Stripping & reconditioning cabinets...

[nickds1]

I have an old pair of Celestion SL6s in "Light oak" - they are "distressed" (watermarks, scratches etc.) but mechanically sound. I have sourced replacement drivers, but now want to recondition the cabinets. I suspect the original finish is now too much hard work, so I want to strip the cabinets and refinish, probably in black stain (which will hide a multitude of sins).

Can anyone with experience in these matters recommend how to strip these, and what sort of stain would be suitable? Or perhaps I can refinish them and oil or lacquer etc?

Advice needed!

Thanks

[system7]

I make no claim to be an expert on this, but having bought a spray can of Beeswax Johnson's furniture polish for the Teak finish of my old speakers, I chickened out (because I worried about them getting darker and darker) and used ordinary Surgical spirit from the chemist and rubbed with paper towels.

It's methylated spirits with a little camphor and castor oil. I figured the alcohol will clean nicely and the oil give a nice polish. It worked nicely and didn't loosen the veneer.

Smells nice while you're doing it too.

[raindog]

Look for a paint stripper suitable for wood and remove the original lacquer/varnish , then use sandpaper ( depending on how well the old varnish was removed by the stripper you can use medium or fine grit ) to obtain a uniform surface . As for staining it depends on how good the cleaned surfaces look , also have a look at : How to Stain Wood - wikiHow ( keep in mind that staining only enhances the wood grain but does a poor job of hiding scratches and stains )
Good luck with your project.

[Inductor]

Originally Posted by system7

Smells nice while you're doing it too.

You're lucky moderators are not around. They kill threads mentioning "illegal" substances.