BASF makes the finishes on the Hamburg Steinways. Obviously a vast company and I doubt they sell a "refinishing stick" or the like. There must be a good piano restorer near you-- worth doing a little digging. You in Dallas? Judging by your "handle." Good question. I know people have used high gloss black nail polish or similar but you can see the touch up in strong light.
Piano black polish and refinish
Is there a kit or a very good tutorial for the "normal man" to fix/repair/refinish piano black speakers? I figured surely there's a good kit with the right compounds and etc made for pianos but the only real advice I've seen is a complete rebuild or taking it to a car paint shop.
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To get the quality of finish that comes on your speakers you need the resources of a professional paint shop. Best for touch ups, IMHO, is the paint touch up kit made by 3M. The P1200 rubbing compound is quite good. You normally start with a small disc of ultra fine paper and water, then use the rubbing compound to bring back the gloss finish. Difficult to not have some swirls vivable in the proper light. An auto paint shop may sell you some sanding supplies and some "purple" rubbing compound. |
I can't think of a more difficult color to match than black. The good news is that in the hands of proper cabinet maker, gloss black with lots of coats of lacquer/polyurethane etc, is easier to repair than satin. BUT it also easier to screw up massively. I urge experimenting on the back or someplace you cannot see it. I would hunt down the local cabinet maker who understands piano black. Brad |
+1. Gloss black is the most difficult to maintain. The actual 'color' of the black used is critical. Yes, some blacks are 'blacker' than others. They're not all the same. The size of the scratches will dictate how aggressive the buffing compound needs to be. It may require a very fine 'wet' sanding to get deeper scratches out. (Maguires has 2000 and even 3000 grit papers.) Some maybe too deep to buff. Word of caution... if you are too aggressive and go through the clear coat there's NO going back. If it's bad I would probably repaint it. Good Luck!
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I know the ATC piano black- which has 10 hand done coats of clear coat over black is pretty easy to maintain over time. It tends to show micro scratches, but are easy to buff out. Those 10 coats give you a pretty thick layer of laquer to work with well before the black itself. Some of the modern finishes called "piano black" that I see on low cost speakers or subs, especially chinese built cabinets, are not clear coats over black but high gloss black paint. This finish is very different from traditional piano black and as @gdaddy1 says, not easy to repair or maintain. Its neither thick nor has any "protective layer" on it. Shiny black paint is impossible to spot repair. |
