zls1camaro
Active Member
I have a nice collections of KLH speakers and after some forum reading in 2013 I went on the hunt for some 5s. I bought these for $50 bucks.
Both cabinets had some degree of damage and abuse. The speakers looked ok but some were not operating. The cabs were disassembled and I traced all the speakers issues to the tired crossovers.
The KLH 5s feature a solid walnut front frame that butts up to the box and the veneer. So to restore the 5s to new I had to carefully remove ¾ inch of veneer where it butted up to the frame. All 8 sides. The all the old veneer was sanded and smoothed so the new veneer had a clean, smooth surface to adhere to. The damaged corners were also mended, readied for veneer.
I used peel n’ stick veneer for this project. I’ve used glue/heat before with ease but I wanted to try something new. The veneer cost around $100 bucks. After buying the veneer I let it acclimate to the house temp and humidity for a couple of weeks before using it.
The new veneer went on like a dream. The edges were trimmed with a Dewalt laminate trimmer and carefully sanded to retain the crisp edges. All surfaces were sanded with 200 and 300 grit paper and readied for stain.
Prior to cabinet staining I refinished the front black trim with light sanding followed by Krylon black satin spray. All told I had probably 15 hours in to the cabinets prior to finishing.
The stain I selected was a Varathane gel stain. I prefer Varathane to MinWax. The color was a mix of 70% walnut and 30% red mahogany. I love working with this gel stain because it does not run and you can work it in to the wood. It is very difficult to screw it up. I also like the gel because it does not raise the grain like regular stain. You can go from stain to clear coat without sanding. Sweet.
After a couple of weeks of dry time I sprayed the cabs with 3 coats Watco Spray Lacquer satin.
The crossovers were rebuilt and brought up to spec with new caps, etc. The woofers and mids were sealed with AR goop.
The reassembly included closed cell foam gaskets and stainless fasteners.
I had tossed the original grills aside at purchase fully intending to go with new cloth. But after further inspection at reassembly, followed by a cleaning with Woolite, they were reinstalled with new color correct olive Velcro.
I was pleased with the effort. I repaired the cabs and crossovers last winter, stained the cabs in August and reassembled over the recent holiday. Good things are worth waiting for. They look and sound terrific.
Next project KLH 6!
See other pics here. http://s298.photobucket.com/user/KickBackHub/library/?sort=3&page=1
Before, during and after.
Both cabinets had some degree of damage and abuse. The speakers looked ok but some were not operating. The cabs were disassembled and I traced all the speakers issues to the tired crossovers.
The KLH 5s feature a solid walnut front frame that butts up to the box and the veneer. So to restore the 5s to new I had to carefully remove ¾ inch of veneer where it butted up to the frame. All 8 sides. The all the old veneer was sanded and smoothed so the new veneer had a clean, smooth surface to adhere to. The damaged corners were also mended, readied for veneer.
I used peel n’ stick veneer for this project. I’ve used glue/heat before with ease but I wanted to try something new. The veneer cost around $100 bucks. After buying the veneer I let it acclimate to the house temp and humidity for a couple of weeks before using it.
The new veneer went on like a dream. The edges were trimmed with a Dewalt laminate trimmer and carefully sanded to retain the crisp edges. All surfaces were sanded with 200 and 300 grit paper and readied for stain.
Prior to cabinet staining I refinished the front black trim with light sanding followed by Krylon black satin spray. All told I had probably 15 hours in to the cabinets prior to finishing.
The stain I selected was a Varathane gel stain. I prefer Varathane to MinWax. The color was a mix of 70% walnut and 30% red mahogany. I love working with this gel stain because it does not run and you can work it in to the wood. It is very difficult to screw it up. I also like the gel because it does not raise the grain like regular stain. You can go from stain to clear coat without sanding. Sweet.
After a couple of weeks of dry time I sprayed the cabs with 3 coats Watco Spray Lacquer satin.
The crossovers were rebuilt and brought up to spec with new caps, etc. The woofers and mids were sealed with AR goop.
The reassembly included closed cell foam gaskets and stainless fasteners.
I had tossed the original grills aside at purchase fully intending to go with new cloth. But after further inspection at reassembly, followed by a cleaning with Woolite, they were reinstalled with new color correct olive Velcro.
I was pleased with the effort. I repaired the cabs and crossovers last winter, stained the cabs in August and reassembled over the recent holiday. Good things are worth waiting for. They look and sound terrific.
Next project KLH 6!
See other pics here. http://s298.photobucket.com/user/KickBackHub/library/?sort=3&page=1
Before, during and after.
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