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Is this just ordinary poly finished like you would finish a newly painted car, IE, sand, polish, wax?
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Ah, what the heck, one more.
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I would say many coats of lacquer, sand, buff, polish, wax.Comment
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Do a search on "piano black" finish. This isn't black, rather a dark stain, but the steps to the finish are the same. Sand, buff, polish, wax, yes, but lots and lots of it!
HAve fun,
FrankComment
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Basically a clear "piano black".... highly polished clear coat over stained wood rather than black lacquer. Looks nice.
Seeing those again reminds me I had been thinking of how to duplicate the "screen of threads" grills.... another cool look.Comment
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You have to stain the wood black and then sand it down some to keep the woodgrain light like that, but then yeah after that it's all the same as a piano black finish. You could make it easier by getting it clear coated at a car shop, or you can do it the long painful way by many coats of lacquer and hours of sanding and polishing.Comment
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So in my case, I would like to do veneered sides (not that black tint, but normal cherry wood) and piano black front and rear.
Would it be best to lacquer or poly the whole thing, or do I need to use one on the wood and the other over the paint?
Will lacquer provide a better shine than poly?
What about acrylic urethanes that a lot of folks use in the automotive world?Comment
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The automotive clears are likely to take more abuse and still be able to buff them out. Most wood finishes are soft and generally not incredibly thick so it's easier to get a scratch deep enough to damage the wood it self.
I'm pretty sure you can use any of them over wood or paint though.Comment
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I'm doing this right now on my Statement build. I have been building up the clear lacquer over the veneered cabinet and back. I have not yet installed the baffle, but once I do I will be coating the entire cabinet with lacquer. I can't say for sure about poly, but I do know that as far as automotive finishes go lacquer is used for that mirror like shine because of its hardness. Enamels and urethane automotive finishes don't cure as hard as lacquer so they don't polish so nicely. At least that was the thought 20 years ago when I was painting cars.Comment
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Yeah I have heard that Lacquer is harder, I think there are newer technologies in automotive clear coats now? But I'm not entirely sure.Comment
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BigJim: Are you spraying?Comment
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Conventional one-part nitrocellulose lacquers such as those still used in many cabinet shops are nothing near as hard or therefore as durable as the two-part automotive clear coats. Conventional spray gun applied clear lacquers are typically only 10-15% solids, and it will take forever to get anything like the depth of that finish shown in the image. I have an HVLP gun (a good one) and have long since given up on trying to achieve anything like that. If I wanted a beautiful finish like that, I would take my project to a professional who has a spray booth, and uses $150 + per gallon two-part finishes.....Comment
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No I'm not, but only because I don't have the spray booth in the garage like I used to. You can get a finish like that by hand. It just takes a long time and a lot of elbow grease.Originally posted by looneybomber
I beg to differ with you, today's automotive finishes do have more solids, no doubt. They are also more durable for their intended purpose, but they are not harder. That has always been one of the negatives about lacquer for cars. Since they are so hard they chip and crack easily. Enamel and the two part urethane finishes are always a little bit flexible, it allows them to resist chips. They can also take some bending without cracking and flaking. Great for cars that get hit with stones, and thinner and or plastic body panels that flex a bit, not so great for polishing. I've done plenty of finishes on custom cars and hot rods...the best are always lacquer. It takes longer, it has become much more expensive (government doesn't like the high VOCs in lacquer), and you have to live with chips and cracks. For speakers that live in heated, air conditioned comfort those things aren't a problem. If you can afford it I also suggest taking to a custom shop that can spray lacquer. It will be much easier and quicker. If you don't feel like spending a fortune, and aren't afraid to put in the work you can get a finish like that at home.Originally posted by LurkalotComment
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If you want perfection without spending a month of elbow grease, take them to an auto body shop and have them sprayed. A friend of mine did that with some large monitors and paid $300 (as I recall). It would have been more, but he agreed for them to use a silver that they had on hand and it was close enough to the shade he wanted anyway.Comment
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what are those speakers?Comment
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Almost looks like they say Marantz on top but that can't be it.Comment
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The speakers are Sonus Faber Cremonas or Amati wt the Graphite Finish.
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Lovely speakers that's for sure. Didn't realize the finish was quite so nice. $$$ though...Comment
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If you have a flat surface (less roundovers). You can always use the Pour on high gloss countertop epoxy found at HD. It dries to a high, high gloss crystal clear finish. If you are good with a hair dryer and squigy, you can get it all the way to the corners without issues. Do one side per day.
Other then that its sand, paint, sand, sand, sand, paint, sand, sand, wax, wax, wax.....even then something can go wrong if you do not have a proper paint finish
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Those are some beautiful speakers. I am still considering a finish (black dyed wood, probably birds eye maple) then cleared on my speakers, if I actually ever get around to building them.
As for the lacquer vs poly (urethane) debate, catylized urethane will always win hands down for durability and hardness over lacquer any day of the week. I have worked in the automotive finishing industry for over 25 years now and have no reservations about stating this. Lacquers have gone away not necessarily due to VOC restrictions, but due to their lack of performance comparitively to the newer technologies available today. Most of the US is still under national rule compliance (5.0 lb/gall VOC), which many lacquer products can fit in depending on the blend of solvents used in the thinners.
Lacquer has some very positive upsides compared to urethanes for home or hobby use where equipment or facilities may not be ideal. First, it dries very quickly between coats, helping to reduce trash and dust. Also, because of the lower solids, it sands and buffs very easily. Third, it is very easy to mix and apply due to the thinner viscosity and also that it contains no hardeners or catalysts to have to add in.
The fact it has no hardeners in it means this, though ... it only dries, it does not actually cure. This also means that if the finish is subjected to the right blend of solvents at any time, it can reverse or marr the finish. This can include years after the fact. It can also be more subject to ringing or marking down the road, however most of us are not about to set a drink on top of our speakers.
All that being said, the only clear finishes we use for wood, whether indoors on cabinetry, or outdoor on teak deck on a yacht is strictly urethane.
Apologize for the novel ... hope this helps.Comment
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Nope, curved surfaces for this build, so it looks like I will be calling up some autobody shops to see who's willing to spray some speaker boxes...Once they're built that is.Originally posted by penngrayIf you have a flat surface (less roundovers). You can always use the Pour on high gloss countertop epoxy found at HD. It dries to a high, high gloss crystal clear finish. If you are good with a hair dryer and squigy, you can get it all the way to the corners without issues. Do one side per day.
Other then that its sand, paint, sand, sand, sand, paint, sand, sand, wax, wax, wax.....even then something can go wrong if you do not have a proper paint finishComment
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Definitely the easiest route! And probably shouldn't cost that much really.Originally posted by looneybomberComment
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Yeah, I'm so pressed for time, I just don't think I'll have enough available to wipe/brush on poly and work it to a mirror finish.Originally posted by Hdale85Comment
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You should have no problems locating a shop that can spray them for you. Just make sure that if you have a porous wood that they DO NOT bake the clear before it dries. If they do, and the pores are not filled, but sprayed over, you will end up with bubbles through the clear as the air that is trapped below the clear expands as it is heated in the bake cycle.Comment
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^^^^ That is some good advice! :TBE ALERT! The world needs more lerts.Comment
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many coats of laquer in order to get it that smooth you have to wet sand between coats....also i'd recommend using a spray setup its much more difficult to do by hand...i agree with a lot of the advice on here to have a shop quote you to do this because its one of those things that is not too bad to do with the right experience and equipment but can be very easy to screw up as well if you're new to itComment
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