Bundle of joy on my doorstep

FireBri · « **on:** 1 Apr 2006, 06:43 pm »

Just got a nice big box from Danny yesterday. The wife had a tough time dragging it in the house. I haven't even opened it yet because I got home late last night, and today I'm at the fire station. Tomorrow I will have some alone time with my new kits (A/V3Sx 3 and A/V1RS x 2). Got the drivers, baffles, and sonicaps. My Denon AVR 5803 is looking forward to meeting them. I'm sure I will be posting and hopefully including some pictures of the building process. I have to admit, I've always been pretty handy, but have never built anything as refined as these speakers. It's a comfort to know you all are here, and I will be looking for tips along the way. My first decision is how to cover them. I'm leaning towards veneer with contact cement. I've been looking at some of the Band-It stuff and it looks pretty good for the money. I've also been trying to learn the difference between using oilbased vs water-based cc. Also, any thoughts on finishes would be appreciated.

Sorry if this was long, but I'm pretty excited.

Christof · « **Reply #1 on:** 1 Apr 2006, 06:58 pm »

Here is a nice, almost foolproof way to do water borne finish....

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/Wiping%20Waterborne%20Finishes.htm

ozdiver · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Apr 2006, 03:05 am »

I considered CC but got advice that you get a better and more resilient bod with a hard glue line (which CC does not give you as it is essentially rubber) So I went with the dry glue method on paper backed veneer. Simple (yeah sure! you say) scuff the back of the veneer with sandpaper. Dilute some yellow woodworkers glue with water to a heavy cream consistancy. Roll/spread it on both the veneer back and the surface you are applying it to (substrate). Let it dry. Roll/spread another coat on both surfaces. Let it dry. That is usually enough. Lightly scuff with 240 grit to take off any dust lumps.
Now go get an iron. Empty out the water, we're not doing shirts here. Plug it in and set it to Cotton temperature on Dry.
Lay the veneer in place and starting in the middle, iron away with plenty of pressure. Veneer should get so hot you can't hold your hand on it. (Being a Firey You may need someone elses hand to test, your tolerances may be a little greater than most)
Regardless you are merely melting the glue together.
I found it worked very well on my AV-3S's and am in the process of doing my AV-1RS's.

Had a peep at that finishing link and although I like oil based (as it does not raise the grain) they do address this issue. The coat of Shelac gives you a sealer coat to help guard against raising the grain.
The problem is you rule out out any penetrating stain by sealing in this way.
This means your stain stays on the surface acting as a toner between the sealer coat and you final finish. That ok for some veneers because they may be prone to blochyness. In the case of a rich veneer like birdseye maple or a burl of some sort, you want the stain to penetrate to bring the veneer to life, accentuating the character you paid for in buying these fancier veneers.
IMO if you are going to use a figured veneer and plan to stain it, use a spirit based dye stain (greater penetration and more transparancy) rather than pigment based (less penetration more opacity). Wipe plenty on with a pad and then wipe off the excess with a clean cotton rag before it dries. Then once the stain is well dry apply an oil based polyuerethane (wipe on if you prefer) remember to lightly sand between coats as this type of finish needs a 'tooth' to bond between layers. Don't be too concerned is a little of the stain re-disolves in the 1st coat of poly it will be a negligible amount and unnoticible.

Brian Bunge · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Apr 2006, 05:08 am »

Since you posted in my forum asking for veneering advice here's a big veneering tip. As much as I love PE, don't buy that Band-It veneer. It's way too overpriced, IMHO. Go to www.tapeease.com and order whatever type of veneer you want from them. They are the only veneer supplier I've used and have never had any issues. Make sure you order the 10 mil paperbacked stuff as it's very flexible and easy to work with. Prices are always great compared to anything I've seen local and the one time I had an issue with some veneer they sent me they corrected the situation right away.

Darren Thomas · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Apr 2006, 05:53 pm »

I second the www.tapeease.com suggestion. They are the only place I use and everything has been top notch.

FireBri · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Apr 2006, 12:23 pm »

Thanks for the tapeease advice. I believe I stated this somewhere else, but there is an overwhelming selection of products and advice out there. Whew!