click to expand...

I perhaps thought it was a laminate as well. The ADS literature for these describes it as "textured black urethane"

ads.jpg

If I catch an edge with a fingernail it is quite rigid and stiff, not at all what I would expect for a thin vinyl laminate.
These speakers have a removable finished rear hatch and looking at the edges I don't see an edge for a glue/stick-on finish.

I need to do some research into exactly what a urethane finish is.

I thought of perhaps a nice wooden cap to cover the whole top.
Glass might be nice but I would need to get the edges of the crack to lay down flat.
 
When I have purchased smoked glass to cover and protect my speakers, the glass shop provides little plastic discs
so the glass sits about 1/16 of an inch proud of the wood its protecting.
The discs lift it enough so a small edge from that crack would not touch the glass.

Glass-Tops.png

mrk229 said:
I perhaps thought it was a laminate as well. The ADS literature for these describes it as "textured black urethane"

View attachment 2798986

If I catch an edge with a fingernail it is quite rigid and stiff, not at all what I would expect for a thin vinyl laminate.
These speakers have a removable finished rear hatch and looking at the edges I don't see an edge for a glue/stick-on finish.

I need to do some research into exactly what a urethane finish is.

I thought of perhaps a nice wooden cap to cover the whole top.
Glass might be nice but I would need to get the edges of the crack to lay down flat.
Click to expand...
 
hjames said:
When I have purchased smoked glass to cover and protect my speakers, the glass shop provides little plastic discs
so the glass sits about 1/16 of an inch proud of the wood its protecting.
The discs lift it enough so a small edge from that crack would not touch the glass.

View attachment 2799022
Click to expand...


Thank you for that info. Very nice speakers BTW!
 
I kept thinking about the rough texture of that material and then it hit me where I've seen it before. It's the same as truck bed liner, which is sprayed on urethane.
 
It could be something similar? It does not have a lot of texture like most truck bed liner I have seen.
It is just a slightly pebbled texture, not grippy and rough like bed liner.
 
F1nut said:
Bed liner material that looks similar to your speakers.
View attachment 2799612
Click to expand...
Every color but black, but then again is black a color? In the samples, the Tan one looks pretty close texture wise.

I am leaning towards a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick wooden cap either veneered or solid with a nice exotic grain. Zebrawood perhaps.

If I do that then I would more than likely recreate the base(s) in the same type of wood so they have a nice color contrast with the black body.
 
If you're going to bother, and not be original, then just grab some kick butt veneer that's to your liking and cover them up in class???
 
doctorolds said:
If you're going to bother, and not be original, then just grab some kick butt veneer that's to your liking and cover them up in class???
Click to expand...

That idea danced across my brain once or twice. It is certainly not something I would feel comfortable taking on.
 
There are rattle cans of spray urethane. Maybe buy one and spray some on some practice samples. If it turns out to be a decent match, give it a go. Sand and fill the crack then mask off the top and apply. If it doesn't give the results you want you can add the wood top.
 
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