To Veneer or...???

Ingo

Ingo

Too Poor For This
I found a set of late 70's Sansui speakers (SP-1500x) at a Goodwill recently. The fiberboard cabinets are really beat to hell and some of the corners are slightly separating. Here's the thing: I like the size, sound and look of these speakers and I would like to make them look nice. I know a lot of people are going to say that these probably aren't worth the effort, but I am going to keep them and use them and I want to restore them.

First I plan to strip the walnut grain vinyl off of the boxes. Then I am going to screw and glue the cabinets to close up the gaps where they have slightly separated. My grandfather suggested that I maybe could use some kind of filler to cover up the screw holes (countersunk) and maybe to make a smooth surface all over the cabinets to apply a veneer to.

I was thinking of maybe using a sheet of Peel-and-Stick walnut veneer to cover them up. I'm no woodworker, nor speaker restorer, so I would like to see if you guys could help me out with the particulars here.

What is the best way to make the cabinets suitable to apply a peel-and-stick wood veneer?
 
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Remove vinyl, fill, sand, fill, and sand till smooth and square. 2-part epoxy (or bondo) is helpful if you need to rebuild corners and fill big gaps.

I've used the iron-on edge-band veneer for the edges of plywood and I've used contact cement to install a paper-backed veneer. I've never used peel and stick. Are you thinking more vinyl or is the peel and stick real wood? If it is real wood, you might find that it is quite expensive when you add up the square feet required for the job (I'm assuming these are big floor standers). I would be tempted to stick with the vinyl if it is a lot cheaper than the real wood veneer.

Good luck with it!
 
donprice said:
Remove vinyl, fill, sand, fill, and sand till smooth and square. 2-part epoxy (or bondo) is helpful if you need to rebuild corners and fill big gaps.

I've used the iron-on edge-band veneer for the edges of plywood and I've used contact cement to install a paper-backed veneer. I've never used peel and stick. Are you thinking more vinyl or is the peel and stick real wood? If it is real wood, you might find that it is quite expensive when you add up the square feet required for the job (I'm assuming these are big floor standers). I would be tempted to stick with the vinyl if it is a lot cheaper than the real wood veneer.

Good luck with it!
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A sheet of walnut will run me $50-$75 (2'x8') They are medium sized speakers. 10" woofer 3-way... One sheet should do the set.

I am prepared to spend that much. And I know that I could probably find better speakers for the price of the "refurb".

It'll get real nasty if I decide to try and recreate the wood latice grills. They are in ok shape, but pretty dinged up. Cloth is perfect though.
 
No one out there veneered speakers with peel-and-stick? Thank you 'donprice' for outlining what I need to do with the filler. Can I expect the cabinets to be a little deader?
 
I recently veneered a pair of Infinity Qa speakers. It was quite a learning experience. I purchased the veneer on Craigslist for 30 dollars. I used contact cement, no problem on adhering the veneer to the surface. Cutting the corners was another matter. I over-sanded the new veneer in several locations and had to apply another layer. I used a nail gun to reinforce all joints (of course not in this order).
 
bassnutt said:
I refinished some JBL L100s in eastern black walnut you can see them in my avatar but heres a link to see a better view scroll down and check it out.:yes:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=257027&highlight=G8000+veneer
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Your 890DB is what inspired me to try and do these in this fashion. I think the prep work on these speakers is going to be really important in order to get the veneer to work right.

Figuring out how to make purty joints is gonna be an adventure for me, but fortunately I have really handy family members that can help me out.

'Bassnut' Do you think the peel and stick will stick to filler that I plan on covering th fiberboard with?
 
On the L100s I used bondo to sharpen up the corners and it seems to hold pretty well have had nothing lift up and is very clean job.Do not over oil the veneer when its done it will lift and peel.:yes:
 
I've used (real) maple peel and stick veneer on a couple of large floorstanders and it turned out very nice. Bondo (featherlite type) works and sands well. One tip: be sure to use a tack cloth to remove all dust, etc., just before applying the veneer, otherwise the junk may "telegraph" through the veneer.

Good Luck on your project!

Best Regards,
TerryO
 
Very good. Thank you for the information. It may take me a while to get my stuff together, but I can't wait to show off once I get them done.
 
I've used vinyl laminate from Parts-Express on two pairs of speakers. Two lessons learned: 1). Use sanding sealer after you've glued, filled holes and sanded. After the sealer dries, sand with 200 grit sandpaper. 2). Vinyl laminate is thin so ANY debris left on the cabinet will show through so use cheesecloth to remove. I was too cheap to go with the paper back veneer and wish I would have.
 
As much as the info is good here, you really need to check out the many woodworking magazine sites as they have exceptional videos and not just words and images. Also, with particle/press board I've used a trade practice of mixing sawdust and carpenters glue. The mixture is not only very similar in composition but will blend and adhere exceptionally well and is more compatible with veneers than bondo or other fillers. You can still shape and fill as you would with other fillers, but the wood fibers from the mixture will proved a better texture for adhesion.

Something to think about. Oh, it's also cheaper, sawdust can be had in your own garage or free from local cabinet shops. And carpenter glue is cheaper than bondo and can be used for many other projects including attaching veneer.
 
Copa1934 said:
As much as the info is good here, you really need to check out the many woodworking magazine sites as they have exceptional videos and not just words and images. Also, with particle/press board I've used a trade practice of mixing sawdust and carpenters glue. The mixture is not only very similar in composition but will blend and adhere exceptionally well and is more compatible with veneers than bondo or other fillers. You can still shape and fill as you would with other fillers, but the wood fibers from the mixture will proved a better texture for adhesion.

Something to think about. Oh, it's also cheaper, sawdust can be had in your own garage or free from local cabinet shops. And carpenter glue is cheaper than bondo and can be used for many other projects including attaching veneer.
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I've used carpenters glue and sawdust for an eternity and it makes a suitable filler for some applications. If I had this restoration in mind, I wouldn't use it because the glue is harder to sand and additional filler is probably going to be necesary.
If the OP can get all the panels back to original construction and peels off the original finish, there shouldn't be a world of filling involved. I'm thinking a skim coat of Bondo or two and a bit of sanding will be all that is necesary. The 1500's aren't that big (look at Similost's veneer of his Altecs for that) and I would forgo the Peel and Stick in favor of the real deal, paper backed with glue.
The hardest part is going to be getting the edges trimmed and there are a few threads on AK that deal with that. I like power tools and use a laminate router followed by a sanding block.
The lattice grills could be treated, in situ, with a product like Howards Restore-A- Finish, using a small brush or other.
Hey pictures would help, Mr. Ingo:D
 
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