Whats best for old veneer, oil or wax?

Hi all,

Just a quick question? What is better when cleaning up an old pair of teak speaker cabinets?

I have plenty of fine wire wool, lint free cloth, teak oil and teak wax.
I have an old pair of Kef 105.4 cabs to clean up.
I have two kids.

I am curious, can the oil or wax cause the veneer to peel?

Another question, where can one buy cheapish Bitumen self adhesive pads? I know wilmslow audio have some, though it seems difficult to access their site at the moment.

And what about allen key type bolts for replacing cross head ones?

Thank you guys,
Steve

 

Don't halfords do bitumen pads for car panels?

 

http://wduk.worldomain.net/acatalog/Speaker_Parts.html sell a 6mm thick self adhesive rubber damping material, looks made for the job.

I'm no expert on renovating veneers, (only used it from new), but I'd think a light sanding with smooth sandpaper to remove the surface gunge, followed by a couple of coats of teak or danish oil, wait a few days then wax.

 

If they are waxed then use a good quality wax remover before you start, something like Liberon, see what you are left with and if possible use a medium/fine grit, 240/320 (depending on what it looks like) to start with working along the grain, then gradually move up to 320 and then 400 grit to finish.
Some older glues don't react well to certain finishes so test first on the base, oil will try and soak in and stop when it hits the glue. This may react and cause the veneer to lift.
I would think Teak oil a bit heavy duty for internal work, try danish oil instead if you must use oil.
I'd be inclined to use an acrylic sanding sealer and wax to finish them less chance of problems as its a surface sealant. You won't really gain anything by using an oil as you won't get the depth of finish you'd get on a real wood cabinet anyway.
HTH

 

Thank you Knightshade,

I have filled in a couple of chips and rebuilt the bashed corners with teak colour wood filler, and will go over and smooth these with P180 fine sand paper.

I will probably go over the cabs, along the grain with P180 also, I have had bad experience with heavier paper and wood veneer leaving noticable scratches along the veneer.

Someone, the wife, recommended washing them with a wood cleaning product by pledge, designed to wash real wood?

I will leave the Teak oil, and go over them with very fine wire wool and Teak wax.

Still work in progress though, I have to fill in a 20mm recess in the bottom skirt of the bass cab, and add a 25mm thick base which will raise them up an inch to the same height the speakers were when fitted with the original castors.
I did this before with a previous pair, I poured cement in the recess, and added a B/BB plywood base, spiked. For this project I would prefer something removable I think.

I would like to fit some corner protection, if it is not too unsightly, but as the 105.4 has slightly raised sides and back, it cannot be more than 18mm deep. Nothing suitable in Maplins.

At the moment I cannot decide, DMN 4mm sockets or Michell binding posts?

 

I have wide experience of joinery and Hi-Fi projects - the advice Knightshade has given is absolutely spot on in my view - do as he suggests.

Just bear in mind that teak coloured wood filler is unlikely to be very close in colour to your cabinets and it won't take oil or stain.

A Knightsahde says, I too would use Danish oil rather than teak oil. However, it may well prove difficult to remove the sprayed on finish sufficiently to allow an even application of any type of oil.

Don't make the cabinets wet or you may find the veneer lifting.

There is a very good chance that your speakers are not waxed or oiled as such, They are much more likely to have been sealed with a sprayed on sealer (may be cellulose based depending on the age). Don't sand much off, remember how thin veneer is.

 

Hi Steve ,
Try your local engineering supplies shop or poer tool and fixings co if this fails try the internet. Any particular sizes you are looking for currently. I used to sell various engineering consumables.
Best of luck in your search
john

 

Well the wood filler worked out, though not perfect, but better than it was.
You can see it from the rear, it is a little darker than the Teak, I didn't bother with wax filler or paints to match up to the veneer.

These old cabs had been waxed before, there was residue in some of the crooks and cranies, and when I wiped them with a damp clth it soaked in to parts and not others so to speak.

I gave them a very light sand with P180, but not thorough enough I think. They have dark areas where the grills and heads have been,with a little sun bleaching elsewhere, for instance at the bottom you can see a lighter section under the grill, none of my gentle work seemed to remove this?

I didn't bother trying to wash them with any wood wash?

Then I gave them a liberal coating of Teak wax, and applied this with a good rub of fine wire wool.
They is a definite improvement though in certain light, it does look a little like a tiger stripe effect which I don't remember my other 105.4 cabs having?
An effect of the polishing or just how some teak looks?

I could have spent more time, but the cabs are pretty old and look like they had been through a lot, so I guess too much sanding and trying to get rid of the sun bleaching, not to metion using coloured wax etc, may have taken some time for only a little more gain, they were never going to look new!

Now I have to work out how to get gloss paint off of the plastic/polymer heads? These were painted with a black gloss!

Though I also have 105.2 heads, which are the same, but these have scratches on top, and the brass inserts are bonded in a different location than what the T33A needs.

Can plastic be polished?

Can one buy brass threaded inserts to bond into plastic?
Anyone familiar with the brass insets the Kef heads have?

The 105 head has square holes at the treble unit cut out, an outer set and an inner set. The outer ones have brass inserts fitted for T33 105.4 designation, the inner are used for T52 105.2 designation.

Still have not decided wether to use DNM 4mm sockets or Michell binding posts?
And I am wondering about 4 pole Neutrik speakon or XLR for the head flying lead?