Is it possible to remove the black "stain" from a speaker using paint stripper, and stain them with a wood stain?
Has anyone ever tried this?
What was the result?
I have a spare KEF 101.2 with a bad woofer that I thought I might try it with. Any pointers or I deas would be helpful.
Paul
Has anyone ever tried this?
What was the result?
I have a spare KEF 101.2 with a bad woofer that I thought I might try it with. Any pointers or I deas would be helpful.
Paul
Not going to work.
First off you have to see if you actually have stained wood, or a laminate.
Veneer too is not the same as solid wood.
Best bet is to cover what you have with a veneer of your choice.
Assuming you want a wood finish.
The problem is that real stain will soak into the surface a fair distance.
You might be able to sand off real stain on solid wood, but with a veneer surface there isn't much wood to sand.
If they finished the bottom try sanding there... fine grits. it's not likely to work though, unless the finish really sits on top of the wood. As in they sealed the wood then sprayed black paint of some sort over that. You might get lucky.
_-_-bear
First off you have to see if you actually have stained wood, or a laminate.
Veneer too is not the same as solid wood.
Best bet is to cover what you have with a veneer of your choice.
Assuming you want a wood finish.
The problem is that real stain will soak into the surface a fair distance.
You might be able to sand off real stain on solid wood, but with a veneer surface there isn't much wood to sand.
If they finished the bottom try sanding there... fine grits. it's not likely to work though, unless the finish really sits on top of the wood. As in they sealed the wood then sprayed black paint of some sort over that. You might get lucky.
_-_-bear
I believe your best bet would be to veneer and stain them of your choice. There are a lot of different options out there for a pretty reasonable price and can be done with basic hand tools.
just my
Could you post a pic of the enclosure in question so we can evaluate the possible approaches you can take?
just my
Could you post a pic of the enclosure in question so we can evaluate the possible approaches you can take?
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So you don't believe that paint stripper would be the right approach?
By the way, I have a number of different MFR speakers that I would do it to if I succeeded. I would define success as removal of most of the "stain" and ending up with a dark wood stain with some black undertones. I do not expect to be able to use a light or natural finish.
Paul
By the way, I have a number of different MFR speakers that I would do it to if I succeeded. I would define success as removal of most of the "stain" and ending up with a dark wood stain with some black undertones. I do not expect to be able to use a light or natural finish.
Paul
I do know that there are water based stains and oil based stains. I would think that an oil based stain might come off with some typical solvents such as mineral spirits. It is true that the stains can soak wel into the wood and that may make their removal difficult.
No reason not to experiment on a bottom corner or back side.
David S.
No reason not to experiment on a bottom corner or back side.
David S.
This may not apply to you, but of several pairs of Bose 901s that have been, er, soldermized by me, one pair had been painted black and I was able to sand down the usual walnut veneer and stained or varnished it (probably with teak oil, not sure the brand) and the results were pretty good. Not master work, by any means, but I ended up with ok looking walnut with some black highlights. With my first pair of 901s, the finish was too trashed and I oversanded down to the particle board. That pair were painted with white enamel and given to a friend who loves them 🙂\\
One of the benefits of Magnepan speakers (e.g. the 1.6QR) is that they're easy to refinish, as the wood part is about 1/2 inch wide and 70 inches tall and tacks on easily.
One of the benefits of Magnepan speakers (e.g. the 1.6QR) is that they're easy to refinish, as the wood part is about 1/2 inch wide and 70 inches tall and tacks on easily.
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The fact that you want to reapply a different stain helps you because you aren't looking for an original look. Stains come in a lot of colors. Take off what you can of the old and if you need to, compensate for the residual by adjusting what you add.
You might look up "wood bleaching" on the web.
David S.
You might look up "wood bleaching" on the web.
David S.
FWIW, several guitar makers (notably, PRS) stain the wood with a black stain to bring out the figure of the wood before applying 'candy color' lacquers.
Hi,
Paint stripper might work if they are simply black paint on
wood. Wire wool can help getting it off and then fine sand it.
If they are stained and then sealed, stripper would remove
the sealer but not the stain, which is difficult to remove. No
idea what bleached stained black would end up looking like.
I suspect most black real wood speakers are simply painted.
rgds, sreten.
Paint stripper might work if they are simply black paint on
wood. Wire wool can help getting it off and then fine sand it.
If they are stained and then sealed, stripper would remove
the sealer but not the stain, which is difficult to remove. No
idea what bleached stained black would end up looking like.
I suspect most black real wood speakers are simply painted.
rgds, sreten.
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Here is the top of a KEF 101/2 that portends to be my first victim/guinea pig. As you can see it appears to be a paint more than a stain.
A word about this particular victim, I purchased a set of 6 - 101/2s without listening to them. 5 worked fine, but this one appear to have received a bit of a shock. The frame of the woofer is cracked and the center post has popped loose. The tweeter works well. The crossover seems good. The cabinet is in pretty good condition. Kef said they would sell me a woofer for $150, which isn't too bad, but that is half what I paid for all 6.
So, since I didn't pay too much for it I thought I would try this. If it works OK, I will do another, and move a working woofer into this cabinet, and have a pair of Franken-kef's.
I was thinking of using a product like this - 1-Gallon KS-3 Premium Stripper-GKS3 at The Home Depot stripper&storeId=10051
A word about this particular victim, I purchased a set of 6 - 101/2s without listening to them. 5 worked fine, but this one appear to have received a bit of a shock. The frame of the woofer is cracked and the center post has popped loose. The tweeter works well. The crossover seems good. The cabinet is in pretty good condition. Kef said they would sell me a woofer for $150, which isn't too bad, but that is half what I paid for all 6.
So, since I didn't pay too much for it I thought I would try this. If it works OK, I will do another, and move a working woofer into this cabinet, and have a pair of Franken-kef's.
I was thinking of using a product like this - 1-Gallon KS-3 Premium Stripper-GKS3 at The Home Depot stripper&storeId=10051
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From your picture it appears to be a paint over ash veneer. More than likely it is a lacquer finish that can be difficult to strip with consumer stripping products. The second problem you will have is that the ash has very deep pores, and no stripper will get in there to remove the finish. You can steel wool, wire brush and sand, but there is a very good chance that you will go right through the veneer trying to get the finish off.
I would first email KEF and see if they can tell you what the finish is and the underlying veneer.
If they were my speakers, I would either repaint using a Krylon lacquer if a painted finish is desired, or better yet would be to re-veneer the cabinets in the wood of your choice.
Good luck with your project.
I would first email KEF and see if they can tell you what the finish is and the underlying veneer.
If they were my speakers, I would either repaint using a Krylon lacquer if a painted finish is desired, or better yet would be to re-veneer the cabinets in the wood of your choice.
Good luck with your project.
A painted finish is exactly what I dislike. In my opinion a nice warm wood finish is much more attractive, and have more personality than the generic black boxes that have been in vogue for a while.
Were I to manage to strip the paint off of the speaker, What does "Ash" look like? Is it a wood that is attractive when stained?
I will see if the folks at KEF will respond to what they may consider a rather bizarre query.
Paul
Were I to manage to strip the paint off of the speaker, What does "Ash" look like? Is it a wood that is attractive when stained?
I will see if the folks at KEF will respond to what they may consider a rather bizarre query.
Paul
Natural Ash has a pretty light, even color. Grain texture is very similar to Red Oak. My guess is that the maker didn't use a premium veneer ... probably had brown streaks. Dark finish cures all ills.
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Here is link to some info on ash.
White Ash/Black Ash: Its Great For ...
Typically ash is left natural (think baseball bat), stained to look like oak or as in the case of speakers, painted.
I think it will be impossible to get the paint out of the pores and get a nice surface to work with. Veneer is really the way you want to go if you want a nice looking end result.
White Ash/Black Ash: Its Great For ...
Typically ash is left natural (think baseball bat), stained to look like oak or as in the case of speakers, painted.
I think it will be impossible to get the paint out of the pores and get a nice surface to work with. Veneer is really the way you want to go if you want a nice looking end result.
ever consider that it might be grained vinyl? these were a lot more common than you might think, in which case any type of solvent based product will do far more harm than good
I'm with vintagesound on this one - either repaint with a product specifically formulated for plastic, or reveneer - a process itself not without issues going over top of a vinyl finish. You'd probably want to scuff sand, bondo for pore filling (otherwise expect some telegraphing of pores) , and use white glue and clothes iron.
I'm with vintagesound on this one - either repaint with a product specifically formulated for plastic, or reveneer - a process itself not without issues going over top of a vinyl finish. You'd probably want to scuff sand, bondo for pore filling (otherwise expect some telegraphing of pores) , and use white glue and clothes iron.
Don't use a stripper, imo.
It raises the wood surface.
I'd take the bottom, with a palm sander, maybe 600 grit max, quality dust mask or respirator (best), and sand part of the surface down until you see wood. See what it looks like. work dry, no water.
Ash is an "open grain" wood. so the pores will hold the black. Not all bad.
You can apply a variety of colorants, stains, and dyes to the result.
Stains usually contain a solid pigment that is designed to stick in the pores, clearish color.
Dyes, are just color.
There are "clear" coatings that have color and sit on the top, "varnishes" mostly,
urethane mostly, but have "stain" type stuff in them...
With the remaining black in the pores, you have something to work off.
I'd get some scrap ash or oak (similar enough). Paint black with a lacquer spray.
Dry thoroughly. (bake in oven at 100-125F for a few hours, then let cool for a day or so in a dry location). sand that off, then you will have pretty much the look that ur wood is likely to show on the KEF boxes.
Now you can test away! 😀
_-_-bear
It raises the wood surface.
I'd take the bottom, with a palm sander, maybe 600 grit max, quality dust mask or respirator (best), and sand part of the surface down until you see wood. See what it looks like. work dry, no water.
Ash is an "open grain" wood. so the pores will hold the black. Not all bad.
You can apply a variety of colorants, stains, and dyes to the result.
Stains usually contain a solid pigment that is designed to stick in the pores, clearish color.
Dyes, are just color.
There are "clear" coatings that have color and sit on the top, "varnishes" mostly,
urethane mostly, but have "stain" type stuff in them...
With the remaining black in the pores, you have something to work off.
I'd get some scrap ash or oak (similar enough). Paint black with a lacquer spray.
Dry thoroughly. (bake in oven at 100-125F for a few hours, then let cool for a day or so in a dry location). sand that off, then you will have pretty much the look that ur wood is likely to show on the KEF boxes.
Now you can test away! 😀
_-_-bear
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Hello,
I have found a set of 2002 KEF Coda 70's in black at the local Goodwill which I am going to restore.
The speakers are in good condition, with the exception of the tops which have the (paint) scratched fairly good. Fortunately, it was just through the "paint" and after a light sanding the veneer looks good.
Any ideas on refinishing the tops?
Has anyone been able to successfully get all of the black out of the finish and re-varnish?
Not much of a woodworker here, so any help is greatly appreciated.
sd
I have found a set of 2002 KEF Coda 70's in black at the local Goodwill which I am going to restore.
The speakers are in good condition, with the exception of the tops which have the (paint) scratched fairly good. Fortunately, it was just through the "paint" and after a light sanding the veneer looks good.
Any ideas on refinishing the tops?
Has anyone been able to successfully get all of the black out of the finish and re-varnish?
Not much of a woodworker here, so any help is greatly appreciated.
sd
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