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nlyons
02-03-2004, 01:44 PM
To anybody that can help:

I just picked up a pair of Klipsch Heresy II's from a pawn shop, and they sound beautiful.

However, since they've been around since ' 89, the wood is not very nice looking. I want to re-finish them to make them look nice and pretty.

I could use all the suggestions I can get. Should I sand the wood down, then stain?? is that bad for the speaker?? Are there particular stains or finishes that I should use?? Do I take the speakers out of the cabinet first?? Where do I start ??? :confused:

Any help is appreciated.

-nlyons

This Guy
02-03-2004, 06:53 PM
I don't see how sanding and then staining could hurt the cabinet. Yeh I would take the speaker drivers out so no accidents occur. You should be fine.

-Joey

mtrycraft
02-03-2004, 10:05 PM
To anybody that can help:

I just picked up a pair of Klipsch Heresy II's from a pawn shop, and they sound beautiful.

However, since they've been around since ' 89, the wood is not very nice looking. I want to re-finish them to make them look nice and pretty.

I could use all the suggestions I can get. Should I sand the wood down, then stain?? is that bad for the speaker?? Are there particular stains or finishes that I should use?? Do I take the speakers out of the cabinet first?? Where do I start ??? :confused:

Any help is appreciated.

-nlyons

Be very carefulk sanding it with the finish on it. You may go through the veneer which is mopst likely what is on the wood, veneer which is rather thin, less that 1/32" or so.

Try a chemical finish remover first, if you want to redo the whole enclosure. If you want to touch up, you will have problems matching the finish.

You could also use fine steel wool, say grade 000 to remove the existing finish.

Once the finish is off, lightly sand with the grain, 150 grit, then 180 grit, 240. If you want a super nice finish, go to 320 and 400. Select the stain you like. Either use a wipe on stain/finish or two step. Make sure you remove the dust before staining. Vaccum it and tack rag it.
Use a dust mask rated for sawdust. Ventilate the space. Don't let the stained rag bundled up as it may spontaneously combust. Spread it out flat on a ladder rung to dry. Much more difficult to generate enough heat this way to combust. Let the stain dry 3 days, or more, if you use a two step process.
Enjoy.

skeptic
02-04-2004, 02:55 AM
It is extremely important to protect the drivers from damage. You can try heavy duty plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal all around them so that none of the chemicals or dust come in contact with them. If you remove them, be very careful not to puncture the cones or surrounds and carefully note the electrical connections. Reconnecting them exactly as they were including polarity is critical to their performance and avoiding damage. Protect any parts such as the crossover network components remaining inside the box before refinishing.

piece-it pete
02-04-2004, 10:29 AM
To anybody that can help:

I just picked up a pair of Klipsch Heresy II's from a pawn shop, and they sound beautiful.

However, since they've been around since ' 89, the wood is not very nice looking. I want to re-finish them to make them look nice and pretty.

I could use all the suggestions I can get. Should I sand the wood down, then stain?? is that bad for the speaker?? Are there particular stains or finishes that I should use?? Do I take the speakers out of the cabinet first?? Where do I start ??? :confused:

Any help is appreciated.

-nlyons

Well it's about covered (very well, in my "former cabinetmakers :)" opinion. But I'd like to expand on Skeptics' statements:

While removing the drivers be VERY CAREFUL. When you're "breaking the screws loose" is quite dangerous to your drivers health - the screwdriver likes to slip & hole your drivers' cone/surround - personal repeated experience :(. Very frustrating.

Noting the proper wiring can be fairly simple. I use nail polish, a different color for each hookup, on the lead & on the matching driver connection. It's also possible to remove the crossover completely in some speakers.

Since everything's disconnected and apart, I personally would swap out the internal wiring "just because" (nothing expensive, I would just look at it & up the gauge if I thought it neccessary), though many may disagree with me. Because I've seen so much of a powdery white type of corrosion on speaker baskets, I would probably also lightly wipe them with a little 3-in-1 type oil, being very careful not to get any on the cone/surround.

Also consider finishing it (after the stain dries) with polyurethane. It used to have a cheap, glossy look but has been available for a while in "satin" finish, kind of a semi-gloss, and the stuff is darn near indestructable.

What a great find. Have fun!!

Pete