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Building the Ergo E-IX mini-monitor loudspeaker system

Having fun here! :rolleyes: I accidentally got a bit of glue in the threaded inserts, but I managed to clear it without further mishap. To negate any chance of additional clogging, I decided to keep my bolts in during the sanding. Consequently, I've removed a bit of black finish off some of the bolt heads. Does anyone know the thread and length of the woofer bolts, so I can order some replacements? I would just go to the hardware store to check, but it's locked down at the moment.
 
How about a lick of black paint/Sharpie as an interim measure? Sometimes the black anodising isn't pure black, and I've been known to spray satin black enamel to the exposed heads of M8 bolts.
 
Thanks for the suggestion, James. I'm just finishing the sanding, and have all the Danish oil to apply, so I have time to wait for new bolts.
 
Hey Mike, I'll send you some FOC next week when I get a minute, presumably you are OK physically with the others for now and no huge rush?
 
Thanks for the offer Stefan, but I'll get them much quicker if I just order them here and the cost isn't significant. I'm also a bit concerned that tensioning and un-tensioning the bolts will dislodge the threaded inserts. (That's already happened to a couple as I tried to get rid of the bit of glue that made its way into them.) Also, a couple of those inserts are not perfectly aligned, so I want to minimize the need to fiddle with them. I just need to know the specs... I'm guessing M6x25.

BTW, I'm using Danish Oil (the Dark Walnut tint). So far I've been doing the back panels for practice, and I think they're looking really good:

BackPanels.jpg


That's after three coats, with the last applied using 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I'll probably add another coat or two of that same color, then switch over to the "Natural" tint for a few coats. Then I have to decide whether to apply some type of rub-on poly, for added durability.
 
James said:
You might like to check compatibility before committing.
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Supposedly as long as I let the Danish oil fully cure, I should be able to use a water based poly on top. I may end up being happy with the Danish oil alone, though.
 
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If you build up to 5 or 6 coats of the Danish oil you'll have a semi gloss and very hard wearing surface. My kitchen table has 5 coats, is 5 years old and gets used for breakfast, lunch, dinner every day...

The bolts are M5.
 
Thanks for the bolt size, Stefan. And I suspect I won't bother to add the poly. I'll wait until it's cured to decide for sure. I just finished the 8th coat on the backs, and I'm about to apply my practiced skills to the rest of the enclosures now.
 
orangeart said:
8! That is dedication :)
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My favorite part of wood working is hand-sanding, followed by finishing. Therefore, it wasn't at all painful. ;) They were also quite thin, so I was able to apply 2-3 coats per day. After 5 of the dark walnut tint, I decided it was as dark as I wanted. It wasn't as "soft and rich" as a wanted, though, so I added a three more coats of the natural tint. Apparently your not suppose to mix tints within a job, but it seems fine so far.

The main cabinets are going to be harder, given they aren't sitting flat. I'm working in 3D space now, which should prove more challenging.
 
The first coat of Danish oil dries quickly, but subsequent coats need increasing time to cure. My general rule of thumb is about 4-5 coats applied:

t1 = 0
t2 = +8hr
t3 = +24hr
t4 = +3d
t5 = +7d

Light sanding / rubbing with wire-wool is needed only between the first three coats.
 
Does anyone have the order numbers of the coils for the freestanding version of the Ergo's crossover please. I have built a pair with the close wall version however due to room positioning they need to be moved out from the wall and as a result sound unbalanced.
 
James said:
The first coat of Danish oil dries quickly, but subsequent coats need increasing time to cure. My general rule of thumb is about 4-5 coats applied:

t1 = 0
t2 = +8hr
t3 = +24hr
t4 = +3d
t5 = +7d

Light sanding / rubbing with wire-wool is needed only between the first three coats.
Click to expand...
I've seen so many variations of these recommendations. :) In my case, I tended to wait 4-12 hours between coats (depending on convenience), and I used 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper to apply all coats starting with the 3rd. I was working on the backs, so I was just experimenting/practicing.

With the main cabinets, I may wait a little longer between coats, although I'm not sure that I would wait more than 24 hours. As far as I understand, it cures fully after about 36 hours. I thought the point of adding the new coats was for them to bond/merge with the prior coats, so you would want to do that well before they were cured. If that's true, then your 4th and 5th coats would be going onto fully cured coats, rather than merging with them.

I'm assuredly not an expert, and I've seen no "definitive" explanation that seems to hold any more weight than all the rest. It sure would be nice if I could find one.
 
The great thing about Danish oils I have used is that a new coat can be added anytime. It does not have the same re-coating/bonding time constraints like paints, varnish and such like. I have re-oiled Ergos years after they were first built, and they come up looking like new again.
 
I usually do once every day. I don't wipe the first couple of course off either I just go at it with wire wool when I add the next cost. After about 3 or 4 coats I move to wiping off and 400 grit wet and dry application.

I almost never use Danish these days. I'm Osmo Polyx or Rubio mono coat every time. Looks great, no effort, and done in 1 or 2 coats.
 
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