My favorite part of vintage loudspeaker restoration? / myLot

Walnut Creek, California

October 2, 2022 2:31pm CST

I found a couple of surfaces on the KLH 5s I'm restoring that had not yet been oiled. This morning I used 0000 steel wool to apply Howard's Orange Oil to this surface, which had already been patched up and sanded down. This is my favorite part of the process because you can really see the grain pop. Until it's oiled, walnut looks like any other sanded down wood. But it really does have nice grain and color when oiled!

15 people like this

10 responses

BarBaraPrz

@BarBaraPrz (47227)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

2 Oct 22

What color do you turn when you're "well oiled"?

3 people like this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

3 Oct 22

I'll ask my friends. Today we were all on good behavior.

2 people like this

Anna

@LadyDuck (471217)

• Switzerland

3 Oct 22

I also like this part when I work with wood.

2 people like this

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Anna

@LadyDuck (471217)

• Switzerland

4 Oct 22

@TheHorse I never take pictures, I usually sand and repaint our outdoors hot tub and the fence.

1 person likes this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

4 Oct 22

@LadyDuck Ah, OK. I am sure they look great. What do you use as a sealant?

1 person likes this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

4 Oct 22

Got any pix?

2 people like this

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Four Walls

@FourWalls (67668)

• United States

3 Oct 22

I would have thought that your favorite part would be jarring the neighbors out of bed at 3 AM blasting some James McMurtry music on the speakers!!!

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2 people like this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

4 Oct 22

Heh. I often feel that way in California.

2 people like this

RasmaSandra

@RasmaSandra (79618)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

2 Oct 22

That must take a lot of muscle to do. Do your arms ache afterwards?

2 people like this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

4 Oct 22

I press down a bit, but I really don't have to press that hard.

2 people like this

Ruby Hawk

@RubyHawk (99405)

• Atlanta, Georgia

3 Oct 22

I have a desk I should refinish but I don’t know if I’ll ever do it.

2 people like this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

3 Oct 22

Is it something you'd enjoy doing? Otherwise, that's why God made teenagers and 20-somethings. Just let 'em know what you want.

2 people like this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

3 Oct 22

@RubyHawk Do you know how old it is? Do you have a picture? Sometimes with older stuff, it retains its value better if you don't restore it. Or just maybe just restore the top.

2 people like this

Ruby Hawk

@RubyHawk (99405)

• Atlanta, Georgia

3 Oct 22

@TheHorse I don’t know, I might enjoy doing it. I think I’d have to remove all the finish and start from scratch.

2 people like this

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LindaOH

@LindaOHio (177578)

• United States

3 Oct 22

Another excellent project done by The Horse.

2 people like this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

4 Oct 22

Dey gonna be purdy.

2 people like this

LindaOH

@LindaOHio (177578)

• United States

4 Oct 22

@TheHorse I'm sure they will be!

M.-L.

@MALUSE (69373)

• Germany

2 Oct 22

You seem to restore one loudspeaker after the other. How many have you done already? Where do they all come from? Are you a well-known restorer in California?

1 person likes this

The Horse

@TheHorse (218394)

• Walnut Creek, California

2 Oct 22

Over the years I must have done hundreds of pairs. And a lot of receiver cabinets as well. I suppose I'm well known here in Northern California in the "vintage stereo gear collector" community. But it's not large community.

1 person likes this