Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island

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jsalk

Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« on: 4 Dec 2006, 04:33 am »
Joe wanted HT3's in a dark walnut burl.

The problem with most burls is that the sheet sizes are quite small.  Which normally means a lot of splicing and a lot of waste.  So with two criteria as our goal (dark and large enough for HT3's), we set out to locate the just the right batch of burled walnut veneer.  The search took a while, but a veneer vendor I really like dealing with let me know when he was about to get a batch that met our requirements.

As soon as it arrived, he shot a photo and I passed it along to Joe.  Joe emailed me immediately and said "go for it!" Since I had some very nice claro walnut I had already purchased for the project, as soon as the veneer arrived we went straight to work.



As the project was nearing completion, Joe decided to pull out all the stops and have the cabinets hand-rubbed to a high gloss finish.  When the speakers were done, a high-end woodworker friend of mine stopped by and commented, "they look like they should be on the dashboard of a Jaguar."  You know, he had a point.  They did remind me of trim in a high-end car.



Notice that the grills are not in standard black.  A gentleman who applies grill cloth for us happened to have some very expensive grill cloth left over from a high-end home theater project (where it was used to cover entire walls).  I thought it would be a very nice match with the burled walnut.  So we took a gamble which I think paid off handsomely.  Joe thought so too.

Happy listening Joe!

- Jim

Daygloworange

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Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #1 on: 4 Dec 2006, 04:46 am »
Quote
Notice that the grills are not in standard black.  A gentleman who applies grill cloth for us happened to have some very expensive grill cloth left over from a high-end home theater project (where it was used to cover entire walls).  I thought it would be a very nice match with the burled walnut.  So we took a gamble which I think paid off handsomely.  Joe thought so too.

Jim,

We have used NGR's to color fabric for similar home theater grills. The dye in NGR is the same used to dye fabric. :wink:

Cheers

jsalk

Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #2 on: 4 Dec 2006, 04:50 am »


Jim,

We have used NGR's to color fabric for similar home theater grills. The dye in NGR is the same used to dye fabric. :wink:

Cheers

This particular cloth had what almost looked like matalized thread.  You would really have to see it in person to get a feel for it.  It wasn't just colored, it had depth and texure as well.  I was told it is quite expensive, although I never actually purchase any myself.

- Jim

Daygloworange

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Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #3 on: 4 Dec 2006, 04:56 am »
I've had a few adventures trying to find a cloth that was acoustically transparent enough for audio and have it be an acceptable color compliment for the specific application. Till I found out about the NGR thing, tried it and have used it to save myself some headaches.

If you're ever stuck, give it a shot.

Cheers

BTW, that veneer is beautiful!   :o Nice job, as usual. Your work always looks top notch. :thumb:

Rob Babcock

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Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #4 on: 4 Dec 2006, 07:45 am »
Another work of art, Jim!

jbtrio

Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #5 on: 4 Dec 2006, 08:07 pm »
Jim's photo's don't do the speakers justice, in person the speakers are absolutely stunning. My wife even commented (which she never does concerning my stereo equipment)how beautiful they are. In a few weeks, I will post my thoughts on their sound.

                Joe

Sparks

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Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #6 on: 5 Dec 2006, 02:58 am »
I'm a bit at a loss here.
What's the NGR "thing"
Thanks.

jsalk

Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #7 on: 5 Dec 2006, 03:45 am »
I'm a bit at a loss here.
What's the NGR "thing"
Thanks.

NGR stands for "Non Grain Raising" dye from Star Products.

- Jim

Sparks

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Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #8 on: 5 Dec 2006, 04:06 am »
Thanks Jim.
I was a bit cinfused as I thought it was a reference to the grill cloth.
BTW, do you know that brand of cloth that was used for the grills?
Thanks.

jsalk

Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #9 on: 5 Dec 2006, 01:54 pm »
Sparts -

Thanks Jim.
I was a bit cinfused as I thought it was a reference to the grill cloth.
BTW, do you know that brand of cloth that was used for the grills?
Thanks.

Sorry, I don't know.  I got it from an upholserer who buys in in bulk.  It was VERY expensive.

- Jim

gthomas

Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #10 on: 5 Dec 2006, 03:22 pm »
It's true that pictures just don't do the speakers justice, especially the hand rubbed ones.  My speakers are much more stunning in reality than in the pictures.  Great work Jim.

         Gene thomas

jsalk

Re: Joe's burled walnut HT3's head to Statten Island
« Reply #11 on: 5 Dec 2006, 09:47 pm »
Gene -

It's true that pictures just don't do the speakers justice, especially the hand rubbed ones.  My speakers are much more stunning in reality than in the pictures.  Great work Jim.

         Gene thomas

Thanks.  I really need to do something about the photography.  I guess you get what you pay for (if you do it yourself).  But somehow I feel that regardless of how good the photography was, they still wouldn't give you the experience of seeing them in person.

- Jim