2. speakers
  3. 1293137164

converting oiled walnut to "rosenut" color

I have a pair of Snell Type A-III's that I'm freshening up(new woofer foams and maybe some crossover updates).

I'd like to change the existing oiled walnut to a rosenut color. Overall, the walnut veneer on both speakers is in excellent condition and really needs no work. I'm reasonably adept in a woodworking shop and in wood finishing. I'm considering wiping them down with General Finishes Georgian Cherry gel stain. It has the right dark-wine color.

Has anyone done this before? Any suggestions for changing to color to rosenut? How about top finishes?..I don't want to use any heavy topcoats. I'd like them to appear as natural-original as possible. I know the refinish may impact their value, but I'm not too concerned about that.

thanks..
fishboat
fishboat OP
245 posts
 
A passing thought..If I put a coat of shellac(universal sealer over nearly any finish) on the existing veneer-finish it would seal it. This would give me control over how much of the gel stain to apply and allow me to back-up to a point where no gel stain remains on the veneer. I'd test first, but I believe mineral spirits doesn't dissolve shellac, but it does remove the gel stain.

hififile..I considered danish oil, probably what is on there now, and watco does have a cherry danish oil(I have some), but the color is very light and wouldn't be enough to get me to the rosenut color. I agree the ethanol might lift the veneer edges. Hard telling what kind of adhesive they used back in the 80's. The veneer on the corners right now are perfect.

I've done some searching on the web on how to do this and I'm not finding anything...not even when you start from unfinished walnut.
hififile
236 posts
 
Good luck with you project. You have a lot of work ahead. But for a little elbow grease and a few bucks you will have a very nice pair of speakers. By the way the post above makes a lot of sense. A new veneer job would be my choice. You could pick out the exact wood you like, have both speakers matched, and not deal with refinishing. I used to sell the Snells in my father's stores a long time ago and they make fine speakers.
fishboat OP
245 posts
 
yeah..lot to be said for new veneer..short, sweet, & just "pay da man". More than once I've tried 'creative' solutions and found that just pay da man is the better choice. I'll have to beat the local bushes to see if there's anyone around that can do the job. I've done some veneering, but I'm not sure I'd want to take this job on.

Any thoughts on whether new veneer would have any impact on the sound?
corazon
210 posts
 
What is the impetus for wanting to refinish the speakers? You state they are in fine condition.

I believe you may be unhappy with the end result. Rosenut over walnut? Does not sound right and doesn't conjure good visuals for me.
Why not just find something similar to the snells acoustic signature in rosenut and be done with it?

Merry Christmas
poloman's avatar
poloman
96 posts
 
If you use stripper , use it with coarse steel wool no sanding. as a natural looking top coat, use tung oil or shellac. use the shellac like a french polish. cut 50/50 with Denatured alchohol and wipe on with a cheese cloth pad with the grain, several coats. it dries in minutes then fine steel wool and rub with wax. thats how fine antiques are done.
More to discover