JBL 4311B How bad are these cabinets? Howards?

[Jahagafut]

Picked up this set of 4311b for relatively cheap, I have a speaker guy who is going to see about fixing the dented tweeter dustcap (I tried dabbing water and vacuum as well as kissing), replacing mid dust caps, and getting the woofers repaired so they all look good. I'm working on the cabinets, cleaning out and possibly replacing the Lpads, trying to find affordable foilcals since the ones that were on there are pretty rough.

I know there's alot of discussions and opinions but here's pictures of my exact cabinets.

I've never sanded veneer, I usually take 0000 steel wool and Howard's Restor-a-finish, do a coat, wipe it off, let it dry as per instructions, then Feed-N-Wax.

I'd like to do a very nice job on these, would Howard's fix these small but plentiful scratches?

I planned to masking tape the veneer corners and using black spray paint on the front and back.

My questions are, should I clean with mineral spirits first and/or sand them lightly? What is a good method here that isn't too difficult for someone who is novice to wood work? They came rougher than any other I've worked on

 

[homebrew]

I'd clean the cabinets with mineral spirits. Patch minor damage with wood filler sticks appropriate for the veneer. San the cabinets with 400 grit sand paper and refinish with Tung oil. Then buff.

Weiman Wood Furniture and Floors Repair Kit Markers (4 Count) 511D - The Home Depot

The Weiman Wood Furniture Repair Kit includes 4 touch-up markers, 4 filler sticks and a sharpener. Color-fast and long-lasting. This kit makes it easy to fix scratches, nicks and worn edges on wood furniture

www.homedepot.com

 

[Jahagafut]

I'd clean the cabinets with mineral spirits. Patch minor damage with wood filler sticks appropriate for the veneer. San the cabinets with 400 grit sand paper and refinish with Tung oil. Then buff.

Weiman Wood Furniture and Floors Repair Kit Markers (4 Count) 511D - The Home Depot

The Weiman Wood Furniture Repair Kit includes 4 touch-up markers, 4 filler sticks and a sharpener. Color-fast and long-lasting. This kit makes it easy to fix scratches, nicks and worn edges on wood furniture

www.homedepot.com

So the sand paper will remove scratches while maintaining the grain, and the tung oil will bring the colour back? Also I just buff the tung oil as in rub it in with a cloth?

 

[homebrew]

Sand paper will remove fairly light scratches. Be careful because veneer is only about 1/42" thick. It's easy to sand through, especially on the edges and corners. Ater the tung oil is dry, buff with a soft cloth like microfiber.

 

[Jahagafut]

Sand paper will remove fairly light scratches. Be careful because veneer is only about 1/42" thick. It's easy to sand through, especially on the edges and corners. Ater the tung oil is dry, buff with a soft cloth like microfiber.

That's what mostly scares me away from sanding, if I ruin the veneer I do not have the knowledge or resources to fix that. Starting to think I might just stick with the Howard's. Maybe a good clean of everything with mineral spirits, rustoleum flat black on the front and back, few coats of Howard's with 0000 wool, feed n wax and hope those scratches hide well.

I'm guessing if I use these wood filler sticks on the scratches AFTER mineral spirits PRIOR to Howard's, that should help avoid Howard's over saturating the scratches and making them darker than the rest?

 

[Jahagafut]

Maybe one of these options to sort of fill in the scratches prior to the Howards RAF?

 

[Dudeman7]

These are before and after photos of a pair of Marantz Imperial 6s. No sanding or prep work. This is the result of a single application of Howard's Feed and Wax.

Your results may vary, of course.

 

[donprice]

That era of JBL cabinets have a relatively thick veneer and can take more sanding than most. Do the bottoms first just in case. You won't get all of them out but you should get many of them. Watch corners/edges as previously mentioned.

 

[Jahagafut]

So far I picked up mineral spirits and cleaned them off.
I grabbed a pack of sandpaper 120 through to 200 grit, I'm thinking so far; mask veneer edges, rustoleum satin black the front and back, let it dry, sand the cabinets by hand carefully, wash again with mineral spirits, then apply Howard's Restor-a-finish, wipe excess, let it dry, repeat Howard's RAF, them feed-n-wax per instructions a couple times? Does this seem like a proper procedure?

 

[malden]

So far I picked up mineral spirits and cleaned them off.

mineral spirits has oil in it, naptha does the same thing without leaving an oily residue

I grabbed a pack of sandpaper 120 through to 200 grit,

I would start with 80 grit and not put too much pressure on the pad. Also, if there is mineral spirits residue, it will clog the sandpaper which will become useless

I'm thinking so far; mask veneer edges, rustoleum satin black the front and back, let it dry, sand the cabinets by hand carefully, wash again with mineral spirits,

use naptha instead of mineral spirits

then apply Howard's Restor-a-finish,

Howard's Restore-A-Finish is not a "finish"for bare wood, it has chemicals in it to bond to an existing lacquer finish.

Boiled Linsead Oil (diluted about 50-50 with mineral spirits) or Watco Danish Oil are more appropriate finishes for bare wood.

wipe excess, let it dry, repeat Howard's RAF, them feed-n-wax per instructions a couple times? Does this seem like a proper procedure?

After either the BLO or WDO cure for about a week, you can apply Howard's Feed-N-Wax

 

[Jahagafut]

mineral spirits has oil in it, naptha does the same thing without leaving an oily residue


I would start with 80 grit and not put too much pressure on the pad. Also, if there is mineral spirits residue, it will clog the sandpaper which will become useless


use naptha instead of mineral spirits


Howard's Restore-A-Finish is not a "finish"for bare wood, it has chemicals in it to bond to an existing lacquer finish.

Boiled Linsead Oil (diluted about 50-50 with mineral spirits) or Watco Danish Oil are more appropriate finishes for bare wood.


After either the BLO or WDO cure for about a week, you can apply Howard's Feed-N-Wax

Damn, napthas pricy in Canada, I'll look into WDO though, ty

 

[Rick Owen]

mineral spirits has oil in it, naptha does the same thing without leaving an oily residue


I would start with 80 grit and not put too much pressure on the pad. Also, if there is mineral spirits residue, it will clog the sandpaper which will become useless


use naptha instead of mineral spirits


Howard's Restore-A-Finish is not a "finish"for bare wood, it has chemicals in it to bond to an existing lacquer finish.

Boiled Linsead Oil (diluted about 50-50 with mineral spirits) or Watco Danish Oil are more appropriate finishes for bare wood.


After either the BLO or WDO cure for about a week, you can apply Howard's Feed-N-Wax

After the mineral spirits a second wipe down with ISO should take care of any residual oil left behind from the Mineral spirits.

 

[malden]

After the mineral spirits a second wipe down with ISO should take care of any residual oil left behind from the Mineral spirits.

yes, keep in mind that alcohol can raise the grain of some wood species so it will need to be sanded again.

Instead of using solvents like mineral spirits or naptha for the "wipe-down", a tack cloth works just as well.

Keep it simple

 

[Jahagafut]

I just went to town sanding with various grits and the scratches are deep, I've sanded I think as far as I'm comfortable, I'm just gonna clean and maybe use watco, since Howard's wont work at this point?

 

[kyle]

Damn, napthas pricy in Canada, I'll look into WDO though, ty

$32 per gallon at Canadian Tire. That will do a lot of cabinets and you can use the left over in your Coleman stove. $12 per litre at Peavey Mart. Still more than you'll need for a pair of cabinets.

 

[malden]

I just went to town sanding with various grits and the scratches are deep, I've sanded I think as far as I'm comfortable, I'm just gonna clean and maybe use watco, since Howard's wont work at this point?

There is still quite a bit of the old finish left on the veneer. The new finish won't absorb evenly.

Use 80 grit once more then 120, you should then have a uniform appearance.

If there are still deep scratches, put a damp towel over them and a hot iron for a few seconds to swell the grain, then lightly sand with 120, then 220

 

[malden]

Howard's wont work at this point?

Once again, "Howard's Restore-A-Finish" is only for wood that has a lacquer finish on it, NOT bare wood.

 

[malden]

Keep it simple...

1) 80 grit
2) 120 grit
3) damp towel and iron if deep scratches remain
4) 220 grit
5) tack cloth
6) oil finish
7) wait one week
8) wax

 

[Blue Shadow]

, I've sanded I think as far as I'm comfortable,

You can raise the depressed wood with a steaming using an iron and a damp towel. Steam some and then let try and a quick sand with 320 will smooth the surface before the next steps.

This will remove many of the dark lines shown in the imperial 6 speakers Dudeman7 posted. Not good for deep scratches but shallow ones disappear.

 

[triple20]

I see you mentioned flat black then satin black. If these were mine,I would use semi gloss black,not gloss black,semi gloss.
Also use extremely light coats. Covering black with black will be easy. If you don't use extremely light coats you will probably end up with runs in the paint.