I had some focal utopia speakers that had a black gloss finish and they had some swirl marks. I would only use a very fine microfiber cloth that is used for eye glasses. I believe some of the higher end auto polishes that have some anti swirl properties would help. ("autogeek") is a site I use. You won't be able to remove the scratches if they are deep but you may be able to mask the swirls. Nothing abrasive should be used or you could make it worse. Just my two cents.
Recommended products for polishing Focal speakers
Hi,
I got some black Focal speakers with the more exclusive “Acrylic body Black miror effect”
I guess it is some kind of plastic? And I got some small scratches and swirls that I would love to get rid of.
Any advice on products that would work? Something from Meguiars? I was advised to use some polish with a microfiber cloth and after that some kind of light window cleaner. But no product recommendations.
I got some black Focal speakers with the more exclusive “Acrylic body Black miror effect”
I guess it is some kind of plastic? And I got some small scratches and swirls that I would love to get rid of.
Any advice on products that would work? Something from Meguiars? I was advised to use some polish with a microfiber cloth and after that some kind of light window cleaner. But no product recommendations.
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I’d suggest you contact customer service. Normally I’d say an automotive light polishing compound will work. Even then I’d try it in an inconspicuous place to make sure it works alright. Then to maintain, I’d use a very soft brush IE California duster or paint brush to remove the dust. Otherwise, DO NOT touch the surface any more than absolutely necessary. Microfiber still causes swirl marks which is why I use a blower to dry my car after washing |
Most scratches unless really severe are in the clearcoat or very top layer if just paint and should generally come out with a light buffing using the above mentioned products. Ask a car restoration expert or contact the manufacturer and ask about the final finish. It may be several coats thick and buffing will remove the scratch and bring out the underlying paint color,....Presto! |
I use Menzerna products. https://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-of-germany.html. The Focals are finished with an acrylic lacquer. These polish out just like automotive finishes but they are a bit softer so you do not want to use anything to aggressive. Menzerna's 2500 will work fine. Use a microfiber cloth. Flip the speaker so the surface you are working on is horizontal, squirt some 2500 on the surface, about tablespoon and polish firmly and briskly with parallel stokes in the direction of the grain. Then buff off with a clean microfiber cloth. Repeat until the swirl marks are gone. If you can feel the scratch with a finger nail this will not be aggressive enough. You would have to use Menzerna's 1000 on a random orbital polisher or better yet. Wet sand with 1200 grit silicon carbide paper moving to 2000 grit paper then the Menzerna 2500. For wet sanding use a quick detailer. One important note. This is assuming the speaker has a gloss finish. If the speaker has a satin finish rubbing it out like this will convert it to a gloss finish! A stain finish you would wet sand out the scratches and spray another coat of satin lacquer. Which is easy to do....if you have the equipment and a downdraft booth. I never use satin lacquer for this reason. It is too hard to refinish. If I want a satin look I use gloss lacquer and rub it out with the grain with 4-0 steel wool. You can fix minor scratches just by rubbing it back out with steel wool. You could do this with the Focals if you liked the look. |
You never want to put wax on a clear wood finish. It will look really bad in the long run and be a PITA to keep up. Once you have it blemish free and polished you can dust it once in a while with a damp cloth. If it gets really dirty you can clean the finish with a very light polish like Meenzerna 3800. Cars live in a very different environment than a loudspeaker and their finishes are much harder. |