Hobbs NX-Studio Build

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #20 on:** 25 Aug 2020, 01:15 am »

Quote from: Peter J on 25 Aug 2020, 12:26 am

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).

LMAO okay I think so get it now. lol
Stain the veneer & add tone coats as needed. Got it!

I'm all about learning, tho I'm definitely a person that learns better by watching & doing better than just reading. lol so probably a good idea to run off to youtube then!
I can't blame ya for not wanting to delve too deep into it tho, all of these projects take time. Once the new dye arrives ill take some new strips of the veneer and brush on some thin coats of dyed veneer to see what sort of effect I can achieve. Before I move to the actual towers.

Candy finishes are a good way to explain it.

Thanks, Peter!

Quote from: DonJoe on 25 Aug 2020, 12:31 am

Hobbs- That quilted maple is going to be stunning! I am super excited to see this build

Quilted maple has always been one of my favorite woods visually, as are birdseye, curly and flamed.
So working with some for this build is gunna be interesting!

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #21 on:** 25 Aug 2020, 02:04 am »

Forgot the share the pic of the assembled cabinets!

Unfortunately the clamps were new so also really greasy.. I'll do the edge trimming tomorrow as well as some light sanding to clean them up before moving onto cutting the strips of veneer & working on flattening it out with clamps and boards.

hawkeyejw · « **Reply #22 on:** 25 Aug 2020, 02:23 am »

Looking good! Are you planning to veneer the sides/top/back and paint the baffle?

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #23 on:** 25 Aug 2020, 02:36 am »

Quote from: hawkeyejw on 25 Aug 2020, 02:23 am

Looking good! Are you planning to veneer the sides/top/back and paint the baffle?

Not 100% sure yet, but probably paint on the front/bottom and veneer on the back/sides/top. But i may veneer the majority of the cabinet except the waveguide, shelf and bottom. Not 100% sure tho.. but if i wanna do a more guitar style veneering, itll need to be a split veneer along the center of the face, but i dont think im skilled enough for that yet.. :p

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #24 on:** 30 Aug 2020, 11:09 pm »

Got the "perfect red" dye in this time.

I also did a little bit of "tone coating" with a small brush to get a better understanding of how this is supposed to look in a more "finished" appearance.

Left: dye & toned lacquer
Right: dye only

While it is definitely more "red" than the "Mahogany Red" it's still not quite the tone I'm looking for, so I've already ordered a bottle of "bright red" which will go thru the same process as above.

I want to do a few different tests as well, where 3 strips will be dyed and toned with the same base color, then strips that are dyed one color but toned with different colors to find which option I think will look best.

So look forward to that in the near future!

Bradlose · « **Reply #25 on:** 31 Aug 2020, 04:37 am »

That red is really going to pop! Can’t wait to see it.

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #26 on:** 4 Sep 2020, 12:30 am »

Okay! I got the "Bright Red" dye in finally, & its much closer to what I'm looking for!

Natural, Bright Red, Perfect Red & Mahogany Red.

Next is to tone-coat the samples with different dyes to see if I can find a combo I like most!

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #27 on:** 4 Sep 2020, 12:12 pm »

Heres the same samples with 3 "perfect red" tone coats.

Next will be fresh strips coated with "Bright Red" tone coats.
Ill also do a 3rd test with "Mahogany Red" tone coats after that.

hawkeyejw · « **Reply #28 on:** 4 Sep 2020, 01:41 pm »

Thanks for documenting this process Hobbs. It's fun to watch you experiment to find the finish you like, and I'm learning some new things at the same time.

Barryg443 · « **Reply #29 on:** 4 Sep 2020, 02:52 pm »

I’m liking the red! Giving me ideas, to match my Carver Crimson 275 amplifiers!
Barry

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #30 on:** 4 Sep 2020, 03:25 pm »

Thanks! It's been a fun process, & I'm definitely learning a lot in the process!

The next test will be the primary step in picking the color I want, with the 3rd test being just for fun, since I already have the dye on hand.

Glad I can bring yall along for the journey!

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #31 on:** 5 Sep 2020, 01:16 pm »

Test batch #2!

Top: 3x Perfect Red coats
Bottom: 4x Bright Red coats

I personally like the Bright Red base with Perfect Red tone coats.
The Bright red only is a little more "warm" red, with the BR+PR is a little more balanced. Imo

My dad seems to like the PR only strip most, but I think it's mostly cuz that strip has more of the curl in it.

This is gunna be a tough pick lol

nrenter · « **Reply #32 on:** 5 Sep 2020, 09:31 pm »

I have my favorite, but I don’t think you’d make a bad choice with any of the middle 4.

DonJoe · « **Reply #33 on:** 6 Sep 2020, 05:39 pm »

Those darker finishes remind me of the B&W Signature 805s they made years ago with a red birds eye maple. It was a great looking speaker in terms of finish and I am sure yours is going to look and sound even better.

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #34 on:** 11 Sep 2020, 11:24 pm »

That is really nice looking for sure, i really do love the look of birdseye maple, esp with really deep wine colors like burgundy.

This is how they appear in my room under the diffused lights rather than using indirect sunlight or a more singular source.

Still leaning towards center-left, tbh, but its a tough choice, cuz center-right looks good too..

I've also wanted to start working on flattening out the veneer, now that I've got the supplies I need, but the weather lately has been absolutely atrocious, with constant rain & ultra-high humidity. Also, with the product I'm using to flatten the veneer, this process really needs to be done outside for adequate ventilation.

So hopefully things will clear up soon so I can finally get started..

hawkeyejw · « **Reply #35 on:** 12 Sep 2020, 01:40 am »

Not sure if it’s Just the variation of grain pattern but center right has some really cool depth.

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #36 on:** 12 Sep 2020, 02:19 am »

It's definitely a variation in grain pattern.
For these test strips, i used the edges which have areas that are far less wavy/textured than the areas in the center I plan to use for the speakers themselves.

hawkeyejw · « **Reply #37 on:** 12 Sep 2020, 07:11 pm »

Got it. I think any of them applied over the whole speaker will look great.

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #38 on:** 12 Sep 2020, 07:23 pm »

For sure! Im still not 100% sure if I want to do that yet though.
I'll just need to take a closer look at my sheets and figure out what layout will work best. Im still debating on going with a black front with veneer on the sides/back/bottom.

But ill definitely be showing my progress one way or another!

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #39 on:** 16 Sep 2020, 02:27 am »

Okay, I think I've found the color Im going to go with!

It's actually a hybrid of roughly 50/50 Bright & Perfect red for dye & 65/35 for tone coats.

It's the bottom-right sample.
Its got plenty of depth, without being burgundy or too bright..