Location: Middlesex, UK
Posts: 4,481
I'm Alex.
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 520
I'm Steve.
As many of you know I recently did a cab referb on my Castle Kendal II's, nothing major like stiffening the internals, just turning a set of late 70's speakers that were covered in scratches, into something you wouldn't mind having in your lounge.
Referbishment of Real Wood Vaneered Speaker Cabinets
Ok to begin with a list of the tools and supplies you will need.
Black&Decker Workmate or simmilar work bench
Set of Screwdrivers
Steam Iron
pallet knife
cotton tea towel
sanding block
selection of fine to very fine sandpapers
Fine wire wool
Lint free cotton cloths
Sponges
French polish
White spirit
plastic wood filler
medium tan boot polish
So here are a couple of pictures of my speakers showing what i nneded to fix.
To begin with you need to dismantle your speakers, start with the bass units, remove all screws and gently take them out, remember they will be attached to the crossover so you will need remove the 2 wires, they are usually terminated via spade connectors on the crossover, and also remember to mark the crossover so you don't forget which wire goes where, now repeat for all other drivers.
Ok so you have your empty cab, now it's time to remove the connectors on the back of the speaker, they are usually held in with 4 screws, remove them and carefully remove the connection panel, remember on 2 way speakers the crossover may be directly attached to this panel. If you are going to referb the crossover and it is still in the cab you may want to take it out now.
Now you have your empty boxes, they will probably be lined with foam if they weren't filled , you can leave it in or take it out, it's up to you, now remove the grill mounting points if you can, my Castles used velcro pads which were stuck on.
Now lightly sand all vaneered surfaces to remove the old varnish, don't worry about deep scratches or split vaneers yet. Now it's time to do some ironing, cover each side in turn with a tea towel and usin the iron on a hot steam setting, iron the side for about a couple of minutes, this will help to lift the grain and remove ony brusing of the vaneer, repeat with all sides.
Older cabs like my Castles have an inset grill, you will find on speakers like this, that edge going around the speaker is solid timber and it may be bashed up a bit, you can really go to town on this with the sandpaper as you're not going to go through any vaneer, so using the sanding block and a medium paper, sand out all the imperfections.
Now most old Cabs have been knocked or moved about, and may have got chipped using the plastic filler (buy one that is roughtly the same colour as the speaker) fill in the chips using the pallet knife, also if the vaneer has split like on the front of my castles, use the corner off the pallet knife to dig out any crap in the split, then apply the plastic filler, leave the filler to set (go and have a beer).
Ok now it's time to remove any scratches or cup rings on the vaneer, the rule of thumb is the older the cab the thicker the vaneer should be, my castles have a really thick vaneer, about 3mm I would guess. start with any side you like, but remember the top and sides are going to be seen most often so if you have your speakers upside down take this into acount. Start with a fine 240 grit paper and start sanding, pay special attention to cup rings and deep scratches, wipe down the surface with white spirit on a sponge and clean off with a cotton cloth, if you can still see any marks sand again, continue this process until you are happy with the finish, it may be that there are still a few scratches but remember the vaneer is only thin so be carefull. Repeat for all sides, then let the cabs properly dry for about 30 minutes (this gives you time for another beer)
So you've had a drink and it's now time to go back to your speakers, you'll find that dust has become ingrained into the vaneer, so using the fine wire wool gently rub down the cabs, and clean the surfaces again with white spirit, this should lift any dust out of the grain, let the cabs dry for a few minutes, then take a clean sponge and wrap it in a fine cotton cloth and pour onto this some french polish, apply to the wood quickly in long straight even strokes, and let it dry (about 10 to 15 minutes), lightly sand the surface using flour paper then clean off the dust with white spirit, repeat 2 or 3 times.
After appling your coats of french polish give the cab the final light rub down using very fine flour grade paper and once again remove any dust with white spirit.
Finally you librally apply boot polish with a sponge to the wood, (i prefer this to bee's wax as it tends to be cheaper and you can usually match the polish to the shade of the wood) the polish will lift the colouring of the grain and also disguise any filling you have done , now with a clean cotton cloth buff the wood to a deep satin sheen, reassemble and enjoy.
As the late Colonel Sanders once said
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken!!"