Hobbs NX-Studio Build

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Hobbsmeerkat

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Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« on: 23 Aug 2020, 10:45 pm »
I don't yet have the actual driver kit, but since I have the flatpack, I might as well get started with the assembly now that I have some proper tools and my raw-wood veneer/stain etc.

Here are my pics from the flatpack thread:





Neo3 test fitment:




Raw quilted-maple veneer: (2 matching sheets)



I only have enough clamps for one speaker at a time, so following Peter's video, its time to start assembly with the slope:



I should be able to get everything for this speaker all glued and clamped up tonight! So expect some more pics as I go along!

AlexH

Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #1 on: 23 Aug 2020, 10:57 pm »
That quilted maple is going to look gorgeous.

Hobbsmeerkat

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #2 on: 23 Aug 2020, 11:40 pm »
That quilted maple is going to look gorgeous.
I certainly hope so! Still not 100% sure how i want to do it, but the first thing i need to do is flatten it. Its a really wavy veneer. Ill probably run up to the store and get a couple 2'x4' sheets of plywood and some shop towels to then clamp down with the wood plasticizer i got along with the veneer.  :thumb:

I already have a small test strip being flattened out on the porch that I'll then use to dye it a deep "mahogany red" and figure out what allows for the best application. Luckily it can also be added to laquer if staining doesn't achieve the desired results. Tho i will say, finding denatured alcohol was a total pain. But with the massive amounts of sanitizer being produced, im also not too surprised.

I was only able to get 6 clamps, and both HD & Lowe's were running really low on them, and most that remained were 6" or 36" or $30-40 a piece... lol  :o
So I got 4x 24" clamps and 2 strap clamps instead and they seem to work really well thankfully!

Here's a rough dry fitting with the clamps!



The clamp on the bottom will get put on the front instead once i start clamping them down after glueing..

Hobbsmeerkat

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #3 on: 24 Aug 2020, 12:22 am »
Glue up done! The dry fit definitely made planning a little easier, by putting the strap clamps under the side panel first then adding all the other sides/braces/shelf using the straps first to keep it all in place, putting one clamp running front to back, then adding the other  24" clamps to the top/bottom, moving the one that was front-back last.



Now I just gotta let it dry!
Tomorrow, I'll flush trim the back and start on the 2nd one.

uncola

Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #4 on: 24 Aug 2020, 08:54 am »
Really helpful pics for me as a woodworking noob.  Those strap clamps are cool

Hobbsmeerkat

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #5 on: 24 Aug 2020, 05:18 pm »
Nother update:
2nd tower is glued and under the clamps!  :thumb:



I also stained a couple pieces of my test veneer, but im not too keen on the color, its more burgundy than the red i was expecting, but with a little oil, the sheen is still quite nice!



Really helpful pics for me as a woodworking noob.  Those strap clamps are cool

Glad I could help! This is actually my first time using clamps and assembling a kit as well! :P

Captainhemo

Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #6 on: 24 Aug 2020, 06:37 pm »
I agree with Alex, that veneer  will be killer  when you're all done.

Not sure if you've seen this but here is a pair of Encore's I did  some time ago for my nephew... he and his  girlfriend wanted red so....

I used   some  water based red  dye I picked up from Lee Valley, they do have  a  few differentshades, you'd have to go look at  a color chart but it worked well.  The more you  put on, the darker it will get,  don't  get it on  your cloths or the  shop floor.....    trust  me 
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=144419.msg1543794#msg1543794

jay

Peter J

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #7 on: 24 Aug 2020, 06:45 pm »
Nother update:


I also stained a couple pieces of my test veneer, but im not too keen on the color, its more burgundy than the red i was expecting, but with a little oil, the sheen is still quite nice!


Hobbs, looking at that I'm betting you're using stain of some type. If you want it to look like the guitar you've pictured elsewhere, dye and tone coats are in your future. Stain will surely obscure that lovely grain. Dye doesn't do that but has other sometimes weird characteristics.

 Conceptually you can think of it as if you're looking through a red colored lens at the wood.

If you're willing to take time and effort to get there, I can help, but it's not what I'd call a quick and dirty process.

hawkeyejw

Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #8 on: 24 Aug 2020, 07:25 pm »
Hobbs, looking at that I'm betting you're using stain of some type. If you want it to look like the guitar you've pictured elsewhere, dye and tone coats are in your future. Stain will surely obscure that lovely grain. Dye doesn't do that but has other sometimes weird characteristics.

 Conceptually you can think of it as if you're looking through a red colored lens at the wood.

If you're willing to take time and effort to get there, I can help, but it's not what I'd call a quick and dirty process.

Count me as one person that would be very interested in any knowledge you share in this area! I did find that the depth of the grain on my ribbon mahogany veneer came out nice but not as three dimensional as I was hoping. Perhaps it was the use of stain before the poly.

Hobbsmeerkat

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #9 on: 24 Aug 2020, 07:42 pm »
Hobbs, looking at that I'm betting you're using stain of some type. If you want it to look like the guitar you've pictured elsewhere, dye and tone coats are in your future. Stain will surely obscure that lovely grain. Dye doesn't do that but has other sometimes weird characteristics.

 Conceptually you can think of it as if you're looking through a red colored lens at the wood.

If you're willing to take time and effort to get there, I can help, but it's not what I'd call a quick and dirty process.
I am sertainly using a dye,

But by all means! The stain im using says i can use it in the wood, or mixed into laquer, so maybe be latter option is my best bet? Any info you can share will be greatly appreciated!

AlexH

Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #10 on: 24 Aug 2020, 07:53 pm »
If you want the curl to pop a little bit you can always dye your veneer black sand it off and then use your red dye. By sanding the black is left in the curl.  Here is a pic of some Infinity RS-3000 speakers I worked because I was getting bored this last srping.




Peter J

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #11 on: 24 Aug 2020, 07:54 pm »
What is the product you're using? Are you planning on spraying lacquer?

Hobbsmeerkat

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #12 on: 24 Aug 2020, 07:59 pm »
What is the product you're using? Are you planning on spraying lacquer?

Its a product from VeneerSupplies called Transtint. I don't have a sprayer or booth, but I do know some guys that paint/restore cars that may be able have them do for me or let me borrow their booth

Peter J

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #13 on: 24 Aug 2020, 09:23 pm »
Transtint is a good and versatile product. Jeff Jewitt of Homestead Finishing developed it. If you're going for the bright red like guitar you've shown, I think Perfect Red or Bright Red would be a place to start. I'm guessing what you've got is Bordeaux or something else.

If your friends are willing to work with you or loan you a gun the process in essence is:

1. Get surface flat and sanded to 180 or perhaps 220
2. Dye to desired color and intensity. Sneak up on it, get to saturated in color and it's hard to unwind.
3. Tint next few topcoats, clear the last.

 I've also dissolved Transtint in lacquer thinner and  feather sprayed in between topcoats. You can do bursts or darken edges and lots of other effects by concentrating  in specific areas or even over stencils or frisket paper. 
The nice thing about using dye to tone coat is it doesn't cloud grain so you don't obscure all that's going on in that grain. The lens analogy is a good thing to keep in mind. Pigment in lacquer is more opaque.

Jeff's got some good info on his site and I think a forum, although I don't visit often. I have several of his books, but I suspect the web and YouTube have all but replaced them.

https://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/

Hobbsmeerkat

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #14 on: 24 Aug 2020, 09:41 pm »
Yeah i started with "Mahogany Red" cuz the site made it appear like a darker red, but it definitely looks more like Bordeaux, which i imagine leans further purple. But the brighter red is definitely the look im going for, with a black front, tho i may just veneer the whole front and sides & paint only the waveguide/bottom/grill/shelf. I've got a fair amount of veneer to work with thankfully. Matched pair of sheets.

I ended up going with "Perfect Red" this time, which will be here in a couple days. But I definitely plan on having this project be a slow & steady one, read up on that site to figure out how to best proceed.l in the meantime

Should i be sticking with lacquer, dye and lacquer thinner to make it thin enough for a spray gun, & when you say "dye to desired color" do you mean the dye the wood or the lacquer? Im guessing the lacquer and spray on test strips to get desired results?

Peter J

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #15 on: 24 Aug 2020, 09:56 pm »
Yeah i started with "Mahogany Red" cuz the site made it appear like a darker red, but it definitely looks more like Bordeaux, which i imagine leans further purple. But the brighter red is definitely the look im going for, with a black front, tho i may just veneer the whole front and sides & paint only the waveguide/bottom/grill/shelf. I've got a fair amount of veneer to work with thankfully. Matched pair of sheets.

I ended up going with "Perfect Red" this time, which will be here in a couple days. But I definitely plan on having this project be a slow & steady one, read up on that site to figure out how to best proceed.l in the meantime

Should i be sticking with lacquer, dye and lacquer thinner to make it thin enough for a spray gun, & when you say "dye to desired color" do you mean the dye the wood or the lacquer? Im guessing the lacquer and spray on test strips to get desired results?

Concentration in carrier (alcohol) will control intensity. Lacquer shouldn't have to be thinned for spraying, but you may want to for the tone coats. Transtints can be mixed and matched.  I'd get your base color with dye alone, then build depth and shift color slightly with topcoats.  Alcohol evaporates quickly so while you can't thin lacquer with it, it can be used in between lacquer topcoats as long at it's allowed to dry.

I like lacquer and almost all nasty solvent finishes for their versatility, quick drying, and sometimes toughness (conversion varnish), but I'm old school in that regard. Choose a workable path and stay on it. The wheel has been invented already. You need a good respirator and ventilation with all of it.

Hobbsmeerkat

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #16 on: 24 Aug 2020, 10:19 pm »
Concentration in carrier (alcohol) will control intensity. Lacquer shouldn't have to be thinned for spraying, but you may want to for the tone coats. Transtints can be mixed and matched.  I'd get your base color with dye alone, then build depth and shift color slightly with topcoats.  Alcohol evaporates quickly so while you can't thin lacquer with it, it can be used in between lacquer topcoats as long at it's allowed to dry.

I like lacquer and almost all nasty solvent finishes for their versatility, quick drying, and sometimes toughness (conversion varnish), but I'm old school in that regard. Choose a workable path and stay on it. The wheel has been invented already. You need a good respirator and ventilation with all of it.

So if I'm reading you correctly, add the dye to the lacquer for the desired intensity, and blend in more lacquer with each coat, to reduce intensity with each coat, and none for the last coat?

Or are you saying to spray clear lacquer, spray the dye at full strength, and lessen the concentration with alcohol between each layer of lacquer?

AlexH

Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #17 on: 24 Aug 2020, 11:01 pm »
I think what Peter is saying is to dye your veneer if not as deep red as you would like then add some transtint to you finish and use it as a toner. When adding transtint to the finish it is more translucent color (ie not as colorful)  and you can keep adding coats until the desired color is achieved. This allows you to sneak upon the color you were looking for. And IMHO gives you a color with more depth. Finishing is everything. It can make or break your project.

Peter J

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Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #18 on: 25 Aug 2020, 12:26 am »
So if I'm reading you correctly, add the dye to the lacquer for the desired intensity, and blend in more lacquer with each coat, to reduce intensity with each coat, and none for the last coat?

Or are you saying to spray clear lacquer, spray the dye at full strength, and lessen the concentration with alcohol between each layer of lacquer?

Dye at full strength to me is undiluted, don't do that!

Alex says it better than me, it's a lot for me to convey in a few sentences. It just gets too in depth and most folks would like pat answers, which is why I hesitate to bring it up on this forum.

 There isn't a specific formula, it's a work-up-to-it methodology that lets you decide with each coat. Not like paint. One cool thing about lacquer is film thickness isn't critical and it dries fast so you get previews along the way.

Your painter friends will relate to this: It's kinda akin to candy finishes on cars. Base color, then translucent color, then clear top coat(s).

DonJoe

Re: Hobbs NX-Studio Build
« Reply #19 on: 25 Aug 2020, 12:31 am »
Hobbs- That quilted maple is going to be stunning!  I am super excited to see this build :D

Peter- You are really helpful and this type of help is really appreciated.  We appreciated this type of insight on our build.  We would not have achieved what we were looking for without some pro-level advice.