These are Spendor BC1 speakers, English made, late 70s, and I need to strip and re-finish the cabinets, as the speakers are fairly valuable. I have enough experience to strip the old lacquer /varnish to bare wood, but am not sure whether any finish I can apply in my garage will be good enough. It has to look professional, clear satin, and show the beautiful grain. Can you suggest what product / method might be used?
Re-finishing solid walnut studio loudspeakers
- Thread starter Curlew
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
Eric The Viking
Established Member
- Joined
- 19 Jan 2010
- Messages
- 6,599
- Reaction score
- 76
How do you propose getting rid of the coffee stains on the top? Pretty much all the BC1s I used had coffee stains...
Seriously, I think they are lacquered, so simply cutting back and adding more thin coats ought to do it. I wouldn't be too drastic with them.
Off topic, I have a pair of LS 3/7s waiting for work, but in their case the veneer is physically damaged and someone upset an ink pot on top of one of them :-(
And if you have a source of wide, black Tygan I'd love to know who/where...
E.
PS: there is at least one member of the forum (not me) who worked for a loudspeaker manufacturer. If he reads this he might shed some light on the finish used.
Seriously, I think they are lacquered, so simply cutting back and adding more thin coats ought to do it. I wouldn't be too drastic with them.
Off topic, I have a pair of LS 3/7s waiting for work, but in their case the veneer is physically damaged and someone upset an ink pot on top of one of them :-(
And if you have a source of wide, black Tygan I'd love to know who/where...
E.
PS: there is at least one member of the forum (not me) who worked for a loudspeaker manufacturer. If he reads this he might shed some light on the finish used.
personally in your shoes I would find a furniture restorer who does spray finishing and make sure he does a great job. If you go down this route, don't strip them until you have spoken with them as with spraying alot of the success of the finish is down to the prepping ie ridding silicone contamination etc
bugbear
Established Member
Are BC1's really valuable?
I know they're an utter milestone in speaker history, but technology marches on (and all that).
BugBear (whose first proper speakers were Spendor Preludes)
I know they're an utter milestone in speaker history, but technology marches on (and all that).
BugBear (whose first proper speakers were Spendor Preludes)
Eric The Viking
Established Member
- Joined
- 19 Jan 2010
- Messages
- 6,599
- Reaction score
- 76
People seem to get very attached to them.
But Curlew, I'm morally certain they're veneered, with solid trim around the grille.
The BBC version with an amp fitted in the back (BC1a/M508 - Quad?) just had a plain birch ply back, as was quite common. Personally I didn't think those sounded particularly special, but that might have been the amp. And both the tiny tweeters and bass units are very fragile - they didn't like tape spooling nor rock music at the other extreme. DAMHIK.
E.
But Curlew, I'm morally certain they're veneered, with solid trim around the grille.
The BBC version with an amp fitted in the back (BC1a/M508 - Quad?) just had a plain birch ply back, as was quite common. Personally I didn't think those sounded particularly special, but that might have been the amp. And both the tiny tweeters and bass units are very fragile - they didn't like tape spooling nor rock music at the other extreme. DAMHIK.
E.
Thanks everybody, so far. Eric you say a couple of coats...... of what? are we talking varnish or lacquer? I have only brushing capability. Matt; good name for this topic-I'll probably get a quote from a pro and let them strip the cabinets as well. Doubt if I can do justice to it. I plan to sell them when they are done. Sorry I don't have a source of black Tygan Eric. thanks again everybody. Ciaran
