[santacore]

I just picked up some Marten Form speakers off the 'gon, and would suggestions on how to fix some dings to the corners from shipping. The speakers are a triangle design, with very sharp corners, and an extremely glossy finish. They are beautiful, except when damaged by shipping!

I'm hoping that some of the more experienced wood workers on this board might be able to give me some tips or suggestions on how to make these a look a little better. If nothing else I want to seal the dings so that they don't separate further. Here are a few pictures:

[JohnR]

Can't help with the repair. However I was reading "Flatland" recently and was reminded of it by your second picture. No insurance from the shipping company?

[Letitroll98]

Wood putty.  You can mix some stain in with it to get as close to the finish as possible.  It won't really look all that good even if you do a great job matching the color, but it will seal the nicks and hide the damage somewhat.

[WGH]

There is no easy way to repair damage like that. Cutting out the damaged area with a razor sharp chisel and inlaying a piece of matching veneer would be the most invisible repair. Harvest the veneer from the bottom of the speaker if it has the same veneer.

If no veneer is available then you will have to fill the damaged area with a patch that matches the color and grain. The trick is not to damage the surrounding area while patching and sanding. Small dings and scratches in furniture have traditionally been filled with Mohawk Burn-In Sticks using a heated burn-in knife.



The base color is applied and wood grain is hand painted with sable artists brush or graining marker. The repair is sealed with a spray on finish that matches the speakers sheen.

Look for an antique repair shop run by a really old guy to get the repair done right.

Wayne

[Rusty Jefferson]

After visiting the Marten website and seeing the quality of the original finish, and seeing the cost of these speakers,  I would be very careful from this point. The responsibility for shipping and associated damage lies with the seller and the shipper, not the buyer.

Without contacting the manufacturer, it appears these were originally finished with a paraffinated polyester resin, or a polyester resin basecoat and polyurethane topcoat. If that's the case, they can be patched and the gouges reshaped and gloss finish restored. You will notice the repair spot, however it will be "under" the finish. Don't use wood filler, or wax sticks or lacquer sticks. Higher a professional familiar with polyester finishes. Custom cabinet shops/furniture builders/boat builders often use these finishes and can repair them quite efficiently.

[Mark Korda]

Hi Santacore,that ding on your speaker will have no effect on the sound,but I think all audiophiles have a little (Monk) in them,you know that detective show.Here's what I do,as I'm refinishing some Dynaco speakers right now.Go to the hardware store and get a can of Bondo,the stuff auto body guys use.On a piece of cardboard or scrap wood put a golf ball sized amount of Bondo on it.They include with Bondo a small tube of red hardener paste.Squeeze about an inch of the hardener on the Bondo on the cardboard.Mix it into the Bondo until you get a solid color.The Bondo includes a few plastic pieces to use as putty knives or use a real putty knive.The bondo will get rock hard in about 15 to 20 minutes so you got to work fast.Slap that Bondo on both sides of the ding and make sure you make it convex,not concave,meaning put a little bulging out.When the Bondo sets,I'd wait an hour to make sure,sand down both sides of the ding to match that perfect triangular edge.If you don't get it perfect,you can do it again over what you have already done,you just won't need as much,and then sand down again until you get the perfect edge.150 grit would work fine.Now,or maybe you could of done this first is to sand off the poly finish.Wipe down your speaker with a rag with some paint thinner on it to get all the dust off.Prime the wood with an oil based primer as a latex primer would let the stain or tannin bleed thru the primer.Oil bases seals the deal.Go find a boatyard or Marina store or on-line and get a can of Pettit Easypoxy polyurethane topside paint.I forgot to mention,get your Easypoxy Undercoater there and use that as your primer.I use black.(www.pettitpaint.com).I am a painter,and 1 coat never does it,so plan on 2.You will get a high gloss gel coat like brillance shine.Your wood like finish will be history,but those speakers will have a finish like a Steinway grand piano!That's what I woud do,and you did it your self!....Mark Korda(mark.korda@myfairpoint.net)  P.S. Bondo sticks great to wood and will never be bumped off.

[ST86]

It is tough for me to see details from the pics but here are some suggestions.

If the wood is split you can glue it back with yellow carpenter's glue.  Clamp with masking tape taking care you don't glue the tape to the cabinet. Wipe any squeezeout promptly.

To blend the damaged spots back to the wood grain, use artist oil colors.  Most craft stores have them.  You will probably have to mix a few colors to get the tone you want.  Use a piece of scrap wood or plywood as your pallete, a toothpick or popsicle stick to mix. Apply on scrap until you get the color right then paint on cabinet with a small artist brush.  If you have a large area to fill you can use different colors to simulate the wood grain.  If you mess up while applying just wipe it off and start again.  Thin and remove with mineral spirits but be careful the mineral spirits don't damage the finish on the cabinet.  Takes a few days to completely dry.  Seal with dewaxed shellac (Zinser Sealcoat is what I use) then topcoat with whatever you want.  I have refinished worn dining room chairs this way and the worn areas blend right in.

Cheers,

Ed