Dave, have you tried tongue oil. I use it on my wood projects and have been pleased with the results. It tends to look much more natural than other finishes. I used it to bring back some life to my cherry finish speakers. I got a great deal on them because they were scratched in the store. It took a couple of coats, but now I have to look for the scratches. Before the tongue oil they were obvious.
If you try it make sure you follow the simple instructions i.e. WEAR THE GLOVES!
There are several companies who make tongue oil. For the small price difference I would get a more expensive oil. Danish oil works just as well too. I don't know the difference between the two. |
I mentioned the orange oil. It is basically the same as lemon oil, they just get it from an orange. It does the same thing. I noticed that is some of the better furniture polishes I've seen lately, they have orange oil and beeswax. The beeswax can build up, so you have to strip it if it begins to yellow.
Try Home Depot,or Lowes for a touch-up stick that is color matched to they cherry veneer on the speaker and just touch up the scratch, and put a good polish over it. That should do it. |
I used a cheap marker pen for furniture nicks on the rosewood finish on my Genesis 500's. I used the medium color, which is about the same as a red cherry. The natural cherry would take the lightest color. The marker pens came in a set of three, from light to dark. It really worked! By the way, the culprit scratcher in my case turned out to be a visiting cat! We found him later in the visit perched right on top of the speaker. it was his claws that had gouged the top side of the speaker on his way up. Damn cat!!! |
It might be easier to find tung oil than tongue oil.
Someone on the previous speaker polish thread was using Murphy's oil soap. DO NOT use this. A friend is in the hardwood floor refinishing business and he says this product is what provides him with his living. If it is caustic enough to take the finish off hardwood flooring over time. I'd hate to think what it does to speaker cabinets. Murphy's used to be one of my favorite cleaning products. :( |
I've tried orange oil and didn't care for it. Very very oily and shiney initally, but it dries up quickly and unevenly then dulls out. Maybe it was just the brand I used.
While it might not be as good for the wood I thought Pledge had a more natural and consistent finish. I've never used Tung Oil on my speakers but love it's effect on wall cabinets I've built.
Incidentally, I don't use anything on my current monitors. I just cover them with dark pillow cases when not in use. |
Dave, although someone said in the earlier thread that Scott's was recommended by B&W, and I seem to recall that Harbeth's md also said he uses it (I will get confirmation of that), it actually says at scottsliquidgold.com that the product is NOT recommended for cherrywood, wood that has deteriorated, or veneer! I'm back to worrying about my veneer. (Thanks Tom, btw, for your advice re old speakers.)
If you want to buy the Scott's product, it is sold at big supermarkets, small hardware stores, discount stores and online at their website. I bought some Guardsman furniture polish the other day that I think I like better now.
Paul |
I have been an amateur furniture and cabinet maker for over 30 years and have done some custom work for clients occasionally.
The recommendations to use wax touch up sticks and felt marking pens is very good advice. It is cheap, effective and most importantly, you can remove the product if it does not blend in correctly. With the permanent markers be sure to try them in an inconspicuous place first. Test it for color matching and then quickly wipe it off off see if it leave a permanent stain. If it does, then wipe it off with mineral spirits and a rag or paper towel.
Tung oil is not really a polish. It is a wood finishing product similiar to varnish. In fact marine spar varnish gets its durability and weather proof ability because it contains more tung oil in the formula. You would use tung oil products to finish a piece of furniture after final sanding and staining. Usually applying two or more coats and lightly sanding (600 grit) between coats.
I have applied tung oil (Formby semi-gloss tung oil varnish works well)over existing finishes with good results. Just be sure to test it in a hidden spot first. The more coats of semi-gloss you apply the glossier the finish will become.
I have tried many different furniture polishes and quite frankly the best I have found is common old Pledge. Quite a few excellent cabinet makers around the country use this as a final touch up on very expensive custom made products.
Go slow, take care and good luck. |
Lemon oil has nothing to do with lemons I am told. It is, in fact, a petroleum distillate. I have used a product that probably has little or nothing to do with oranges called Orange Glo with good results, at least initially, but like all other products it does evaporate. With wood less is best. Products with wax should be avoided as they tend to build-up and, depending on how open the grain is, fills it up. Dusting with a soft rag on a regular basis and the very occasional use of a good furniture polish is all that is required. One word of caution: always be careful around the drivers both with your hands and when using a spray bottle. And no: the type of polish used does not affect the sound, kind of like most tweaks, I would say. |
Thanks guys for your great advise. I will try that home depot touch-up pen thing. TWL, what kind of polish do you recomend afterwards?
-Dave |
Dave, I'm not really a polish expert. I would look at your finish and determine what is a good polish. For an "open" wood finish, I think that light oiling or something like that is fine. For lacquer finishes, I would use a wax polish. I think Pledge is a wax based product, and Hank(above) is an experienced cabinet maker, and he recommends Pledge, so that is probably a good choice.
Personally I use Goddards Antique Furniture polish. It has worked very well for me. |
TWL and Hank. The speakers are a Cherry finish farnished vaneer. |
Dave
Regarding polish.....Goddards is good, I use Pledge, to be honest almost all the commercial stuff will work. Manufactures of wood polish products would have you believe that you must polish furniture to protect it and regular polishing is necessary for proper care of the finish. But when you cut through the hype, people apply polish to make the finish "shine" more. A well applied varnish finish over veneer (your case) does not need anything applied to protect it.
Your original question was "anybody know how to buff that nasty scratch out". What you have learned here Dave is that you "should not" try to buff the scratch out. In doing so you risk cutting through the entire varnish finish down to the wood. Yes, you would have "removed" the scratch but this would leave you with a major refinish job on the entire surface.
Just hide the scratch as you propose, put a coat of polish on the entire speaker to even out the appearance and call it a day.
If this is not good enough then send me an email and you can call me on the phone and I'll give you other options.
For what it's worth I fixed a scratch on my Vienna Acoustics Mahler speakers(rosewood veneered, gloss varnished)using a wax stick, touch up pens and Pledge. The scratch is still there but you would have to know where to look to find it.
Happy Holidays |
The problem has been fixed. I used this stuff called "Panel Magic". I sprayed a little on a cloth, then wiped the area where the scratch was and its gone. I tried looking for the scratch with a loop and still cannot see it. I tried wiping the area again with water to see if will come off and it seems to be pernament. It did not change color or shine on the surrounding area at all. The scratch was not that deep to begin with and was white in color and now its gone. This product is an oil based product, I just found it in the laundry drawer.
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions,
-Dave |
