[rupnok]

Hey there,

Trying to get the GF in to the hobby (she mentions to me she likes listening to music at my house... but not hers...)

Anyhow, there are a set of speakers that are available for local sale (AV123 ELT525Ms), but my GF ::hates:: cherry or rosewood veneer... she's rather have them be flat black or a solid neutral color.

Given the awesome deal ($125), I am tempted to just pick them up, and try my hand at refinishing. Is this recommended at all? Can I sand them, bondo, and paint a few coats of black? Or is this just a terrible idea?

[richidoo]

Sounds like a good idea! Just buy good quality materials so it lasts and looks good. Krylon or polyurethane top coat.  I would go with satin black instead of flat.

[rupnok]

Given that a lot of folks in this circle are familiar with AV123/Onix stuff - if I sand down the finish, will I hit bare MDF, or just the bottom layers of the veneer?

Do I need to sand beyond getting the shiny coat off for the Bondo to stick?

[soewhatman]

I'd just sand the existing finish to 220 grit and use rattle cans of satin black lacquer to finish it up.  A clear coat over the black would add a bit of depth to the finish if you like that, but is not necessary.  I do this all the time on kitchen cabinets and it lasts for years.  We usually use the following proccess on cabinets:  clean with tsp -> hand sand with 220 grit paper -> satin black lacquer -> satin or semi-gloss clear coat.

[RogerB]

Let's see...a GF that doesn't like cherry or rosewood..................

I'd get the speakers and get a new GF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  LOL!!!

Just kidding.......

Roger

[rupnok]

I'd just sand the existing finish to 220 grit and use rattle cans of satin black lacquer to finish it up.  A clear coat over the black would add a bit of depth to the finish if you like that, but is not necessary.  I do this all the time on kitchen cabinets and it lasts for years.  We usually use the following proccess on cabinets:  clean with tsp -> hand sand with 220 grit paper -> satin black lacquer -> satin or semi-gloss clear coat.

Thanks! You've given me the confidence to go ahead and try this out. I've read a bunch of reviews for the ELTs... somewhat warm, not the best base, but a major upgrade from JBL "creature speakers" that she has right now. Little worried that they they are not terribly efficient, and are going to need a lot of power... but for $125 can't pass them up.

Will let you know how it goes...

[rupnok]

Well I picked the ELT525Ms up from a local seller (@ the ridiculous price of $125!), and hooked them up. Wow! Once again awesome job on Danny's part in designing such a rich, luscious, near-warm sounding monitor. Not as efficient as my x-series, and I can immediately see the benefit to adding some No-Rez though, as it does sound a little "boxy" given all the crappy poly-fill they stuffed in there (I even noticed it was blocking the port!).

Anyhow... back to the point. They are beautifully finished, and seem to have a poly-coat on top. Am I sanding through the coat and veneer to get to the bare MDF, then building back up, or is it possible for me to sand through the poly coat, and just restain the veneer a much darker (near espresso) finish?

[Hank]

Let's see...a GF that doesn't like cherry or rosewood..................

I'd get the speakers and get a new GF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  LOL!!!

+1
How can a person not love the natural beauty of Rosewood??

[soewhatman]

Don't sand all the way through anything.  All you need is a light hand sanding with 220 grit paper to scuff the clear coat.  You want to ensure it is clean and has some "tooth" for a new coat to stick to well.  After that you may decide to use primer, depending on the product you are using, but I've found that lacquers bond fine without a dedicated primer coat.

It goes without saying...it would probably be best to remove the drivers fro this procedure and re-install them after the boxes have been painted.  Good luck.

Rick.

[rupnok]

Let's see...a GF that doesn't like cherry or rosewood..................

I'd get the speakers and get a new GF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  LOL!!!

+1
How can a person not love the natural beauty of Rosewood??

Well Rosewood is actually great - but the 525s I got were Cherry. Beautiful in their own right, especilally if I had an open home with lighter hardwood or lighter wall colors. You can see in another post - most of my stuff (and my GF's) is a little more modern, espresso finish, with beiges and browns. Cherry sticks out like a shore thumb.

[S Clark]

Black lacquer covered with clear is very easy.  Sand down into the veneer without going through it, getting it to take a new stain evenly, and then refinishing would be a PITA for a pro.  Paint it satin black and forget it.  You are talking about a project measured in hours with a high probability of success versus a project measured in days with a low probability of success.

[rupnok]

Black lacquer covered with clear is very easy.  Sand down into the veneer without going through it, getting it to take a new stain evenly, and then refinishing would be a PITA for a pro.  Paint it satin black and forget it.  You are talking about a project measured in hours with a high probability of success versus a project measured in days with a low probability of success.

Thanks for all the advice, guys, SUPER helpful!

I take it from what I am reading - and sorry that I am repeating, but this is how I learn being a total noob:

(0) Remove drivers, crossover, binding post, polyfill, and tape off the port & serial number.
(1) Clean with TSP
(2) Hand sand with 220 grit sand paper, to get the top coat off, but not through the veneer - more to lightly scratch the surface
(3) Use a primer coat (Bondo or other basic primer materials)?
 - Am I painting the primer one with a paint brush, or are there spray primers available?
(4) Use a spray black laquer/Krylon paint
(5) Finish with a clear coat
(6) Reinstall crossovers, etc.

Any particular brands recommended for the primer or black laquer, besides Krylon?

[tgp06]

rupnok,
Regarding your note (2), lightly rough up the topcoat with 220- no need (or desire) to remove the topcoat to expose the veneer if you are going to paint them. The only reason to expose the veneer would be to re-stain...somewhat tricky to accomplish without sanding through the veneer or loosening the glue if you attempt to use a liquid/gel paint remover. Spray primer is readily available. If the current finish is smooth, your paint coat should be smooth. The cherry AV123 speakers I have are very smooth and would paint up very nicely in satin black. Good luck.

[soewhatman]

TGP is right on about the sanding.  No need to sand the clear coat off in order to paint over it, so long as the clear coat is in good condition.  Just rough it up a little bit with the 220 paper so it's clean and will take a new paint well.   Basically sand just until the existing clear coat is no longer shiny.

For a nice finish and ease of application I reccomend using lacquer.  Most of the rattle cans you see are not lacquer, but rather oil based enamels.  They would work fine as well, but are not quite as easy to work with.  Lacquer dries quickly, has a consistent sheen, will bond very well to your lightly sanded clear coat, and doesn't need to be sanded between coats.  The enamels will dry more slowly, should be used with a primer, and need to be lighly sanded between coats.  If you use an enamel & primer be sure to test them on something or use the same paint series.  Not all paints are compatible with all primers, and you don't want to find that out the hard way.  In either case be sure to spray outside and/or wear a good organic filter mask.  These things smell bad.

You want to use spray products at all steps for a better result with less work.

Your local Lowes, Home Depot, or even Ace Hardware should have a whole series of colors in enamel, and usually they have at least white, black, and clear in lacquers.

I think you've got the basic idea down and should get these to turn out nicely.

[rupnok]

I went over the local Sherwin Williams, and they ::surprisingly:: did not have black lacquer.

They guy tried to tell me that I would be fine sanding off the gloss on the clear coat, and using this:

http://www.krylon.com/products/indooroutdoor_paint/

They had a "Satin Black" finish, but when he test sprayed it - it was thin, globy, and oily... so I thought back to what folks here had said about most spray cans being oil based enamels.

Anyhow, was scared off on this first attempt - need to regroup - and head out again.

[S Clark]

A quick google search yielded this:
http://www.vandykes.com/product/203044/behlen-touch-up-spray-satin-black

Apparently satin is available by several brands, but not Krylon.  I've had good luck with Rustoleum products before.

[rupnok]

So - after a ::whole:: lot of digging, I finally found a product that works for my application:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Matte-Black-Vinyl-Sheet-Roll-Decal-Sticker-Wrap-Kit_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem483321725bQQitemZ310095475291QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

It's a semi-sheen (almost satin) smooth black vinyl wrap. A lot of car enthusiasts wrap their roadsters in this stuff. I ordered a few samples - including some of the wood grain. Not too shabby, especially when you can buy this stuff in bulk at a decent discount.

Just wanted to throw it out there as an option to folks that are a little less handy with woodworking. I would definitely have gone with paper-backed veneer if this were a kitted project, but given that I just wanted a satin black finish - this is the best solution for me.

[Hank]

If you're considering a vinyl, take a look at these from Parts Express.  I have at least one roll of most of them.  Very good quality.  One local guy covered his DIY towers with the Cherry and everyone who saw the speakers thought it was real Cherry veneer:  http://www.parts-express.com/wizards/searchResults.cfm?srchExt=CAT&srchCat=135&CFID=14498785&CFTOKEN=23917996

[rupnok]

Hank, I appreciate the suggestion. I took a look - but the black finish they had was a black "ash" vinyl. I was looking for either a satin or piano black, and found both at this site:

http://www.rvinyl.com/wrapkits/vinyl/solidcolors.htm

$5 per foot of 24" width adhesive backed vinyl. They have a range of solid colors, some cool carbon fiber, and both a satin and piano black finish. I went back and forth on whether to finish the ELTs in satin or piano, but decided to stay conservative with satin. Given how easy the application is, I may switch to piano some other time. For $30 to cover two speakers, not a bad way to go.