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How would you finish this wood finish?

D

deltaunit

pfm Member
I have these nice little cabinets with a pair of MA alpair drivers in them but the veneer on them is very dry. They are from a Japanese brand 'Q Create' and seem to be a sort of DIY/Kit model sold to pair with the many small full range drivers available. Measurements for interested

IMG-2687.jpg


The 7l model page states they have a 'wax' finish but my cabinets don't really match the description (or image) by being veneered on the sides. I'm not sure mine have any finish on them at all and I think if I leave them unfinished for much longer they'll pick up marks from just normal handling in a home environment so they need protecting some how and I am looking for advice on what would be best.

I don't have any experience in this area and ideally I'd like to avoid turning them yellow or spoiling them by using the wrong oil / wax. I have some Dunlops lemon oil available but am prepared to get whatever is best for them as I really like them.
 
If they are genuinely unfinished/unwaxed then perhaps have a look at using something like osmo wood wax finish but I’d find out from the manufacturer what finish they originally applied as attempting to apply a different finish may result in tears

Osmo wood wax finish
 
If you cant get any information from the manufacturer are there any inconspicuous areas like the bottom which have been
veneered that you can try various finishes on ?
 
Osmo products are superb, and depending on what you're aiming for, either the wood wax, or their "top oil" which gives a really durable finish which can then be waxed for a bit more depth (Harrell's clear wax is probably the best on the market)

This obviously presupposes that you are dealing with unfinished timber - plenty of other options if you can establish what it has been finished with previously
 
That wood looks like Meranti, to me; very open-grain/ open-pore.
It'll take anything as a finish just don't expect piano gloss ;)
 
martin clark said:
very open-grain/ open-pore.
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That's exactly how it feels, it's very rough to the touch not like any other finished wooden products I've had.

They were starting to look quite dusty and patchy white so I wiped them with a damp cloth the other day. The wood darkened with the moisture and then dried out again. On any other speaker or wooden furniture I have water doesn't absorb in the same way.

40imp said:
If you cant get any information from the manufacturer are there any inconspicuous areas like the bottom which have been
veneered that you can try various finishes on ?
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That's a great point, yes, the bottom is also veneered. Only the back panel is left as MDF.

IMG-2688.jpg
 
Fill the grain using sanding sealer - apply then remove with fine wire wool, reapply etc. as long as it takes to fill the grain, then finish with a wax

Don't be tempted to slap the sealer on, go with thin coats (rather a lot by the looks). Thin coat, let it dry (which is quick), then a quick but thorough cut back.
 
And be very carefull to clean as much dust off after cutting back, as humanly possible. A dusty area to do this is not where you want to be.

You might find it easier to get hold of professional paint cutting pads, than wire wool, although Scewfix used to stock a range . The pads look like Scotchbrite pads but are graded, so you need the right grade, which I do not know (they are coloured to show grade but that may vary manufacturer to manufacturer).

Cutting back is just to remove the very surface layer of sealer, not any wood. Be very, very, very careful along edges as even extremely mild abrasive can go through the veneer.
 
Are you going to go sanding your speakers though?

They are absorbing moisture when you get them wet as they are untreated by the sound of it.

I use two things dependent on what finish you want.

wax if you want Protection, but a similar look.

Liberon Finishing oil if you want to create a little bit of gloss. More coats more gloss
 
Rug Doc said:
Are you going to go sanding your speakers though?
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I'd caution using any abrasive coarser than 400 grit, lest the OP suffers breakthrough of the veneer.

My personal favourite finish is Danish Oil, which is difficult to get wrong. Just need a bit of patience for it to cure between two or three coats.
 
A plan is forming, I'll probably put an order in from Chestnut later today. Thanks everyone.

Does an unfinished but veneered cabinet like this make sense from a DIY kit idea? It looks like DIY is a big element of these Japanese FR speakers...

Looking at the nyweb cutting pads, they are available in 1000-400 grit + white non abrasive. Start with 400?

I like the idea of wax finish, when it comes to the finishing should I mask off the rear panel or just wax over the MDF as well?
 
deltaunit said:
A plan is forming, I'll probably put an order in from Chestnut later today. Thanks everyone.

Does an unfinished but veneered cabinet like this make sense from a DIY kit idea? It looks like DIY is a big element of these Japanese FR speakers...

Looking at the nyweb cutting pads, they are available in 1000-400 grit + white non abrasive. Start with 400?

I like the idea of wax finish, when it comes to the finishing should I mask off the rear panel or just wax over the MDF as well?
Click to expand...
I would use a drying oil (there are lots to choose from, varying mainly in how much varnish is in the mix, hence how much "build" they have), even if you plan to wax afterwards. Using wax as the only finish gives very little protection.

Both drying oils and waxes are pretty much fool proof to apply.
 
Beware, Danish Oil is just a name these days - every brand is different.
As for using a drying oil...................... if you used one that wasn't, it would not dry, the finish would be forever sticky.

Drying oil is also meaningless today. In the past it referred to natural or near natural oils that cross-link (dry) of their own accord once left open to the air. Tung and boiled (not raw) linseed oils being classic examples. Today, synthetic driers, often epoxies, are added to pretty much any oil and the drier does the cross-linking.

To be honest, even sanding sealer is just a name today. Traditionally it was just dilute lacquer, and lacquer was just shellac in meths. Not anymore, although they can be. (Traditional French polish was decolourised shellac in meths too.) As a finish, shellac is horrible - it chips, and it hates water and heat.

An extremely good, easy to use wax finish can be made by dissolving natural beeswax in tung oil - look it up onlne for the proportions - it makes a typical paste once cool. Easiest to make by using a small glass jar sitting in hot water. Don't make more than you'll use in a very few months as it will cross-link in the bottle and become unusable.

Boiled linseed oil makes a good finish too, but needs diluting quite a bit with white spirit to be usable, so that it sinks into the wood and can be applied sparingly. I use it on tool handles that will be outdoors, and some wooden linen line props that were my mother's and must be 30, probably 40 years old if a day.

Note, nowhere did I suggest using an actual abrasive. In the past something like flour paper would have been used for cutting back sealer, but today - professionasl will use cutting pads (Scotchbrite lookalikes).
 
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It may be a trick of the light but they look far from "unfinished" and look to have wax. I'd be cautious and use just a little extra Renaissance wax or leave them alone. Tung oil could work but that depends on what wax is there and how much yellowing is acceptable. Boiled linseed oil is one of the last things you want if you don't want them yellowing. Grain filling misses the point IMO.
 
I'm at least one person removed from the original purchaser, although they are such audiophile things I wouldn't be too surprised if they weren't also on the forum. If anyone has a VPN more info might be available on https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/qcreate-e-shop2/zwbra5c0a5.html

If they were waxed would they still absorb water immediately? They feel more like a cut piece of wood than any piece of furniture etc I have so feel that something needs to be done. I think that if I were to touch them at the moment with even slightly greasy hands they'd be marked.
 
Kelvin at Stereo ReviewX just released a video about varnishing. Perhaps not the same as what you'll doing with MDF but it's good watch all the same.

 
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Danish oil will work on waxed surfaces as will boiled linseed oil, with BLO they say once a day for a week, once a month for a year and once a year for life.

Pete
 
Pete MB&D said:
Danish oil will work on waxed surfaces as will boiled linseed oil
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Naturally, anything that essentially dissolves wax will work over wax, but getting an even, pleasant finish is more difficult than with unfinished veneer or timber.
 
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