[LesterSleepsIn]

When a speaker is veneered in a black walnut that just means the walnut veneer has been painted black, right? And if so, couldn't the black paint be stripped using an orange paint stripper or similar product  thus allowing the veneer to be refinished?

[Bob2]

Black Walnut is a species of deciduous tree in the walnut family. Do some googling on the subject. Per se it's not painted black. Then again...

[EdRo]

Lol. Paint your black walnut? Sounds like a capital offense to me. Black walnut can be beautiful. It can cost a small fortune for the right piece. Painting black walnut with black paint would be like using a roller to coat a Ferrari with cheap latex wall paint.
TRAVESTY!!!

[LesterSleepsIn]

Sorry, meant to have included a link. Take a look at the speakers below advertised as 'black walnut'. That's just walnut veneer painted black yes? And if so, could it be stripped?


http://www.ebay.com/itm/KEF-103-2-Reference-Speakers-Pair/122355494716?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41375%26meid%3Da2d103543c2044dba73de8e6aaa341c6%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262831428871

[S Clark]

That grain doesn't look at all like walnut.  It's way too open- looks a lot like oak.  And it also doesn't look like they sanded it adequately to get the grain smooth.  I wouldn't want to try to refinish those. 

[WGH]

Looks like an ebony stain. Test the paint stripper first on the bottom, stain is hard to completely remove, you might end up with blotchy grey walnut speakers with black grain and areas of MDF where you sanded through the veneer.

The wood is walnut, I have gone through over 1000 bd. ft. of black walnut in the last year. The pores in red oak are much bigger.
Right now I'm working on a contemporary door with two walnut colors, natural and dark. The grain in my color samples look just like the speakers.



Wayne

[S Clark]

I stand corrected.    Looked too open to me, in my very limited knowledge, but Wayne really is a hardwood expert.
I still wouldn't want to tackle refinishing what could be really thin veneer. 

[srb]

Lol. Paint your black walnut? Sounds like a capital offense to me. Black walnut can be beautiful. It can cost a small fortune for the right piece. Painting black walnut with black paint would be like using a roller to coat a Ferrari with cheap latex wall paint. TRAVESTY!!!

The pictures make it hard to tell.  It could be an ebony stain, but it also could be black paint.  I came across a Steinway upright piano, and although originally "piano black", it had been repainted white with a brush.  Guess they were going for the "Country Farm" look!  Travesty².

Steve

[roscoe65]

The seller describes this as Black Walnut.  The seller is incorrect.  This is the ubiquitoous "Black Ash".  A Black Ash finish is Ash veneer that has been pigmented/painted.  It was very common in the 1980s and 1990s.  Now you would likely find a textured vinyl wrap instead.

Ash is an open-grained, light colored hardwood, similar to oak.  It is pretty cheap and quite tough.  It is the most common wood for making baseball bats.

I own some dining chairs that are walnut-stained Ash.  They are very durable and dent-resistant.

[LesterSleepsIn]

The seller describes this as Black Walnut.  The seller is incorrect.  This is the ubiquitoous "Black Ash".  A Black Ash finish is Ash veneer that has been pigmented/painted.  It was very common in the 1980s and 1990s.  Now you would likely find a textured vinyl wrap instead.

Yes, that's what I was thinking, the ubiquitous 'black ash', i.e., ash that has been painted black. Anyone care to guess how difficult it would be to strip/sand the black paint? I frequently see 'black ash' finish on speakers that I'm interested in but the WAV is low to non-existant.
My thanks to all for the replies.
Lester

[S Clark]

It would depend on how thick the veneer is, and I'd bet that it's thin.  Wayne mentioned that you might sand through to the MDF, and it's likely that you would.  If you try to sand and restain, I'd be prepared to add veneer on top of what's there already.  Otherwise, I'd pass on this project.