I've recently come to own an old pair of KEF 104.2 loudspeakers that need some TLC in order to restore them to their former glory. I've done the tweeter ferrofluid, foam donuts and have looked into renewing the caps' on the crossover - all steps that appear to be inevitable with this speaker system.
It's the cabinets that I wish to tackle next. Who ever owned them before me was anything but careful with what he set atop the speakers, and as such, there are a lot of very shallow but noticeable scratches as well as a few small bubbles (see attached pic') that I'd like to get rid of.
My question is; can one lightly sand laminate in order to accomplish this task?
I'm guessing that the bubbles need to be lanced and a drop or two of crazy-glue or such thin adhesive needs to be dropped into the lancing hole, then the laminate area needs to be heavily weighted for 24 hours or so (?).
None of the laminate has delaminated, and as such, I cannot tell how thick the laminate actually is... Does anyone out there think that if I used a very fine sandpaper, maybe 400 to 600 grit, that I could evenly sand the entire surface, then buff and oil the top of the cabinet back to looking good?
Appreciate your time and input.
Andrew Drouin
It's the cabinets that I wish to tackle next. Who ever owned them before me was anything but careful with what he set atop the speakers, and as such, there are a lot of very shallow but noticeable scratches as well as a few small bubbles (see attached pic') that I'd like to get rid of.
My question is; can one lightly sand laminate in order to accomplish this task?
I'm guessing that the bubbles need to be lanced and a drop or two of crazy-glue or such thin adhesive needs to be dropped into the lancing hole, then the laminate area needs to be heavily weighted for 24 hours or so (?).
None of the laminate has delaminated, and as such, I cannot tell how thick the laminate actually is... Does anyone out there think that if I used a very fine sandpaper, maybe 400 to 600 grit, that I could evenly sand the entire surface, then buff and oil the top of the cabinet back to looking good?
Appreciate your time and input.
Andrew Drouin
Attachments
This old house says this and it sounds reasonable.
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/furniture/21019380/fast-fix-for-blistered-veneer#:~:text=Over%20time%2C%20the%20glue%20bond,carpenter's%20glue%20beneath%20the%20veneer.
I would cut in the direction of the grain. The waxed paper step is critical to keep any ooze out from sticking to the weights.
I think that 400/600 is too fine and the grit will clog quickly. Maybe 180/220.
I don’t think that you’ll have to get the scratches all the way out. Although it depends on what was on the 104’s as a finish to begin with. If it was a polyurethane or other sealant, oils like tung etc. won’t do much. I suspect that if you get a material that is similar to whatever was initially applied the scratches will be significantly reduced in visibility if the optical properties of the two materials are similar enough. Of course finding out what that material is could be a challenge.
Good luck. They are nice speakers.
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/furniture/21019380/fast-fix-for-blistered-veneer#:~:text=Over%20time%2C%20the%20glue%20bond,carpenter's%20glue%20beneath%20the%20veneer.
I would cut in the direction of the grain. The waxed paper step is critical to keep any ooze out from sticking to the weights.
I think that 400/600 is too fine and the grit will clog quickly. Maybe 180/220.
I don’t think that you’ll have to get the scratches all the way out. Although it depends on what was on the 104’s as a finish to begin with. If it was a polyurethane or other sealant, oils like tung etc. won’t do much. I suspect that if you get a material that is similar to whatever was initially applied the scratches will be significantly reduced in visibility if the optical properties of the two materials are similar enough. Of course finding out what that material is could be a challenge.
Good luck. They are nice speakers.
Maybe it's a language thing but are these real wood veneer?
Over here, laminate usually refers to paper/plastic based finishes.
Wood veneer can be sanded even with a power random orbit sander.
Just avoid too much on the edges where it will quickly round over and go through.
Obviously fix the bubbles first.
Over here, laminate usually refers to paper/plastic based finishes.
Wood veneer can be sanded even with a power random orbit sander.
Just avoid too much on the edges where it will quickly round over and go through.
Obviously fix the bubbles first.
Thank you everyone for the feedback. I'm going to gently slice the bubbles along the grain using a very fine razor, directly on some of the dark grain lines. Then I'll use a 220 sandpaper and, also working along the grain, try to sand out the nasty marks that the previous owner imparted upon these beauties... Might anyone have any tips on matching the 'shade / color' of woodgrain that is already on the speakers. That might save me from re-staining both speakers cases in full 
Andrew
Andrew
I assume you're going to refinish the entire top. It's easier to match parts that are not on the same plane, as they catch the light differently, and your brain works hard to see them as the same, even though the amount of light they reflect might be different.
220 grit sounds like a good bet. I've had better luck matching colors with transparent wood "dyes" rather than hardware store stain, which has a lot of pigment in it, which tends to emphasize the grain and is usually not what is used on commercial furniture. The dyes can be mixed with alcohol and applied in layers, making it easier to fine-tune the colors as you build to the final color.
They can be hard to find in stores except for specialty woodworking stores. With red, yellow and black you can get close to almost any color, especially with a small addition of green, which will desaturate the colors for a more natural look.
220 grit sounds like a good bet. I've had better luck matching colors with transparent wood "dyes" rather than hardware store stain, which has a lot of pigment in it, which tends to emphasize the grain and is usually not what is used on commercial furniture. The dyes can be mixed with alcohol and applied in layers, making it easier to fine-tune the colors as you build to the final color.
They can be hard to find in stores except for specialty woodworking stores. With red, yellow and black you can get close to almost any color, especially with a small addition of green, which will desaturate the colors for a more natural look.