Wayne's Mesquite HT2-TL's

ratso · « **Reply #20 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 03:22 pm »

wow. if i had my life to live over, i would have learned how to do things like this.

mathgeek97 · « **Reply #21 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 03:24 pm »

Beautiful!!!

WGH · « **Reply #22 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 03:24 pm »

Thanks for all the compliments guys. There is an insane amount of labor in these speakers, glad it shows.

As I was listening last night I was thinking the closest speakers I can compare these to are the TAD CR1, they really are that good.

Wayne

mcgsxr · « **Reply #23 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 03:47 pm »

Congrats, those look exceptional.

I swear, the hardest decision a Salk buyer has, is to choose from the embarrassment of riches that the wood finishes offer!

srb · « **Reply #24 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 04:02 pm »

Quote from: Pez on 18 Nov 2011, 03:10 pm

Wayne, you should be proud to own Jim's best work ever.

Wayne, you should be proud to own Jim's and Wayne's best work ever. A lot of craftsman build and veneer nice speaker cabinets, but very few slice, cure, fill and size their own Mesquite (or any wood) veneer.

Steve

Don_S · « **Reply #25 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 04:10 pm »

Well done Wayne.

The Salk's look stunning in the photographs and I bet they look even better up close and personal.

WGH · « **Reply #26 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 04:27 pm »

Jim did a fantastic job putting all the parts together and veneering the cabinets. Working with 1/8" thick veneer is a lot different than paper thin commercial veneers because all the corners need to have true miters with zero room for errors. The veneer on both speakers look perfect with tight sharp edges, I don't know how he did it. This was a great collaboration with Jim and his crew deserving as much credit for their patience and craftsmanship.

Wayne

ricardojoa · « **Reply #27 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 04:36 pm »

absolutely stunning. Is that a hard wood front baffle or is it veneer.

TomS · « **Reply #28 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 04:39 pm »

Wow Wayne, those are awesome! I love the Mesquite.

Maybe you should change the avatar to "Artwork that Makes Music!".

Tom

Phil A · « **Reply #29 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 04:39 pm »

Quote from: ricardojoa on 18 Nov 2011, 04:36 pm

absolutely stunning. Is that a hard wood front baffle or is it veneer.

Reply no. 2 shows the wood pieces and indicates "After finishing the veneer it was time to work on the solid mesquite full front baffle. Mesquite moves very little with changes in moisture so it is one of the few woods that can be used as a solid front baffle. I started with a pair of bookmatched planks that started out 6-1/2' long x 15" wide x 2" thick. A large crack in one board made it a perfect choice for the front baffle. The hollow knot in the center of each board was the logical location for the RAAL tweeter and the starting point for the layout. The finished front baffle is 1-3/4" thick."

ArthurDent · « **Reply #30 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 04:51 pm »

Simply exquisite work by you, Jim, and company. They are beautiful pieces of art that sing. Am sure you will enjoy for many years.

mark funk · « **Reply #31 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 06:34 pm »

Sweet

vintagebob · « **Reply #32 on:** 18 Nov 2011, 11:53 pm »

Stunning! Well done by all involved.

Tone Depth · « **Reply #33 on:** 19 Nov 2011, 12:24 am »

I see an image formed by the filled cracks that could look like a monkey face and body(?) on the right side of the left speaker.

WGH · « **Reply #34 on:** 19 Nov 2011, 12:46 am »

I see a sketch of the female body.

Pez · « **Reply #35 on:** 19 Nov 2011, 03:45 am »

Holy cow, and what a body!

fsimms · « **Reply #36 on:** 19 Nov 2011, 04:05 am »

Quote

I see a sketch of the female body.

I just wish she would turn around.

Bob

Tone Depth · « **Reply #37 on:** 19 Nov 2011, 04:35 am »

Very good response, right on target!

Quote from: WGH on 19 Nov 2011, 12:46 am

I see a sketch of the female body.

R Swerdlow · « **Reply #38 on:** 19 Nov 2011, 07:37 pm »

Thanks for the great photos of your speakers and the DIY veneer. They look excellent

!

Thanks also for the FedEx truck photo. Lately, some people here have been dropping the ball on that. Traditions are important to uphold.

Quote from: WGH on 18 Nov 2011, 05:15 am

Mesquite looks best with a hand rubbed oil/varnish finish, the catalyzed varnish finish I use on mesquite tables looks flat compared to the richness of a oil finish. The problem with an oil finish is that it takes forever to finally reach a stopping point. I was able to save a little money by doing the finish sanding and finishing myself…

Considering the unique grain pattern of the mesquite, some of us are concerned whether the hand-rubbed finish was equally applied in all areas

.

WGH · « **Reply #39 on:** 19 Nov 2011, 08:55 pm »

Quote from: R Swerdlow on 19 Nov 2011, 07:37 pm

Considering the unique grain pattern of the mesquite, some of us are concerned whether the hand-rubbed finish was equally applied in all areas .

Funny that you should mention that, yes some areas were rubbed more than others.

Regarding the finish, I have been using a 5-step process that works out pretty well. I hand sand and use a tack cloth between coats.

1.) Finish sand to #400 grit with a Dynabrade sander with a 3/32" orbit

2.) Apply a base coat of DeftOil clear, let soak in and wipe off excess. Let dry at least 24 hours. DeftOil adds a richness and durability to the final finish by soaking deeply into the mesquite, the oil takes at least 30 days to completely polymerize and easily penetrates the entire 1/8" veneer on my test samples.

3.) Apply a thin topcoat of McCloskey Satin Spar Varnish/Waterlox Original Sealer-Finish mix. I mix 5 parts of the varnish with 1 part Waterlox. The mix is thinner than the straight varnish so it will have a tendency to run but it soaks in, flows out and dries without any brush marks if you are careful. The Varnish/Waterlox mix will bond to the DeftOil to form a protective layer that is actually in the wood, not just on top.

4.) After sanding using a block to level out the finish apply a top coat of Waterlox. Let dry, sand and repeat as necessary until the finish looks perfect or you get bored.

5.) Let the perfect finish dry for a couple of days then wax with a Minwax/Waterlox mix. I borrowed this idea from Sam Maloof who finishes his chairs with a mix of half linseed, half tung oil and some bees wax. My custom finish dries overnight and will result in a more durable finish. Melt 1 part Minwax paste wax in a double boiler using a hot plate, add 1 part Waterlox Original Sealer-Finish and mix well until melted together. Apply the mix with 0000 steel wool and buff with soft cotton rags, let dry overnight.

Wayne