Should I just give up?

@TheHorse (238306)

Walnut Creek, California

February 16, 2016 9:10pm CST

About a week ago, one of my repeat customers brought me a pair of KLH Model 5s to restore. KLH Model 5s are really good 3-way loudspeakers from the early 1970s. The bottom on on the the speakers was peeling, and much of the veneer was totally missing. I started by gluing the peeling veneer down with wood glue and pressing it down with another speaker I had on hand. But the veneer I was working with was water-damaged, and only 1/32" or so thick. Should I just give up on this surface? Or should I keep trying, in hopes that there is some pretty veneer beneath the water damage?

14 people like this

12 responses

@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)

• United States

17 Feb 16

Would it be possible / cheaper to buy new veneer for it? It would be cost effective? You know more about it than I do. @JolietJake might be able to give you an opinion better than I could as well. I say if you think there is possibility than keep working at the existing veneer.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

I chose to work with the existing veneer. Once I really started sanding, I found some pretty grain beneath the ugly water damage. I'll attach a picture I took after some water damage and sanding. You can see the pretty wood peeking through.

@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)

• United States

17 Feb 16

@TheHorse That is very pretty wood. How long do you think this project will take you?

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

@ScribbledAdNauseum I'm close to done with the bottom from heck. I could literally do the rest of the surfaces in a few hours if I didn't have other things to do. I'll have these done by the following weekend.

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@JudyEv (382107)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Feb 16

You're the expert. I'll agree with whatever you decide. In other words, I'm a fence-sitter.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

It's a bottom that won't been seen when the speakers are displayed. But it still can't be ugly, or I won't be satisfied.

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@JudyEv (382107)

• Rockingham, Australia

18 Feb 16

@TheHorse That's the trouble with being a perfectionist! I never have that worry.

Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61463)

• United States

17 Feb 16

What is the alternative? Just remove all the damaged veneer? Can you get new veneer to apply? I watched them doing veneer at the Century Furniture factory and it was very work intensive.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

Yes, I could have removed all of he peeling and water-damaged veneer. But I don't have large enough veneer pieces to replace what would have been missing. I decided to glue the old stuff down and then make smooth edges, so I could glue in some replacement veneer. No way I can match the grain perfectly with pieces as large as I'm using.

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@Jessicalynnt (50523)

• Centralia, Missouri

17 Feb 16

I would veneer over it all, lol

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@Jessicalynnt (50523)

• Centralia, Missouri

17 Feb 16

@TheHorse I bet you can get creative with something or other.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

18 Feb 16

@Jessicalynnt That surface is done now. I wonder if I should do a post about it or just add a picture to a comment here. It's not perfect, but it's OK.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

I tought of that. But I don't have any veneer that large. Maybe that's in my future.

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@DeborahDiane (40846)

• Laguna Woods, California

17 Feb 16

I'm not sure. I agree with @BelleStarr that you may need to get some new veneer to apply, especially if the current veneer is completely ruined.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

It is turning out that there is some decent wood beneath the water damage on most of the surface. I have to be careful not to sand too deep.

@DianneN (254926)

• United States

17 Feb 16

I hope they work! I don't know anything about veneers. Should I put my husband on here?

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

It would be interesting to see what he says.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

@DianneN That sucks. Just a cold or something, I trust?

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@DianneN (254926)

• United States

17 Feb 16

@TheHorse He's too sick!!!

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@vandana7 (102698)

• India

23 Feb 16

So...what did you do eventually? Or are undecided on it? :) I don't have so much idea about such things. :)

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@vandana7 (102698)

• India

23 Feb 16

@TheHorse ...will check on that. :)

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

23 Feb 16

Oh, I kept on plugging and was able to make the bottom look OK. I may have done a more recent post about this bottom called "Never Give Up!" or something like that.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

23 Feb 16

@vandana7 Heh--thanks. It exists--I made sure.

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@allknowing (153530)

• India

17 Feb 16

We have what is known as Flex Kwik that binds anything from plastic, metal, rubber, wood, leather and ceramic. I have put together broken cups and stuff with it.

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@allknowing (153530)

• India

17 Feb 16

@TheHorse This glue is transparent. How would you miss the wood grain. Too technical for me to understand

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

But the wood grain I desire would be missing. Notice that I made a Gothic arch shape and a Roman arch shape. I needed some method to the madness.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

18 Feb 16

@allknowing Oh, Flex Kwik is transparent? I just use regular wood glue (basically glorified Elmer's children's glue) for attaching the veneer to the particle board beneath. But where the veneer is missing, I want something that looks like wood (actually, something that IS wood). I have thin slices of walnut veneer that I use to fill in those spaces.

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@LadyDuck (502466)

• Italy

17 Feb 16

NO! Never give up. You cannot sand the wood so deeply, I think that you need wood paste to fill the section damaged by water. Manually recreate the veneers and the continue as usual. Good luck.

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@LadyDuck (502466)

• Italy

17 Feb 16

@TheHorse I knew that you would have choose that method. Good luck with your work.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

@LadyDuck Thanks. Let me see if I have any progress pictures. OK, here's the bottom with the replacement veneer in, all sanded down and almost ready for oil.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

Thanks. I used wood filler to make a nice surface for the two large pieces of veneer I ultimately glued in.

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@msiduri (5687)

• United States

17 Feb 16

I don't know jack about refinishing, but this looks pretty ugly. Good thing it's on the bottom. I can't imagine that anything you do won't improve it. Good luck. Happy restoring.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

Thanks. Right now I'm oiling and touching it up. There's a corner where the water damage was too severe for the grain to really show through. But it's going to look almost civilized.

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@Lucky15 (37391)

• Philippines

17 Feb 16

The speaker is beautiful..so beautiful just for you to give up restorating it

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

I definitely decided not to give up.The other surfaces are not too difficult.

@andriaperry (118793)

• Anniston, Alabama

17 Feb 16

I have no idea, go with your gut feeling.

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@TheHorse (238306)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Feb 16

Yes, it was a mixture of "gut" and active thinking.