Early Wharfedale W70's - Biggles' dream is realized!

[drbiggles]

Wow, Digital Underground? Trial by fire I guess. How does the Roland TR-808 sound on them?

Cool thead. I need to drag out my W60s.

Whup, sorry about that. It was The Humpty Dance from Sex Packets. I wasn't able to get back from the one speaker more than about 5 feet. The right speaker was a Sansui SP-1500, that didn't help a whole lot. It sounded flat and one dimensional when compared to the one W70. If what I was listening to was the Roland, it sounded a heck of a lot better than I thought it was going to. The little dear really dug a lot deeper than I thought it was going to. Certainly well enough to sound GREAT when I have a pair in the living room, placed somewhat properly.

"The 808 kick drum makes the girlies get dumb"

snippet from some long-lost hip hop song that floats around in my head.

I generally have The Brady Bunch tv sound tracks rattling around in my head when I'm not looking.

Biggles

 

[Cadillac Kid]

I was blasting Humpty the other day on the Harbeths. I love the bass sample.

My W60 are from 1962. I tested them out with Thelonious Monk and loved the sound. So civilized, warm, almost 'wooly' (Thanks GTwang) . For some reason I liken mine to the cuddly, pudgy English Teddy bears my wife collects.

 

[drbiggles]

I was blasting Humpty the other day on the Harbeths. I love the bass sample.

My W60 are from 1962. I tested them out with Thelonious Monk and loved the sound. So civilized, warm, almost 'wooly' (Thanks GTwang) . For some reason I liken mine to the cuddly, pudgy English Teddy bears my wife collects.

You're right, that bass sample is badass. I flipped from the W70 to the Sunn Model 15's after a bit and jacked the volume. Hooboy.

Is that picture of W60's? I would have those, wow. Man, what a thrill those be to find tucked away in a junk store.

Biggles

 

[Cadillac Kid]

Yes that is mine. In the optional 'Fruitwood' cabinets. They are waiting for my Scott 299 restoration.

Don't know how you do it so fast. One day you are unloading them from your car and couple Fudgsicles later they are done.

 

[GD70]

Look what I found lurking in the second enclosure? It's a gold/Alnico Super 3 with the felt surround, dated 1962. Or at least that's what I think it is. The little dear measures out at 5.9 ohms. I've got 1, now I need to find it's mate. Hopefully I'll find one before I die.

I had a feeling something different was lurking in there, felt I needed to open it up so I could make appropriate plans for the future.

I'm still going to install my pair of ceramic Super 3's though. The Wharfedale tweeter boxes are specific to a driver. So, I'm going to have to remove the box from the Super 12 project and swap in those boxes instead of these boxes.

At least I have the correct boxes for each now. Thank you once again Leesonic for those ceramic tweeter boxes !!!

Biggles

Just love those Alnico magnets!
So I suspect, the 2nd speaker will be singing by the weekend???

Glenn

 

[drbiggles]

Yes that is mine. In the optional 'Fruitwood' cabinets. They are waiting for my Scott 299 restoration.

Don't know how you do it so fast. One day you are unloading them from your car and couple Fudgsicles later they are done.

I would have those.

I found over the last year that chocolate chip cookies move me even faster, it's my secret.

Just love those Alnico magnets!
So I suspect, the 2nd speaker will be singing by the weekend???

Glenn

Only in my dreams.

Speaking of dreams, been looking at higher powered tube amps.

Biggles

 

[GD70]

I would have those.

I found over the last year that chocolate chip cookies move me even faster, it's my secret.



Only in my dreams.

Speaking of dreams, been looking at higher powered tube amps.

Biggles

What amps you been spying?
My LK-72 is very nice, 35 wpc which ain't bad, and sounds great.

 

[phatster]

Appreciate your post DrB....I needed your example to get rolling.

 

[drbiggles]

What amps you been spying?
My LK-72 is very nice, 35 wpc which ain't bad, and sounds great.

Well, I've been through this already when I was shopping for the 222c. I've been eyeballing the LK-72. Kinda makes sense, don't you think? Yeah !!!

Appreciate your post DrB....I needed your example to get rolling.

Well then, let's get to work!

Biggles

 

[drbiggles]

Hey Phatster and anyone else who feels inclined to listen,

I've been mulling over my thought process for these W70's and what I could say that might help anyone in the future. First off, by no way am I or this post The Gospel. Just a little reading here on AK and you'll find as many great ways of refinishing loudspeakers as there are users. Some of us have made more mistakes in the past, so our recent projects come out a little better each time. Remember, just because you see someone's project come out looking like a million dollars doesn't mean you can't embark on the same adventure the rest of us have. Be ready to make mistakes and figure out ways to repair them. Ask questions and be nice to people.

For your W70's (I haven't seen what shape their in, so I am just guessing at this point), I would suggest looking into a paint stripper of some kind. Many have had great success with gels. This will get the existing lacquer/stain/googe off and won't harm the veneer. I use sanders and sand paper because it works best for me. Some day I will get a pair of speakers where I feel I can embark on a journey to find a stripper that I can deal with.

Each pair of speakers, each speaker enclosure, and even portions of that same enclosure will sometimes require different procedures in stripping or sanding. Who knows who's been in there before you and done what kind of hell?

I suggest sitting with your speakers and getting to know them, in and out. I mean sit right down close to them, run your hands over them, give each corner, edge and scratch the stank eye. Feel them, rough in some places, smooth in others, why? Veneer lifting? Stains? What's going on? Make a list and over time you'll know what to take care of at each stage.

The sandpaper I have on hand is 100, 120, 150 and 180. Anything above 180 and 200 is for finish work, not for wood. These W70's had lacquer on the tops and bottoms. So, I fitted my finishing sander with 100 and took them down. At first, you'll see white dust, that's the lacquer. When you start seeing veneer dust, STOP.

These W70's are going to make me do a light 150 grit by hand, with a rubber block sanding thingy. Then, right before I'm going to oil, stain, whatever, a light 180 grit.

You can sand and let your speakers sit in your storage area for days, weeks or months. Just remember to sand with 180 right before you finish them. Over time the veneer will absorb the moisture in the air and discolor, it will also get rougher. The 180 right before finishing will even out the color and make things smooth.

Again, there's so much more and you'll learn tons as you go. Just keep your eyes open, pay attention !!!

I say, get them out, take some pictures and get your thread going. It's a lot of fun!

Biggles

 

[drbiggles]

Okay now, where were we? Oh yeah, PRIMAL SAND COMPLETE !!!!!

At least on the first enclosure anyway.

Yeah, there's missing trim on the right side. It fell off. Am headed back into the shop and see if I can get these things glued back together. In fact, most of the wood grillwork is ready to fall apart.

For the grillwork, am going to go straight from 100 grit to 180. I may back up and have to go to 150, am going to see how it goes. The wood grillwork has stain on it, not oil. The wood is all freshy fresh now, ready for anything I throw at it.

Here's my little sanding block I made to fit inside all the ridges and corners. It's fitted with 100 grit. A little strong, I realize that. Getting some of the stain off was a bitch, some of it fell off, some of it was already off.

Biggles

 

[phatster]

Very nice explanation...I take delivery tomorrow.Its been awhile since I restored any furniture...I lost brain cells with the stripper to prove it. The essential issue with mine are the heavy black ring water stains on one of the tops.(I would consider painting the tops?)Otherwise they look straight forward.Mine are W70D and have a french provincial vibe. I have never posted pics so I need to learn how!:sigh:

 

[drbiggles]

Very nice explanation...I take delivery tomorrow.Its been awhile since I restored any furniture...I lost brain cells with the stripper to prove it. The essential issue with mine are the heavy black ring water stains on one of the tops.(I would consider painting the tops?)Otherwise they look straight forward.Mine are W70D and have a french provincial vibe. I have never posted pics so I need to learn how!:sigh:

How exciting! I can hardly wait to see them. Finding ways of dealing with black stains can be found here and through a search engine. What I do is sand them down to bare veneer, just the primal sand. Then use Bar Keeper's Friend (it has oxalic acid in it) and water directly on the black stain and let it sit for maybe 3 minutes. Rinse, let it dry for a bit and repeat. You'll watch it fade immediately. Of course, some are worse than others. If the veneer is think enough, you can actually sand it down so it's mostly gone anyway.

The downside to that is you must do the same thing to all the veneer, it must all match. There are other wood bleaches out there, or just use oxalic acid straight, it comes in powdered form too.

I bleach each and every time, unless the veneer is so far gone like this pair is. The wood ages, changes colors. Even when you sand it well, you still get uneven contrast when you use finish it. So, when you apply your finish, the veneer looks absolutely perfect in every way.

Keep in mind, our speakers are old. They've come a long way and sometimes lived a rough life. It's okay if there are some imperfections, stains and scratches just too deep to remove. They're badges of duty served! Embrace the imperfections.

Biggles

 

[GD70]

Very nice explanation...I take delivery tomorrow.Its been awhile since I restored any furniture...I lost brain cells with the stripper to prove it. The essential issue with mine are the heavy black ring water stains on one of the tops.(I would consider painting the tops?)Otherwise they look straight forward.Mine are W70D and have a french provincial vibe. I have never posted pics so I need to learn how!:sigh:

Oxiolic acid (SP?) seems to be the stuff of choice for removing plant pot water rings. DON'T Paint them!

Look forward to seeing your restoration.

Glenn

 

[GD70]

Okay now, where were we? Oh yeah, PRIMAL SAND COMPLETE !!!!!

At least on the first enclosure anyway.

Yeah, there's missing trim on the right side. It fell off. Am headed back into the shop and see if I can get these things glued back together. In fact, most of the wood grillwork is ready to fall apart.

For the grillwork, am going to go straight from 100 grit to 180. I may back up and have to go to 150, am going to see how it goes. The wood grillwork has stain on it, not oil. The wood is all freshy fresh now, ready for anything I throw at it.

Here's my little sanding block I made to fit inside all the ridges and corners. It's fitted with 100 grit. A little strong, I realize that. Getting some of the stain off was a bitch, some of it fell off, some of it was already off.

Biggles

One of my favorite parts of cab restoration. A sanded down cab, like a fresh blank canvas!

I think removing the loose trim pieces is a blessing in disguise. Now they will be perfect instead of little bits of old finish staying stuck in the corner joints.

Glenn

 

[GD70]

Well, I've been through this already when I was shopping for the 222c. I've been eyeballing the LK-72. Kinda makes sense, don't you think? Yeah !!!



Well then, let's get to work!

Biggles

The LK-72 would be a great choice, also pretty easy to recap and so on.
Kind of shocking the coin they command on the auction site.

 

[drbiggles]

One of my favorite parts of cab restoration. A sanded down cab, like a fresh blank canvas!

I think removing the loose trim pieces is a blessing in disguise. Now they will be perfect instead of little bits of old finish staying stuck in the corner joints.

Glenn

I agree. The vertical trim is loose as well. I haven't decided if I should pull them all off, yet. There's no mechanical fasteners holding anything together, it's all failed glue.

The corner joints are a bitch to get nice. The bottom ones are critical, those are the ones you see when you look down. But I think I got it, especially after I hit everything with the 180.

The LK-72 would be a great choice, also pretty easy to recap and so on.
Kind of shocking the coin they command on the auction site.

Your jaw would drop if you knew how much the 299c ended up costing. For me to be able to afford the LK-72, I need to be patient for just the right one. And this time I can be, the 299c will keep me happy for a short while.

If I end up dragging home a pair of W90's first, I'm hosed. I'll get all antsy and just "have to have it", and that's all there is to that.

Focus on existing projects, focus on existing projects, focus on existing projects.

Biggles

 

[phatster]

I share the same mantra"focus on existing projects...."

 

[drbiggles]

I share the same mantra"focus on existing projects...."

Then you know what happens next? Something irresistible, affordable or free shows up and off I go. Head down, head down, head down ...

 

[Brian]

Wish you were in Toronto. You cabinets are in very good condition but the finish is faded on the bottom of one and is quite noticeable. As otherwise they are in good condition I would not try to improve the finish but, you seem to have the formula. I have tries a couple of those liquid refinished but, not luck.