Advice on how to care for/clean/shine rosewood veneer?

[Hammerton]

I found a little bit about caring for ROSEWOOD VENEER turntables in searching the AK forums; but not a lot. If there are threads where this has been discussed at length, please direct me to those threads :yes: I'm not wanting to ask questions/waste users' time on topics that have already been well-covered.

I have a JVC QL-Y3F which has a beautiful rosewood veneer base that needs a little TLC. Just a little. Not a major restoration project or anything like that. The shiny finish (lacquer?) is quite nice...just needs to be properly cleaned & then it'll be gleaming.

Advice for a simple bring-out-the-shine cleaning I'm looking to do? Is anyone here familiar with Simple Green? (Mentioned in another thread somewhere). If so, good idea? Bad? Howard's? Or is that not good for shiny rosewood veneer?

How do you care for YOUR rosewood veneer?

Thanks everyone! :thmbsp:

 

[24HACKER]

Guardsman - they make wood cleaning products as well as polish - I use it on our Mahogany dining room table and chairs - they look great. You sure do not want to use simple green - too caustic and could break down the existing finish - then you would really have a mess.

 

[markd51]

Tough to judge without seeing it in person. But don't use simple green. I've seen that stuff take paint off.

Is this a high gloss finish? Something like what's applied to the Denon DP-59, DP-60?
If so, then read on.

If you want something that is easy, something spray on, and wipe off which is easy to work with. Something that won't likely hurt the finish, but add gloss, clean, remove dirt, and fingerprints, then something like a Guitar Spray Wax-Polish from people like Martin, Fender, Gibson, etc will do the trick nicely.

If you have some swirling, very light sleeks, and scratches from dusting-cleaning over the years, a loss of gloss, and high shine, then you may wish to try something like 3M Hand Glaze.

Good Auto Stores, and Auto Paint Supply Shops should carry this.

Light, repeated applications are usually better, than hard rubbing in one go to attain results. Then finish with a good quality Auto Wax.

Downsides with using a Hand Glaze will be the characteristic of leaving caked dried Glaze in every nook, cranny, and also as well, if you rub "around" things like Platters, Tonearms, Switches, etc, you are likely to see evidence of swirling in those areas.

In this latter procedure,the further you can completely strip the table base of its hardware, the better. Mark

 

[ETI_5000]

It depends on what sort of finish the QL-Y3F has – JVC doesn’t say in the service manual, but on one of the later models with similar finish (might have been the QL-Y66F), they said (in the service manual) it was a clear over base paint finish to give a durable shine. They recommended automotive type polishes for clear over base paint finishes, as used in the majority of cars these days, so a good auto store should be able to provide you with suitable products. I’m not sure I’d worry about a car wash for it, unless it’s really grimy, but a good polish and sealant should provide the right finish. I wouldn’t use simple green – I think it’s aimed more at plastic finishes, such as computer cases, than painted ones.

Great turntable, by the way – you clearly have taste - I have one, too. However, mine is in nice condition - it just requires a wipe with a damp cloth every now and then to remove dust (without scratching the dust cover, which a dry dusting will do).

 

[Hammerton]

Thanks for the advice. :thmbsp:

 

[Alec124c41]

I think the rosewood on my JVC is really plastic.
My preference for real wood finishes that aren't urethaned is boiled linseed oil. It brings out the grain, and eventually polymerizes in the wood. Non-toxic too, and doesn't smell bad.

Cheers,
Alec