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Good fix-- Have you scratched the wood on your Cornwall IVs?

In the spring, I noticed that I had somehow lightly scratched the lovely walnut wood on one of my Cornwall IVs.  I was incredulous as I baby these things and excellent take care of my stuff.  Then, this summer, I noticed a few other scratches on the other speaker.  UGH!!!

When examining the wood, it looks like the finish is very minimal in application. The grain is pretty high up and open.  To figure out what was going on I had to do a test scratch with something soft to see what it is I'm dealing with.  Wouldn't you know it?  I could scratch the finish with a fingernail or a record cleaner handle, and so on.  Yikes.  These things are way sensitive. 

So, I tried a product line that I've used before and got very lucky that it worked perfectly.  I used Howard's Restore a Finish in Dark Walnut (my CWIVs are just Walnut and do not appear dark), and after it was dry (they recommend only 30 minutes; I waited an hour) I applied Howard's Feed & Wax. 

Both of these products go on easily with no staining, no brushes, etc.  I took a bit of a gamble in trying them, as you really never know with wood until you experiment.  I didn't even have to use 0000 very fine steel wool when applying the restorer, as recommended for scratches by the manufacturer.  

This was an easy job.  Total time was 20 minutes for the restorer and a good 10 minutes for the Feed & Wax.  The finish looks no different than brand new in tone, all scratches are completely gone, and the finish has a bit more protection now.  

I've seen folks on the Klipsch forums talking about putting poly urethane on them, which would not be a bad idea yet I didn't want to commit to changing the finish right now.

At any rate, if you have this wonderful speaker this process should work wonders for you as it did me. 
128x128jbhiller
corelli
976 posts
 
Good information.  Thanks for that.

Polyurethane finishes provide good protection from these events.  I have used Minwax Polyurethane Rub on finish several times in satin.  It provides great protection but will change the appearance of the finish.  If you use 1-2 coats, it will look satin and be smooth.  As you increase the coats, it can look more like a semi- gloss.  But you get greater protection.  (just like audio, there is always a trade off).  

In any event, I have been able to achieve a professional looking finish with this product.  The key is ultra fine sanding between coats and application of smooth, fairly thin coats.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,385 posts
 
Good information.  I'm actually thinking of selling my JBL L100 Classic speakers and SVS sub and get a pair of the Cornwall IV.  I understand they are going up in price in September
justjames72's avatar
justjames72
66 posts
 
@stereo5 Why are you selling?
ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,130 posts
 
Good information. I'm actually thinking of selling my JBL L100 Classic speakers and SVS sub and get a pair of the Cornwall IV. I understand they are going up in price in September

You've got six days.............
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
The finish Klipsch uses on the Heritage series is just oil. You can bring refinish them any time with Watco danish oil.

You can give them a very light sanding with 400 grit stearated silicon-carbide paper on a wood block being super careful at the edges and corners or you will go through the veneer. A good restorer could sand them a dozen times without going through the veneer. This will remove light scratches. Deep scratches you have to fill first. Then you wipe on the Watco with a clean rag, let it sit for 20 minutes then wipe it off with another clean rag briskly. If you want a little more gloss and protection you can repeat the Watco (no sanding!) at two week intervals until you are happy with the results. Watco is very slow drying taking up to 30 days to cure entirely. You can handle them in 24 hours. 
Oily rags have been known to combust spontaneously. I soak them in water and throw them into a galvanized bucket outside for a week. Then they are perfectly safe.  
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