Varnish for Isobariks.

[Isobarik]

Hello to all
I have sanded down my Briks ( the reason for this is that the guy I bought them from told me they were black ash!! they were in fact Teak!!! painted Black....)and now want to seal them......I don't want to varnish them as I like the cabinets how they are......they look more natural in there sanded down state.......anybody have any ideas?
My local sawmills recommended a clear, satin finish varnish but i'm not so sure !!

Regards to all
Isobarik.

 

[Sid and Coke]

You need to watch big Norm in the New Yankee workshop on Satellite TV, he'd know just the thing.
FWIW, as long as you have done a good job of rubbing down the wood to a nice smooth finish why not try oiling it instead of using varnish. Teak or wood oil really brings out the grain of the wood and also lets it breath a little.
On my LP12 Afro plinth i use a product called 'Liquid Gold' made by a company with the brand name 'Lord Sheraton'. I reckon it does a really good job on my LP12. When i first used it the surface was a little dull, where the product was gently removing the old accumulations of silicon and wax polish. Once this was done the true beauty of the wood started to come through, the finish seems to get better the more i use it. After application the surface is clean, dust free and anti-static. I would imagine that wherever you are going to buy your chosen finish from , they will probably also sell this product too, i would urge you to at least read the tin and consider it.

Edited to add:
getting a little of the product ( I think it is a fine oil but not too sure) onto the Stainless steel top plate was almost unavoidable, whilst treating my plinth,i soon found out that this doesn't matter as it does a good job of cleaning the top plate too !. Dont fancy a shiney Armboard though so this gets protected.

HTH
S&C

 

[Mick Seymour]

We've used it on wooden furniture for years with excellent results. Never thought of doing the LP12 before.

Wood does oil up nicely too, much better than varnish I reckon.

Mick

 

[Sid and Coke]

Oh go on the the www does cater for all tastes and persuasions: Sids saddest picture of them all

 

[Mick Seymour]

Where do you put all that stuff when you want to play an LP?

Mick

 

[john & Jake]

hi isobarik,
glad to hear you've sanded them and are pleased with the results.
I used Danish oil on mine after I stripped off the Varnish that a previous owner had used.
Very easy to use. does not go tacky.
Just soaks in and after a couple of coats just buff lightly to a satin finish.

 

[Isobarik]

Thanks for the positive replies.......Any idea which stores stock the Liquid Gold?

Kind Regards
Iso.

 

[Sid and Coke]

I got mine from a local old fashioned, small, independant DIY/Hardware shop. I'm sure one of the big DIY chains will sell it too though.

 

[Isobarik]

Originally posted by Sid and Coke
I got mine from a local old fashioned, small, independant DIY/Hardware shop. I'm sure one of the big DIY chains will sell it too though.

Cheers Sid.

 

[Nic Robinson]

Sid, your platter looks fab. How often do you have to clean it to keep it that shiny. I'm tempted to have a go at that myself??

Cheers,

Nic

 

[Sid and Coke]

Originally posted by Nic Robinson
Sid, your platter looks fab. How often do you have to clean it to keep it that shiny. I'm tempted to have a go at that myself??

Cheers,

Nic

Hi Nic,
Thanks,
Once you've done all the donkey work in acheiving the shiny platter look it is quite easy to preserve with a little regular 'house-keeping'.
Sad but true, I bought a pair of white cotton gloves from Boots the chemist, they only cost £2 a pair and are washable. I use these everytime i remove the platter. It only takes a few seconds to put them on and i don't have cause to remove the outer platter that often anyway. Basically you have to try and not get your greasy mitts on the platter edge whilst changing records, i think that most serious users have perfected the 'very tip of the finger tips' record removal technique anyway so no problems there. Around about once every 4 - 8 weeks I pop the plater off and give it a very small polish using either standard car polish or a touch of T-Cut, often it doesn't actually need it, i just like polishing things , I then use a duster to buff it up and give it a final polish with the gloves whilst handling it just prior to fitting. Getting the mirror finish in the first place is the PITA, maintaining it is easy and routine .
I find that these gloves are quite useful when i do my periodic cleaning of my Acrylic dust cover/lid using an anti-static cleaner and J-Cloths. For a few days the lid looks smashing until my finger marks arrive again by normal use.

On the subject of static and cleaning i was amazed at just what an effect it can have on the linn lid. A few weeks ago I noticed a small bit of fluff or dust on my lid whilst playing a record, I used a feather duster to very lightly 'swish' the fluff off the lid, this light mechanical action caused enough static attraction to make my Akito/DL103 @ 2.5g , jump up off the record, hit the lid ( ever so slightly - noise but no mark ) and go back past the start, my auto arm lifter prevented it going 'down the gap', luckily no damage was caused to the needle or record. I tried again with the stylus guard in place and an old trash record, it happened every time. After i cleaned the lid using the anti static cleaner i was unable to re-create this effect ( yes i tried , several times ). Bloody electricity.