Taking care of lacquer wood finishes

Zaino definately is a superior product. It is a LOT more work to apply however if you go through the full process. So yes I'd agree, if you don't mind the extra work with Zaino, use it.

Excellent advise by Vapor1. The cleaning cloths can cause problems if they are not absolutly clean. I have also used Zymol before but as stated in my post above I believe the Zaino show polish is a superior product based on my actual use. It's not available in stores and is only sold online.

There is no way to know the kind of finish you have untill you have to repair them. The thickness of the finish is very very thin no matter how it is done so do not worry about it and don't bang them. As for the swirls, everyone gets them over time there is no way to avoid them. They show more on solid colors than on wood grain but they are still there. I have had both solid and woood finish and both get the dreaded swirls sooner or later. As I stated earlier never dust them off without a liquid to minimize scratches.

Taking care of a clear coat finish starts with one thing first - clean surface and clean cloths. Most dust is nothing more than tiny little bits of ground up rocks, so of course if they're rubbed into your finish, they're going to leave swirl marks. A clean microfiber will not leave swirls, but mircofibers are very good at picking up 'stuff' and holding them in the fibers. Keep your microfibers in a sealed bag, don't wash them with any other clothing, and only use them for a job once before they go back into the wash pile.

I personally like the blue Zymol for most waxing. It does have a mild cleaning agent that is swirl free, so it will remove that haze that can happen just from aersolized agents in the air settling on the paint ... and it's very easy on and off.

But what you use is really not as important as how you apply and remove it. Clean surface and clean rags!

How would you know if you have a quality lacquer? I use to own second generation Dynaudio special 25's, and I had the same problem with them. They look perfect, but when you shine direct light on them, you can see the small scratches and minor imperfections. I never checked my pair of Sonus Faber Guarneri's I had a few years ago.

Well I must have a good lacquer because I got my speakers in 11-11 and have put 4 coats of wax on them with no problems as far as looks or swirls. Yes out of the 5 pairs of signatures that came to the USA in the first shipment I got 1 pair 4 days after they arrived at the distributor.

That being said If I don't have a quality Lacquer what should I expect?

The true Lacquer finish I am talking about has to do with solid color finishes. I consider a true solid color Lacquer finish as one that has the color pigment throughout. Lots can go wrong and is very expensive. Not one that the base is painted the required color then clear coated.
As in my previous reply Lacquers are not all the same.

Yes it does matter if it is solvent or water. I think it is the same for Lacquar as it is for regular paints, you can put waterbase over oilbase but not the other way around. So water over solvent should be okay.
IMHO.

Hevac1 - I took this off Dynaudio's web site

The Confidence Signature models are offered in either dark-brown Mocca or dark-red Bordeaux finishes. Each begins with a Bird’s Eye Maple natural wood veneer, which is stained Mocca or Bordeaux and then finished with a clear Gloss Piano Lacquer. The Mocca and Bordeaux finishes first ennobled Dynaudio’s 30-year anniversary model, the Sapphire, and are now exclusive to the Confidence Signature models.

Per Wikipedia does it matter if it is solvent or water based? We have a an auto body shop in our auto group and they have switched to the water base recently. They only complain about color matching with certain colors otherwise they still recommending waxing it after curing.

Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacquer you will see that Lacquer these days is a loosely used term for differant types mixed finishes.

Im curious to know what the difference is too.

Hevac1 - What is the difference between high gloss clear coat and lacquer? Can a clear coat be lacquer?

BTW I would not be so sure that it is a TRUE lacquer finish as it could be just a high gloss clear coat.

It has no swirl marks. I even use a microfiber cloth. The Turtle wax was recommended by the Dynaudio rep. But I do have a Mocha finish and not a piano black so if there are marks I can't see them even in the direct sunlight. I've used the Meguires on my car and there no swirls there either.

Xti16, have you looked at your speakers in either sunlight, or with a flashlight? If so, does it have any marks?

I use only eyeglass or camera lens cleaning cloths, I did use baby diapers at one time. Use differant cloths for cleaning and polishing. I use 2 clothes for cleaning and 1 for polishing. I use the cleaner for flat screen TV's not windex. I totally wet the area down then take the first cloth and wipe only in one direction to get most of the cleaner off. I then take the second cloth and wipe only in the opposite direction. Never scrub the surface. If still dirty repeat. Only wipe down your speakers with a liquid on them even just water as dust has 8 cutting edges I heard. I then spray on an item called Plexus used for plexiglass and polish them as lightly as possible. You must polish immediately after cleaning each spreaker. Plexus will also fill small swirl scratches and protect them from happening.
I also ask people that come over to my house to please not touch the speakers as finger prints are worse than dust to get off.
IMHO.

Make sure you remove all dust and dirt off your speakers first, before you use any kind of wax. I built a custom car for this guy, he spent more time cleaning it than driving it. Any little bit of dust on his ( 120 K ) toy drove him crazy. Ended up selling it, took a ( 60 K ) loss on it.

Life is way too short for trying to find swirl marks in anything.

I use Meguires Next Tech 2 wax on my Dyn C1 signatures. Liquid Ice from Turtle wax was also recommended. Leaves no swirl marks.

Peter, that is part of my original question. Are other people with high gloss lacquer finish speakers doing anything, or just leavin it alone? If its normal, I'm not too worried about it, but if its an easy fix, then why not make them perfect. These lacquered finishes are becoming more popular. I actually prefer natural finishes with a semi gloss finish. Much easier to maintain. Any sonus faber users out there that care to respond? I use to own guarneri homages but never checked with the flashlight. Dynaudio is even using these finishes in their new confidence speakers

Souljasmooth - If you go with a more traditional furniture polish, my Avalon speakers included a bottle of Woodleys fine furniture polish. It doesn't contain any silicones or waxes. I figure if it came with the Avalon's it must be OK.

If you can only see it when shining a flash light on them - why is it really important ? Their intended purpose is playing music - really :-)

Good listening

Peter

Souljasmooth - Yes, I've used the Fender instrument care kit on my own speakers but considering how important this is to you I'm withdrawing my recommendation of it.

I would suggest you find a local cabinet maker who does fine lacquered furniture and consult with them.

The microfiber cloth I used is a kind used for cleaning ipad screens. Seemed like it shouldve worked fine. I also did a google search and the answers were not specific enough. Are speakers with automotive paint the same as a high gloss lacquer, as far as care goes? I thought it would be completely different. What do people with speakers like Sonus Faber Amati do? My speakers have a finish very similar to them.

Souljassmooth I used to have JM focal utopia speakers with a black piano gloss finish. It was a challenge to not damage the surface. The best thing I found was Zaino Z-2 show car polish. It does not leave not a film, powder and has no abrasives or silicones. The other consideration is what to apply it with and subesequently wipe it off with. As you indicated the microfiber cloth (depending on the type) can leave swirl marks. I found that the cloths used to clean eyeglasses work really well. They are an ultra soft microfiber cloth used on plastic eyeglasses. I have never noticed any scratches using these specific cloths. (I also wear glasses). Another option would be to use a 100% soft cotton cloth. I must not have any polyester in the material since this will causes scratches.

I just did a general internet search "how to care for a high gloss lacquered wood finish" and got all kinds of great information! One thing that I read was NOT to use a microfiber cloth because it will scratch the surface but I guess you discovered that without having to do any research.

Have you personally tried the guitar care kit? The last thing I want to do is damage the lacquer.

The best thing I've found is a guitar care kit marketed by Fender as a musical instrument kit and made by Meguiars.