Speaker Cabinet Finishing

[HighFutility]

Learning to spray is several orders of magnitude easier than learning how to brush well. Toss your paint in the sprayer, let 'er rip, and like 80% of the time , you end up with a good result. Or, at least, you end up with a result as good as what you would have gotten if you brushed or rolled. Getting that perfect sprayed finish, free of any texture or orange peel, is usually just a matter of using the right tip size, slightly thinning the paint, using good products, and having good spray form.

I've sprayed Saman waterborne clear out of that gun and it comes out more or less perfect, with no modifications. Just remember it's always better to underspray than overspray, and get drips. And yeah it's $115 a gallon, but that's with a contractor discount, and it's the smallest size they make. No quarts.

But, if it were my speaker, I'd just slap three coats of tung oil on with a cloth, and call it a day.

Thanks again for the back and forth, greatly appreciated. When you say spray, you are referring to HVLP and not airless paint guns, I take it?

Normally, I would stay away from cheap stuff, but given that this would be a new thing for me, I don't want to go and drop a ton of money for something I might use every few years. https://www.amazon.ca/Tilswall-Pain...8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

This "contraption" has 1800 reviews on Amazon, mostly positive. It's a gamble, but perhaps if it's totally crap, I can return it asap.

 

[HighFutility]

I just use shellac because I know how to make it look nice. I sand to 1000, apply shellac with a stain pad, sand between coats, then just buff with steel wool. Can go from unfinished cabinet to several coats applied, sanded, buffed and ready to go in a day. Hate all the water based polys I tried. Don't care for how long oil poly smells and dry/cure time. When I apply shellac I can just do it in a room with a window open, pretty low VOC compared to a lot of stuff. Haven't tried a french polish or lacquers.

Shellac does go on thin though so might not be up your alley.

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I actually went out looking for some shellac today. My local Home Depot only had one can of the amber stuff. I would want something clear. I will give it a shot, though. Unfortunately, finding denatured alcohol to cut it with is not available anymore.

 

[Groove01]

View attachment 477916
For whatever reason, semi-gloss is an all-in-one. Satin and gloss are not.

Yes, I recall that now that you mention it. I’m not sure why that is TBH. I did reach out to them with a few questions to clarify which product they recommended.

I will say, they have very good customer service and responded very quickly.

 

[Quinton595]

Thanks again for the back and forth, greatly appreciated. When you say spray, you are referring to HVLP and not airless paint guns, I take it?

Normally, I would stay away from cheap stuff, but given that this would be a new thing for me, I don't want to go and drop a ton of money for something I might use every few years. https://www.amazon.ca/Tilswall-Paint-Removable-Container-Furniture/dp/B0DGXQSB31/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?, crid=C07A4J35R1HN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Q3Wa4Ywh5oPmjYZMUZBmQOe9IzjsCFKSoktxHogt26syePMyXcGkIdHREqglvtL39rmwytT3uEKwdf4zsCsj4Ih9s3F7f5cQzNSM7U6Jzxi_AeOwKBXK0-QkGBuSHOh7nPlHkeNYJ_7rDN-xZnP1T2m23RLpNnfY5MzvY10BukaUazKb4YzOyxkzYsInHbZCB1gUr74FvOA9dlpJ7Rc_VtpuWRJ_2Vgx4AfPiW3X-YchCkw5mbp4l_AKeTrDfAYR2P4IZ--hbpD6mGde1AoqtqwXjiD1VLA55D3XbyjUmXg.xfxbyKZCVqjvsH0lqu6KagzHiR1QW-k06UFSXP_9IWo&dib_tag=se&keywords=hvlp+electric&qid=1758846824&sprefix=hvlp+electri,aps,126&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

This "contraption" has 1800 reviews on Amazon, mostly positive. It's a gamble, but perhaps if it's totally crap, I can return it asap.

When I say spray, I just mean spray. That is with whatever equipment you can get your hands on. I have that little sprayer, and I also have $2,500 airless spray equipment, but I still use that little guy sometimes, because it works perfectly, and is much easier to set up and clean than my airless system.

While it can't handle every coating out there the way that professional spray equipment can, it's more than good enough to get perfectly smooth results out of a wide array of consumer and semi-professional finishes.

Keep in mind that I'm only talking about woodworking finishes , and consumer grade ones at that. If you where to go over to an automotive painting forum, and ask if you could use a sprayer like this to re-paint a car, you would get laughed right out of the thread. Those types of finishes require professional HVLP equipment , because the Coatings are extremely sensitive to even the slightest change of variables , such as coating feed rate, air pressure, and air flow rate.

That said, I would strongly advise purchasing the Lee Valley unit over the Amazon unit. The Lee Valley one comes with metal nozzles, instead of plastic. This makes a significant difference in the quality of the atomization of the spray. It also comes with nozzles of different diameters, which allows you to get the best result possible out of a mix of materials.

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Once more, however, I will digress and simply say that if it were my speaker, I'd slap some Tung oil on it and be done with it. Stupid-easy to apply, essentially impossible to fuck up, looks good too, and protects against basic stains and dirt. Not much in the way of physical abrasion protection, but then again, it's a speaker, not a dining table.

You also CAN absolutely brush/roll waterborne poly - I just rolled on some Saman gloss clear the other day and it came out beautifully, about 95% as good as a sprayed finish. It just is a bit trickier, and presents more opportunities to make mistakes. However, the fact that waterborne coatings dry so quickly is actually a boon here, as if you make a mistake, you need only wait a few hours, before you can sand it down and try again.

 

[bluefuzz]

I actually went out looking for some shellac today. My local Home Depot only had one can of the amber stuff. I would want something clear.

You don't want to to use premixed shellac from a can. That stuff is only fit for sealing knots in wood, not for finishing. Buy shellac flakes and disolve it yourself in alcohol. Try in an artists materials store, they should stock both shellac flakes and pure ethanol. Otherwise you can buy good quality shellac from shellac.net. You won't find shallac that is totally clear. I use 'sun-bleached' shellac for my instruments (guitars) which is a nice pale straw colour. If you really can't find pure ethanol then, as I mentioned before, you can use 90° proof vodka or similar. It takes a little longer to disolve but it will work.

As others have mentioned, if your wipe on varnish is running then you are wiping it on too thick. It should really be called 'wipe off' varnish as that is what you should be doing after each coat.

Finish is called 'finish' for a reason. Regardless of the actual finish material the underlying surfuce shuld be completely flat sanded and any grain filled completely before putting on any 'finish'. Then only a whisper thin coat is needed ...

 

[Keith_W]

Once more, however, I will digress and simply say that if it were my speaker, I'd slap some Tung oil on it and be done with it. Stupid-easy to apply, essentially impossible to fuck up, looks good too, and protects against basic stains and dirt. Not much in the way of physical abrasion protection, but then again, it's a speaker, not a dining table.

He didn't say whether he wanted a gloss coat or a matte/satin coat. If he wanted a flat coat, I would agree, Tung Oil all the way. But gloss finish is a different matter.

Personally, I hate gloss finishes on wood. For me, wood is a natural product, and I want it to look natural. I don't even like poly finishes, to me they make wood look like plastic.

Model ship (work in progress) and base (burl veneer on plywood), both finished with Tung Oil. The base has a very fresh application of Tung Oil which is why it looks semi-glossy. It's toned down a bit now.

 

[HighFutility]

@Quinton595 I tagged you in this post after some digging. I checked out the LEE Valley HVLP and have come up with the following.

https://www.homeright.com/products/hvlp-sprayers/super-finish-max/ This appears to be a carbon copy. Take a look at the bottom right corner. Home Right seems to be the umbrella company for Wagner, Titan, and Earlex, which is what the Lee Valley tool gun is associated with. 99$.

https://www.amazon.ca/HomeRight-Finish-C800971-Sprayer-Painter/dp/B071X9FZ7R/ref=asc_df_B071X9FZ7R?mcid=14994136c4d0398d9bd0e253798ca4f5&tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706745692735&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17843779956117968052&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000982&hvtargid=pla-349439808846&hvocijid=17843779956117968052-B071X9FZ7R-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1&th=1

Looks like I can pick up the gun from Amazon. This model looks the same but according to the homeright website the actual gun is the wagerner model priced at 99$ vs 79$.

The Earlex gun used in the Lee Valley tools is this https://www.wagnerspraytech.com/product/earlex/earlex-3700-hvlp-handheld-sprayer/. In any case, it might be worth a shot.

The Titan brand is geared towards proffesionals. They have an insane portable one Earlex 3700 HVLP Handheld Sprayer https://www.titantool.com/products/fine-finishing-paint-sprayers/flexspray.html but at 1200$ way out the price range im assuming competing with Graco.

 

[Quinton595]

@Quinton595 I tagged you in this post after some digging. I checked out the LEE Valley HVLP and have come up with the following.

https://www.homeright.com/products/hvlp-sprayers/super-finish-max/ This appears to be a carbon copy. Take a look at the bottom right corner. Home Right seems to be the umbrella company for Wagner, Titan, and Earlex, which is what the Lee Valley tool gun is associated with. 99$.
View attachment 478721

https://www.amazon.ca/HomeRight-Finish-C800971-Sprayer-Painter/dp/B071X9FZ7R/ref=asc_df_B071X9FZ7R?mcid=14994136c4d0398d9bd0e253798ca4f5&tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706745692735&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17843779956117968052&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000982&hvtargid=pla-349439808846&hvocijid=17843779956117968052-B071X9FZ7R-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1&th=1

Looks like I can pick up the gun from Amazon. This model looks the same but according to the homeright website the actual gun is the wagerner model priced at 99$ vs 79$.

The Earlex gun used in the Lee Valley tools is this https://www.wagnerspraytech.com/product/earlex/earlex-3700-hvlp-handheld-sprayer/. In any case, it might be worth a shot.

The Titan brand is geared towards proffesionals. They have an insane portable one Earlex 3700 HVLP Handheld Sprayer https://www.titantool.com/products/fine-finishing-paint-sprayers/flexspray.html but at 1200$ way out the price range im assuming competing with Graco.

Yeah, the Earlex brand is the original manufacturer, I believe, and then a few years ago it was acquired by Wagner, which is itself owned by Homeright . Wagner's own guns are worse by comparison, due to the plastic tips, and the fact that the tips only come in one size. Still, ive gotten decent results out of a Wagner. The Earlex/Homeright should be even better.

The titan is just a mistake. Great airless machines otherwise, but ignore that product altogether.

 

[HighFutility]

He didn't say whether he wanted a gloss coat or a matte/satin coat. If he wanted a flat coat, I would agree, Tung Oil all the way. But gloss finish is a different matter.

Personally, I hate gloss finishes on wood. For me, wood is a natural product, and I want it to look natural. I don't even like poly finishes, to me they make wood look like plastic.

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Model ship (work in progress) and base (burl veneer on plywood), both finished with Tung Oil. The base has a very fresh application of Tung Oil which is why it looks semi-glossy. It's toned down a bit now.

I don't even want to know the number of hours that go into projects like these. Great work!

 

[Quinton595]

I don't even want to know the number of hours that go into projects like these. Great work!

It's one of those situations where the question is: "How many hours did this take?",

And the answer is: "Yes."

 

[willy65000]

Does anyone have experience with Arm R Seal or Osmo, or Rubio?

I have some experience with Rubio and i like it. I've used it on wood flooring, a bathroom vanity and a bathroom door. It's really easy to work with and doesn't have the plastic look of polyurethane. It isn't cheap but a little goes a long way.

 

[Sal1950]

I am located in Canada, where straight Mineral spirits were banned in 2024, and the only alternatives available are mineral spirit substitutes; the same applies to paint thinners.

Holy Shmoly, I never heard of such a thing. I had to look it up only to find the snowflakes in California have done the same.
To save the planet from something as extremely slow evaporating as Mineral Spirits?
What's next, they gonna ban water, or whiskey?
That's just nuts !

 

[Sal1950]

I'd slap some Tung oil on it and be done with it. Stupid-easy to apply, essentially impossible to fuck up, looks good too, and protects against basic stains and dirt.

Oh I managed to fuck it up. It didn't accept multiple coats too well, at least for me.

Model ship (work in progress) and base (burl veneer on plywood), both finished with Tung Oil. The base has a very fresh application of Tung Oil which is why it looks semi-glossy. It's toned down a bit now.

My God Keith, is that beautiful !!! How long you been working on it now?
TIA

 

[Keith_W]

Oh I managed to fuck it up. It didn't accept multipule coats too well, at least for me.

With Tung Oil, you need: (1) A freshly sanded surface. I always wet the surface to raise the grain, then sand it down again. Then I wait for the wood to dry. (2) Very thin coats. Wipe it on, leave it for a couple of minutes, then wipe off the excess. (3) The coats need to cure in between applications. I usually wait a week. Adding more coats increases the lustre of the wood, but can change it from a matte to satin finish.

My God Keith, is that beautiful !!! How long you been working on it now?

Very slowly for at least 10 years. I work on it in spurts, a few weeks or months of hours in the workshop, followed by months of inactivity.

 

[Sal1950]

With Tung Oil, you need: (1) A freshly sanded surface. I always wet the surface to raise the grain, then sand it down again. Then I wait for the wood to dry. (2) Very thin coats. Wipe it on, leave it for a couple of minutes, then wipe off the excess. (3) The coats need to cure in between applications. I usually wait a week. Adding more coats increases the lustre of the wood, but can change it from a matte to satin finish.

45 years back I used Tung Oil in an attempt to finish my Klipsch LaScalas purchased in raw birch plywood. Too bad back then we didn't have the internet
like today where there's awesome how-to, 2-way instructions instantly available for just about anything.. It didn't come out horrible but no where's near what I had hoped for.

Very slowly for at least 10 years. I work on it in spurts, a few weeks or months of hours in the workshop, followed by months of inactivity.

Thanks, yes I can understand that. The work is so tedious and ongoing you absolutely need breaks to keep from burnout.
Sadly my personality, temperament is one of which I could never complete a job like that, I'd just go nuts.
I say sadly because the sense of accomplishment must be huge at the end, something I could never get thru.

What type of wood is the base, a burled walnut? I really love it!
Cheers Mate

 

[Keith_W]

Thanks, yes I can understand that. The work is so tedious and ongoing you absolutely need breaks to keep from burnout.
Sadly my personality, temperament is one of which I could never complete a job like that, I'd just go nuts.
I say sadly because the sense of accomplishment must be huge at the end, something I could never get thru.

Think of it as a series of smaller projects. If you think of the whole thing, it's overwhelming.

This shows the carving process of the quarterdeck rail. First, two layers of cherry are laminated at 90deg so that the grain runs perpendicular. If you don't do this, it is likely that the carving will fall apart in your hand. Then delicately carve it. I used a Dremel and a very sharp scalpel.

Here it is mounted on the model. The balustrades on the curved staircases were made by turning toothpicks on a drill.

What type of wood is the base, a burled walnut? I really love it!

Poplar burl. Walnut burl is much darker. And it's not solid burl, that would be really expensive. It's veneer on plywood!

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

I would do very different things for a table or desk compared to a speaker. Speakers are just going to sit there, not have things put on them and slid around.

Were it me, I would: 1) stain (probably not I like natural wood), 2) oil, likely tung. 3) wax finish, likely satin.

But I would first research "hard wax finishes", which seem an easy to apply and tough finish from what little I know. (cue an expert to tell us more)

 

[mhardy6647]

This is a great thread!
I don't pretend to be an expert finisher or refinisher of wood, but @Sal1950's true confessions about his experiences with tung oil triggered me!
I have several loudspeaker enclosures here made of unfinished Baltic birch plywood. My son, who is a semi-serious but amateur woodworker* kept grumbling that I should really put something on the cabinets to provide at least some protection for them from the rigors of real life.
A pair of "Silbatone" cabinets that he built for me pushed him over the edge! He less gently urged me to put something on them! He pointed me to a product that he likes and has found very easy to work with.

Half and Half Tung Oil Blend | RMP Finishes

Pre-mixed Half & Half Tung Oil with Citrus Solvent or Pine solvent. Easy to use, food-safe, and durable for wood, stone, and more. Shop now!

www.rmpfinishes.com

If nothing else, it is very pleasant to work with, easy to apply, and promises a water resistant surface at the end of the process.

It does darken the wood ever so slightly compared to no finish, but far less of an effect than, e.g., clear polyurethane.

I don't have any good before/during/after photos (although I did take a couple with my phone, which are... someplace). The Silbatone cabinets, and the baffle boards of the folded TQWTs in the photo below are 'finished' with three coats of Half and Half.



Hmmm... I do note that this company is in the midst of rebranding itself. I hope that this does not augur ill, because I have been very happy with several of their products. They're not even ridiculously expensive (in the US - no idea if they can or do provide any of their products outside of the US).


________________
* who doesn't much enjoy the finishing part of the endeavor, even though he's pretty good at that, too. He is far more patient and careful than am I when it comes to such tasks.

 

[EERecordist]

From craft classes, my go to was 1/3 linseed oil, 1/3 Watco oil finish (probably a lot of Tung Oil), and 1/3 spar varnish. Once it's all dry, stiff floor wax, usually containing carnauba wax, buffed. To fill any knots and voids shellac with the appropriate pigment. Shellac is alcohol-based, so it doesn't interract with the oil-based finishes. I used some water-based lacquer years ago over Watco and it had rubbery build, it is on that only project, but never again. Usually the store where you buy your wood or veneer will be up to date on what works and what does not work. No idea if Watco is the same as it was.

 

[Sal1950]

This shows the carving process of the quarterdeck rail. First, two layers of cherry are laminated at 90deg so that the grain runs perpendicular. If you don't do this, it is likely that the carving will fall apart in your hand. Then delicately carve it. I used a Dremel and a very sharp scalpel.

Awesome, I envious of your patience and the attention to detail !