dodog
Addicted Member
My 7 year old Son has been a great sport, running to thrift stores and helping me pick up "scores". He takes interest in my hobbies and likes to listen to music. I thought it was time to replace his bookshelf unit with something better. I found a Marantz 1030 and a Denon CD-changer but was looking for speakers. After fixing up my Mothers A-60's this Fall, and eager to hear more of the BA sound, an AK member surprised me by giving me a set of A-40's. Typical story, surrounds were shot, a tweeter was dead, vinyl veneer was torn, grills were torn, needed a recap, etc. I'm generally all-thumbs when it comes to restoration but I was encouraged to make this a project. I dove head in and did the following:
1) Stripped all vinyl veneer with a sharp chisel and some pliers. Filled all holes with wood putty and sanded smooth. Being this was my first time, I did my best to rebuild smashed corners but the results weren't perfect.
2) Replaced a busted tweeter.
3) Refoamed the surrounds (Rick Cobb was very helpful). I should have probably replaced the foam rings/decorations (whatever they're called) but I didn't feel like dumping more money into this project
4) Replaced all screws (every one was rusty and gross). Neither Ace nor Menards had black wood screws so I had to make do with silver. Doesn't affect the sound.
5) Unsoldered the old caps and replaced with Dayton 10%
6) Picked up some new (used) grills
7) Replaced all the veneer with real Walnut. Oiled twice (first day) with Watco, medium walnut and another time a week later. Once dry to the touch I applied two coats of Feed-N-Wax.
Before I get to the pics, I'd like to thank the following:
1) bryana - Bryan gave me these speakers and provided guidance/advice. Thanks for all the help Bryan!
2) kymers - Mailed me a free replacement tweeter!
3) gladiator335 - Sold me the replacement grills at a very reasonable price AND he packed like these were traveling to the moon.
4) 62sunbeam - Sold me a really nice piece of walnut veneer.
5) MikeCh - provided the tutorial on how to apply the veneer. I opted to use the wood glue for the front pieces rather than contact cement, but most every other step was the same.
Here's a quick pic of the veneer before the stain (apologies for the bluriness):
Here's the final product:
I goofed a few edges, made a few chips, etc., but I like the real wood grain much better than the stock vinyl. Perhaps if I'd taken my time a bit more I'd have made less mistakes (and cut my fingers less!) but I think these turned out great for a first project. I pointed out the flaws to my Son and he said "It doesn't matter what they look like, only what they sound like." Sage advice from a 7 year old. He still doesn't know these are his and, hopefully, I'll be able to surprise him with them tomorrow.
1) Stripped all vinyl veneer with a sharp chisel and some pliers. Filled all holes with wood putty and sanded smooth. Being this was my first time, I did my best to rebuild smashed corners but the results weren't perfect.
2) Replaced a busted tweeter.
3) Refoamed the surrounds (Rick Cobb was very helpful). I should have probably replaced the foam rings/decorations (whatever they're called) but I didn't feel like dumping more money into this project
4) Replaced all screws (every one was rusty and gross). Neither Ace nor Menards had black wood screws so I had to make do with silver. Doesn't affect the sound.
5) Unsoldered the old caps and replaced with Dayton 10%
6) Picked up some new (used) grills
7) Replaced all the veneer with real Walnut. Oiled twice (first day) with Watco, medium walnut and another time a week later. Once dry to the touch I applied two coats of Feed-N-Wax.
Before I get to the pics, I'd like to thank the following:
1) bryana - Bryan gave me these speakers and provided guidance/advice. Thanks for all the help Bryan!
2) kymers - Mailed me a free replacement tweeter!
3) gladiator335 - Sold me the replacement grills at a very reasonable price AND he packed like these were traveling to the moon.
4) 62sunbeam - Sold me a really nice piece of walnut veneer.
5) MikeCh - provided the tutorial on how to apply the veneer. I opted to use the wood glue for the front pieces rather than contact cement, but most every other step was the same.
Here's a quick pic of the veneer before the stain (apologies for the bluriness):
Here's the final product:
I goofed a few edges, made a few chips, etc., but I like the real wood grain much better than the stock vinyl. Perhaps if I'd taken my time a bit more I'd have made less mistakes (and cut my fingers less!) but I think these turned out great for a first project. I pointed out the flaws to my Son and he said "It doesn't matter what they look like, only what they sound like." Sage advice from a 7 year old. He still doesn't know these are his and, hopefully, I'll be able to surprise him with them tomorrow.
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