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Barry
13-07-2010, 19:11
[Note: See details explaining the open invitation above, further on in my post #15].


Cosmetic refurbishment of a B&O 1700 tuner

I bought this tuner off eBay and it arrived today. As with any used vintage or classic audio equipment, I always give the exterior a good clean and try to restore, as much as I can, the cosmetic condition.

Having just done this, I thought I would pass on my experience to others who like to do the same; there are at least a couple of members of AoS, who are interested in refurbishing used audio items. Whilst these notes specifically refer to the above-mentioned tuner, they are sufficiently general to apply to most classic items.

First of all, I have to say that the tuner cosmetically was in excellent condition: no scratches; dents; ‘dings’ or rubbed out lettering. It was however dirty, being mostly due to finger grease and dust. There was an overall patina of grime, suggesting that a smoker might have used the item.

First step is to play some calm, soothing music whilst you are working on the clean up: I chose to play some baroque and early music.

Next place the item on a cloth or old towel; you don’t want to add any scratches or scuff marks. Dust the item with a duster, and then wipe down the entire exterior with a damp cloth, working the cloth into the ventilation slots.

With the exception of the rear and underside of the tuner, the visible parts consisted of a black, brushed, and anodised facia with wood top and sides. I think the wood is teak, but I’m not sure – perhaps our resident dendrologist can identify it from the photograph.

Next step is to clean up the fascia and remove the greasy grime. To do this, gently rub and wipe the surface with a cloth soaked in white spirit. Pay particular attention to those parts that have received the most finger marks: the controls such as the tuning cursor, the preset thumb wheels and the push buttons. These parts will most likely need extra attention, requiring the use of some polishing wadding (‘Duraglit’ or similar). Be careful and don’t rub too hard, otherwise you might find yourself removing the lettering! Push the push buttons in and out, so as to clean them thoroughly. On this tuner the push buttons are contiguous, even so their sides can be cleaned using dental floss to work in between the small gaps. Also be careful not to use the wadding on any textured surfaces, such as the grooved edges of the thumb wheels or knurled knobs, otherwise when the alcohol evaporates, you will be left with rouge in the grooves and these will require an old toothbrush to clean it out.

I even took some time to clean up the captive mains lead. At some time, some gloss paint had splashed onto the lead. This took a combination of white spirit to remove the general grime, and some paintbrush cleaner to soften the paint, so that it could be scratched away with a fingernail. I could have replaced the mains cable, but it was in excellent condition, and of the appropriate colour. Being original, it used the Danish mains wiring colour code, before the introduction of the EU harmonisation.

The final treatment of the fascia is to polish it using something like Pledge or Mr Sheen. Use acute sight lines to ensure that the surface is polished evenly. Pay particular attention to the tuning scale, or in this case the cursor. The plastic of the cursor on the tuner had become dull with age. Unfortunately I don’t know what can be done about it, however the dullness is even and uniform. There will be some parts that have become permanently polished through repeated rubbing by the users fingers. In my case this was around the preset thumb wheels, again there is little that can be done about this, but this defect is minor.

The wood parts can now be polished using wax furniture polish and much ‘elbow grease’.

Finally, there will be inevitable slight blemishes of the black anodising, especially on edges and corners. These can be touched up using a black spirit-based magic marker. This can only be a palliative measure – it’s not permanent and is only effective for the smallest of marks.

Now you can sit back and admire your handiwork. No doubt most people might feel that I have been unnecessarily fussy, well whereas some people will refurbish cars or furniture, paintings, or clocks - I refurbish audio equipment.

Here is a photograph showing the result of my labours.

http://i780.photobucket.com/albums/yy88/barrydhunt/BOtuner.jpg

What does it sound like? Well that will be the subject of a future post.

Trust this is found to be useful and interesting.

Regards

Spectral Morn
13-07-2010, 19:19
Looks very nice Barry I will be interested to read what you think of the sound.

I usually use Tesco's clear antibacterial cleaner + cotton wool buds and pads + some kitchen roll. I use this for metal work, buttons and screen cleaning. Wood cases get a rub with clear bees wax polish.


Regards D S D L

DSJR
13-07-2010, 19:24
These items were available primarily in teak or rosewood veneer (often on a plastic base)and here's the problem. The teak darkens over the decades and the rich red rosewood can lighten to a burnt orange colour, not far off the Teak by this time. I have a sneaky suspicion that yours may be a teak one but cannot be certain.

Rare Bird
13-07-2010, 19:31
Best facia cleaner i ever used & doesnt smear was the green liquid spray window cleaner

hifi_dave
13-07-2010, 19:35
Barry,
Good article. I must get down to cleaning up my £10.25 B&O tuner...:)

The finish is Teak. Back in the distant mists of time, there was only Teak or Rosewood. Later came Walnut, Black Ash, then Cherry.

The splattering on the cable is often not paint - it is spider shite...:eek:

Alex_UK
13-07-2010, 19:49
Best facia cleaner i ever used & doesnt smear was the green liquid spray window cleaner

Exactly what I was going to recommend - Mr Muscle Window & Glass cleaner - I use this on my plasma screen (glass) - but it also fantastic on plastic LCD screens, laptop screens and perspex - but always test a small area first, just in case - I've never had a problem, always brings them up like new - but no liability accepted, etc!

http://www.scjohnson.co.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=6030

http://www.scjohnson.co.uk/media//corporate/uk/img/brands/prods/mrmuscle/uk_mrmuscle_windowandglasscleaner.jpg

Oh, and currently only £1.00 instead of £1.59 in Sainsbury - bought 3 at the weekend! (See Barry, still hunting out my bargain bottles!)

Mothman
13-07-2010, 20:07
Looks peachy Barry - Nice job

Rare Bird
13-07-2010, 20:12
Exactly what I was going to recommend - Mr Muscle Window & Glass cleaner - I use this on my plasma screen (glass) - but it also fantastic on plastic LCD screens, laptop screens and perspex - but always test a small area first, just in case - I've never had a problem, always brings them up like new - but no liability accepted, etc!

Oh, and currently only £1.00 instead of £1.59 in Sainsbury - bought 3 at the weekend! (See Barry, still hunting out my bargain bottles!)

Aye i use that on everything it's brilliant with a soft lint free cloth usually my cotton underpants :lolsign:

DrMartin
13-07-2010, 20:24
Aye i use that on everything it's brilliant with a soft lint free cloth

Ditto, great stuff.

I also use the lens wipes that I use for my glasses - but you have to be quick with those.

The Grand Wazoo
13-07-2010, 22:52
Glass cleaner, that's the stuff!
Also, a good soak in water for knobs with knurled edges.
Newsprint & meths for glass.
Cotton buds
WD40 for sticky stuff - but be very careful and sparing with this
Dental floss for small gaps.

It looks great & I think it's Teak, Barry!

Rare Bird
13-07-2010, 22:55
I always use a toothbrush & that good washing up liquid for deep ingrained knobs

Marco
14-07-2010, 00:26
I always use a toothbrush & that good washing up liquid for deep ingrained knobs


Cheese removal?

Haha.... There's defo a 'Marcoism' in there! :lol:

Marco.

Beobloke
14-07-2010, 06:50
Personally I use -

- Cif for metal/plastic parts (the 'Cif with Bleach' version if they're really manky). I also use it for the initial clean of wooden parts.
- Window cleaner for transparent plastic and glass
- Toothbrush for nooks, crannies and knobs
- Isopropyl Alcohol for CD lenses, tape heads and turntable drive surfaces, plus sticker or paint removal
- Teak Oil for the final treatment of wood finishes.

Apparently Cif foaming cleaner works well on textured surfaces like the leatherette cases of Dansettes and the like, but I've not tried this one yet.

By the way, that B&O looks great Barry!

DSJR
14-07-2010, 07:03
They won't be cheap any more :(

Barry
14-07-2010, 08:21
Thanks guys for you comments, suggestions and feedback.

I should have mentioned cotton buds, paper kitchen towel and spray cleaner for glasses (spectacles). And of course the use of lint-free cloth in critical areas, as well as the wearing of lint-free cotton gloves, to prevent recovering your carefully cleaned and polished surfaces with fresh finger marks!

Chris - I like the suggestion of using WD40. It is a fairly benign solvent and it smells better than iso-propyl alcohol. Methylated spirit is also OK but is more expensive than white spirit. Seems you too have discovered the use of dental floss. I also at times use inter-dental brushes (those miniature bottle brushes) to clean and get into small gaps.

Andy - Do CIF make a spray or foam product? The standard CIF cream is not really suitable as it is too abrasive and can leave a powdery residue.

It seems that, as I suspected, we have quite a few members here who have been through the process of 'scrubbing up' used items of audio gear they have bought from ebay, boot sales, or places like Cash Converters.


An open invitation (as mentioned in my opening post).

So guys, do you think an article, placed in the AoS library, on the cosmetic refurbishment and restoration of audio gear would be useful? If so then I would like it to be collaborative effort. You PM me with all the 'tricks of the trade' you have learnt, or been taught and I'll write it up. All contributions will be credited and acknowledged.

At this stage it is only the cosmetic refurbishment I want to consider. Electrical refurbishment will be the subject for a possible later article. Of course by cosmetic refurbishment I don't want to be restricted to electronic items - speakers are to be included as well.

André and Chris, you are both pretty knowledgeable about wood so I'm sure you will have some ideas and suggestions.

I would also appreciate ideas and suggestions on the re-spraying of metal equipment cases and enclosures. I have only had this done the once on a vintage Quad tuner, and that was done by my late father who was a panel beater by trade. He was able to mix-up the paint to match the Quad 'bronze' colour and restore the paint finish as new. Maybe local car re-sprayers are willing to do these small jobs - I don't know.

So that's the idea. Anybody interested? Do we have a deal?

Regards

Spectral Morn
14-07-2010, 09:02
They won't be cheap any more :(

Looking nice and sounding nice are two separate things.

Sadly though writing about anything these days can mean that its S/H value may go up (good for the seller bad for the buyer). Good example is the Technics 9600 tuner that HiFi World wrote about recently, these were selling for about the £100 to £150 mark before the write up, now the last ones on Ebay went for £180 and £257 :( Is it worth this kind of money....hard to say. I have yet to get one but won't be doing so at that sort of money.

Should we not write about kit in case this happens ? I would say no as old forgotten kit makes for interesting articles and discoveries. However for the vintage newbie and collector alike it does raise the bar for being able to buy these items :( However trends come and go and the S/H prices will probably go down a bit as has happened recently with some Leak Trough-Line tuners on Ebay.

Regards D S D L

spendorman
14-07-2010, 09:11
I always use a toothbrush & that good washing up liquid for deep ingrained knobs

I use ordinary block soap. Washing up liquid uses salt as a thickener (at least I was told that by the (Chief Chemist at Electrolux and they made detergents there). He told me not to use washing up liquid on cars for obvious reasons, (salt,- rust). He also advised if one has nothing else but washing up liquid to use for car cleaning, just a few drops in a bucket will break the surface tension.

REM
14-07-2010, 09:40
Detergents are the best de-greasers but washing up liquid should be avoided due to all the additives etc.

There is something called Puly Caff which is a reasonably pure detergent used for backflushing espresso coffee machines and is great at breaking down grease/oils etc., so should be good for knobs and buttons if you can remove them and let them soak for a while.

For really contaminated parts look at car cleaning products, Traffic Film Remover (TFR) is the industry standard stuff for de-greasing wheels/engines and the like and comes in varying concentrations, all should be used with caution (alloy wheel cleaners are fairly dilute TFR) the really concentrated stuff is caustic, approach with care!

Try blagging some from your local car valeters.

Cheers

Marco
14-07-2010, 10:12
Hi Neil,


Should we not write about kit in case this happens ? I would say no as old forgotten kit makes for interesting articles and discoveries.


Indeed - I completely agree. We should always seek to inform on such matters and not selfishly protect our own interests, regardless of the outcome in terms of raising prices. The latter, I'm afraid, is just life.

I must admit that such a notion had not even crossed my mind when shouting from the rooftops, for example, how good vintage Tannoys, Shure M3Ds, Celestion Ditton 15XRs, Lentek head amps or certain classic DACs and direct-drive T/Ts are in the right system! ;)

Informing a wider audience, who might not otherwise have been aware of or have considered buying certain types of vintage equipment, and bringing joy to those people, as a result of them discovering that equipment and loving it as much as we do, perhaps even saving them money in the process from buying vintage instead of often vastly more expensive (and sometimes inferior) new equipment, *is* what it's all about.

This attitude is at the very core of the AOS ethos - and always will be :)

Marco.

spendorman
14-07-2010, 10:19
Detergents are the best de-greasers but washing up liquid should be avoided due to all the additives etc.

There is something called Puly Caff which is a reasonably pure detergent used for backflushing espresso coffee machines and is great at breaking down grease/oils etc., so should be good for knobs and buttons if you can remove them and let them soak for a while.

For really contaminated parts look at car cleaning products, Traffic Film Remover (TFR) is the industry standard stuff for de-greasing wheels/engines and the like and comes in varying concentrations, all should be used with caution (alloy wheel cleaners are fairly dilute TRF) the really concentrated stuff is caustic, approach with care!

Try blagging some from your local car valeters.

Cheers

Ordinary car shampoo might be safe and worth trying, will probably have some wax in it.

spendorman
14-07-2010, 10:21
Many of the pictures of the 1700 show peeling veneer on the end caps, seems a common thing.

The Grand Wazoo
14-07-2010, 10:56
Barry, I think your idea is a good one. It looks like the suggestions are appearing here though - you/we may have to convert them into a digest or something.

A guide on what not to use on what is just as valuable too, I'd say.
I've got a big thing against the use of cleaning products with silicon in them, because the silicon 'creeps' far beyond the surface you spread it on & I think it must compromise the quality of connections.

spendorman
14-07-2010, 11:01
Barry, I think your idea is a good one. It looks like the suggestions are appearing here though - you/we may have to convert them into a digest or something.

A guide on what not to use on what is just as valuable too, I'd say.
I've got a big thing against the use of cleaning products with silicon in them, because the silicon 'creeps' far beyond the surface you spread it on & I think it must compromise the quality of connections.

My pedantic mode is on: 'Silicone' is probably what is meant.

Rare Bird
14-07-2010, 11:19
André and Chris, you are both pretty knowledgeable about wood so I'm sure you will have some ideas and suggestions.



Teak is an highly resinous wood that only requires an oil to nourish..a hell of a lot of furnature in the 60's was made from teak as was most quality hifi speaker cabinets & amplifier sleeves etc.Manufacturers tend just to give it a quick coat of laquer for a nice semi gloss sheen in which the wood doesnt actually like hence may look like its slighly blistering long term in some cases,especially if it's been exposed to sunlight a lot..of course an oil would only give you matt finish thats open to dirt which is not too brainy.. i used to use a medium build microporous clear finish by Sikkens called 'Cetol TS Interiour' on Teak, my oak furnature is actually all finished in this & would not use anything else, it's a brilliant spray gun type finish, being microporous it lets the wood breathe aswell (no blistering)..

Of course Teak is very expensive & hard to get now in bulk & i'm safe in saying the nearest hardwood to use in its place would probably be iroko (Iroko dust is a killer btw, so use a mask if you ever work with it) you used to see iroko a lot of chemistry lab technicians work benches as it's very hard wearing like teak & takes a lot of chemical spillage etc.. ...A simular looking wood to teak in the 60's/ early '70's, also used in furniture was Afromosia, i think this was the wood originally used on the LP12 surround..

Just bear a thought for the sheer amount of teak that went through London North Eastern Railway works for the construction of Gresley coaches

http://www.lnerca.org/photoalbums/gresleygala2005/643.htm

Techno Commander
14-07-2010, 11:52
I use anti static foaming cleaner (http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fasteners-Production-Equipment/Service-Aids/Cleansers-Solvents/Foam-cleaner/74391/kw/foaming+cleaner) on metal case work. It is excellent for removing the greasy marks made by years of "knob twiddling and button pushing".

spendorman
14-07-2010, 11:58
I use anti static foaming cleaner (http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fasteners-Production-Equipment/Service-Aids/Cleansers-Solvents/Foam-cleaner/74391/kw/foaming+cleaner) on metal case work. It is excellent for removing the greasy marks made by years of "knob twiddling and button pushing".

I used that many years ago, got it from RS Components, was very good as you say.

Beobloke
14-07-2010, 13:25
Andy - Do CIF make a spray or foam product? The standard CIF cream is not really suitable as it is too abrasive and can leave a powdery residue.



They do make several spray cleaners but CIF itself is not abrasive. It was actually originally developed (as JIF) as an antidote to the likes of Ajax, which most certainly was!

http://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/homecarebrands/cif.aspx

Barry
14-07-2010, 14:51
They do make several spray cleaners but CIF itself is not abrasive. It was actually originally developed (as JIF) as an antidote to the likes of Ajax, which most certainly was!

http://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/homecarebrands/cif.aspx

Believe you me, CIF cream contains (or used to contain) a very fine abrasive powder: the manufacturers advised against using it on plastic baths. If not completely washed away the reidue could be seen.

They could well have changed the formulation these days.

Regards

Barry
14-07-2010, 15:02
Looking nice and sounding nice are two separate things.

Sadly though writing about anything these days can mean that its S/H value may go up (good for the seller bad for the buyer). Good example is the Technics 9600 tuner that HiFi World wrote about recently, these were selling for about the £100 to £150 mark before the write up, now the last ones on Ebay went for £180 and £257 :( Is it worth this kind of money....hard to say. I have yet to get one but won't be doing so at that sort of money.

Should we not write about kit in case this happens ? I would say no as old forgotten kit makes for interesting articles and discoveries. However for the vintage newbie and collector alike it does raise the bar for being able to buy these items :( However trends come and go and the S/H prices will probably go down a bit as has happened recently with some Leak Trough-Line tuners on Ebay.

Regards D S D L

I can't imagine anything that I might have to say about a particular component would affect eBay prices! :lol:

Should I not comment on the sound of the B&O 1700? Pity, as I've just hooked it up and tuned it in. Sounds rather good - first impressions only, but it has a very slightly warm but sweet sound; laying somewhere between the Leak Troughline Stereo and The Quad FM3. :)

Regards

spendorman
14-07-2010, 15:09
Should I not comment on the sound of the B&O 1700? Pity, as I've just hooked it up and tuned it in. Sounds rather good - first impressions only, but it has a very slightly warm but sweet sound; laying somewhere between the Leak Troughline Stereo and The Quad FM3. :)

Regards

Not bad to sound like that. My friend likes his 1700 tuner very much, described the sound of the 1700 amplifier as sweet himself.

Barry
14-07-2010, 15:18
Barry, I think your idea is a good one. It looks like the suggestions are appearing here though - you/we may have to convert them into a digest or something.

A guide on what not to use on what is just as valuable too, I'd say.
I've got a big thing against the use of cleaning products with silicone in them, because the silicone 'creeps' far beyond the surface you spread it on & I think it must compromise the quality of connections.

Yes that's important. I have a table of solvents placed in order of increasing strength. I would advise using nothing stronger than IPA or meths.

Must confess I'm a bit of a slob and do use a dilute mixture of warm water and washing-up liquid to clean equipment. Sometimes I will do the same when washing the car. Learning a lot at the moment, from people's posts on various detergents.

Do you have anything to add to André's notes on Teak, or any other wood for that matter? This is especially important for the refurbishment of speaker cabinets. I would also like to know what can be done about disguising those areas of veneered wood, where a small piece of veneer has chipped or flaked off. Any advice?

Regards

spendorman
14-07-2010, 15:25
I would also like to know what can be done about disguising those areas of veneered wood, where a small piece of veneer has chipped or flaked off. Any advice?

Regards

I have several very old tins of Brummer Stopper (I think it's called). Really a filler for wood. Teak, light Oak, dark Oak, Mahogany etc. Pretty good for the purpose mentioned. If in doubt to the exact colour, I use slightly lighter filler and a brown scratch pen.

I am no expert woodworker, but did lots of speaker cabinets years ago.

Correction, just found my tins, they are called Brummer Stopping

And an admission, my immaculate 15 Ohm Chartwell LS3/5a's, are not really immaculate, there was a tiny piece of veneer missing top left front corner of one cabinet. The repair (done as above) can barely be detected.

Techno Commander
14-07-2010, 18:56
I would advise using nothing stronger than IPA or meths.

Regards

Meths can leave a oily film after use. When I used to clean laser optics and perfestion was required, IPA was the better product. I also use IPA at work for cleaning the chassis' and bezels on aviation electronics. A small (10mm diameter) paint brush with the bristles cut down to about 1cm long is ideal.

spendorman
14-07-2010, 19:07
Meths can leave a oily film after use. When I used to clean laser optics and perfestion was required, IPA was the better product. I also use IPA at work for cleaning the chassis' and bezels on aviation electronics. A small (10mm diameter) paint brush with the bristles cut down to about 1cm long is ideal.

I too cleaned (power) laser optics with IPA, preferable to use a freshly opened bottle as IPA is hygroscopic.

Batty
14-07-2010, 22:20
I have instructions from Max on how to renovate the bearing of an Elite Rock if that would be of interest.

Techno Commander
14-07-2010, 22:24
I too cleaned (power) laser optics with IPA, preferable to use a freshly opened bottle as IPA is hygroscopic.

What lasers did you work on?
I used to have a few argons. ALC 60X & 68B and a SP2011.

Rare Bird
14-07-2010, 23:09
I have instructions from Max on how to renovate the bearing of an Elite Rock if that would be of interest.

yes please just cos i'm nosey ;)

Batty
15-07-2010, 00:32
Will have to scan at home probably over the weekend.

spendorman
15-07-2010, 06:43
What lasers did you work on?
I used to have a few argons. ALC 60X & 68B and a SP2011.

BOC 20 Watt YAG (later uprated to 25Watt, horrible job to do) and Baasel Laser 80 Watt YAG. I was going to put down the company at which I worked, then thought of the Official Secrets Act. Still, you can probably guess.

Techno Commander
15-07-2010, 12:37
Are they use for cutting/machining,or "other" purposes? :)

Talking of the OSA, we used to have a really nice chap from AWE Aldermaston who would "back up" our risk assessments to local councils.

spendorman
15-07-2010, 12:54
Are they use for cutting/machining,or "other" purposes? :)

Talking of the OSA, we used to have a really nice chap from AWE Aldermaston who would "back up" our risk assessments to local councils.

Yes, cutting, mainly of metals and Alumina and in early days, resistor trimming.

I thought of and developed a completely new process for resistor trimming (not involving lasers).

Batty
15-07-2010, 22:34
Will have to scan at home probably over the weekend.


Dug it out last night and all the ink has run, must have got wet some time. I will try to get another copy from Max - wish me luck.

Jac Hawk
05-12-2010, 14:54
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.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0297.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/Photo0304.jpg

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.

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