Mark's Statements Build Thread

[mlammert]

I have made more progress on the crossover enclosures... I am pretty happy with them now...

My biggest concern was how to make the back panel removable... I needed a way to bolt the back panel onto the side panels but not have anything get in the way of letting the actual crossover base be able to slide in and out...

I also wanted the bolts to match the bolts I used to secure the drivers to the front baffle of the speakers...

After much pondering, I came across these beauties at Lowe's (Photo #1)...

These "barrel connectors" worked perfectly...

I first temporarily attached the back panel and drilled a hole all the way through the back panel and into the side panels (Photo #2)... This served as the hole for the bolt to slide into...

I enlarged the holes in the side panel with a forester bit so that there would be a little bit of "play" room; I knew my holes were not 100% parallel with the side panels (Photo #3)...

I then measured appropriately and drilled a hole into the side panels to allow the barrel connect to be inserted... Here (Photo #4) you can see the barrels and the bolts inserted and threaded together...

If you are wondering why I drilled the barrel holes through the outside of the box, it is because the outside will be veneered... So, in the end you will not even know the holes exist...

Continued...

[mlammert]

Once I had the back panels positioned perfectly and all four bolts tightened I then filled the holes with Durham's (Photo #1)... This served two purposes: (a) to fill the hole and (b) to secure the barrels in the holes so that they would stay put even when the bolts were removed to access the crossover bases...

The next photo (Photo #2) shows the back panel with the holes drilled for the binding posts...

The left pair of holes will be for the input from the amp and the right three pairs of holes will be for the tweeter, mids, and woofer outputs...

All I need to do is sand it down once the Durham's is dry and then paint and stain with the speakers...

Thanks,
Mark

[mlammert]

Well, the wife and I started finishing the speakers yesterday!!! :B

Attached are some photos of the first coat of primer...

We taped the edges off with a relatively new product called "Frog Tape"... It is like the normal blue painters tape but is suppose to virtually eliminate bleed and tare... We'll see... :P

We started late in the afternoon and got two coats of primer on yesterday...

We are using tinted ZINNZER 1-2-3 latex based primer... We are applying the primer with foam brushes...

After the second thick coat of primer the rear curve is super smooth but you can still "see" the individual seams of the laminated MDF through the primer... I am actually quite happy with this and think that after one or maybe two more coats the seams will be completely invisible...

I sanded with 220 between the first and second coat...

We primed about 3-4 inches into the midrange chamber... And, we primed about 4-6 inches into the PVC port...

The plan is to:

1 - Prime and paint the back
2 - Prime and paint the front
3 - Apply veneer
4 - Stain veneer
5 - Poly the whole thing

Couple questions:

I have been reading up on the whole veneer process... Does anybody have any personal accounts of veneering that they could share with me??? Just so I can get a good feel for what to expect...

What is the best way to cut the veneer and then trim once it has been applied??? I was assuming a razor/utility knife...

I have never veneered anything before... 8O

Thanks,
Mark

[David_D]

Hi Mark,
I had never done any type of veneering either.
I chose to go with the iron on method using 'heat-lok' from veneersupplies.com and instruction from joewoodworker.com.
The whole process was very easy and intuitive. I couldn't believe that I fretted for weeks over it.
I used a flat cut paperback cherry; the steam on the iron raised the grain a bit. I had to do some sanding afterwards. When I do it again, I'm going to try a dry iron.
On a side note, Cherry darkens as it's exposed to sunlight. I have a grill on the front of mine. I took the grill off the other day and I defiantly have a shadow where the wood darkened around the grill.
If you were cutting on an out side corner I would recommend the veneer trimmer from tape-ease. But, being in that dado groove, I think you will be forced to use a utility knife. Just cut in the direction that the grain leads away from what you want to keep.

[mlammert]

Thanks for the quick and reassuring reply, David... 8)

I am using paper-backed Maple...

Couple more questions now that I am thinking about all this:

1 - Did you cut it one inch over sized as described on the joewoodworker site??? How much "shrinkage" did you notice???

2 - Did you use a softener or a conditioner on the veneer???

3 - Once you iron on the veneer how long did you wait before "flipping" the speaker to veneer the other sides???

4 - I have read conflicting reports of using and not using water-based stain and poly with the Heat-Lock veneers... Any comments on that???

5 - Any "gotcha's" that you can think of???

Thanks!!!

Mark

[deucelee]

Thanks for the quick and reassuring reply, David... 8)

I am using paper-backed Maple...

Couple more questions now that I am thinking about all this:

1 - Did you cut it one inch over sized as described on the joewoodworker site??? How much "shrinkage" did you notice???

2 - Did you use a softener or a conditioner on the veneer???

3 - Once you iron on the veneer how long did you wait before "flipping" the speaker to veneer the other sides???

4 - I have read conflicting reports of using and not using water-based stain and poly with the Heat-Lock veneers... Any comments on that???

5 - Any "gotcha's" that you can think of???

Thanks!!!

Mark

thanks for the pic Mark

wow they ask for 1 inch oversize? is that for extra buffer or does it shrink that much?

i read that a 3/4 inch round over wouldn't need a softener...if it's smaller, it might...

i just bought some oil based poly's on sale so hopefully that should be ok...

[Dennis H]

1 - Did you cut it one inch over sized as described on the joewoodworker site??? How much "shrinkage" did you notice???

That's not for shrinkage. He's taping the veneer down to the table before he applies the glue. After the glue dries, he trims off the part under the tape so there's no chance of trying to iron down veneer with no glue.

PS - get the veneer saw from Joe Woodworker. It works better than a razor knife for trimming corners. Put some masking tape on so the saw doesn't scratch the surface it's running along and leaves the trimmed veneer a bit proud. Finish it up with a sanding block.

[David_D]

1 - Did you cut it one inch over sized as described on the joewoodworker site??? How much "shrinkage" did you notice???

Yes I did but it was for taping down so the glue could be rolled on. No noticeable shrinkage.

2 - Did you use a softener or a conditioner on the veneer???

Nope

3 - Once you iron on the veneer how long did you wait before "flipping" the speaker to veneer the other sides???

I applied the glue to one side - one piece at a time so it gave the cabinet about 15 - 20 to set in between.

4 - I have read conflicting reports of using and not using water-based stain and poly with the Heat-Lock veneers... Any comments on that???

I didn't use any stains but I did use an oil based poly. but, I can't remember the reason why.

5 - Any "gotcha's" that you can think of???

A venner saw is a great idea.
Maybe wax paper over the painted overlap
Judging by how you attacked the rest of this project, this part will be the easiest of the bunch. You will do great Mark.

[mlammert]

Thanks for all the responses and positive remarks, guys!!!

I appreciate it... I feel pretty confident with the veneering process now...

Last night I sanded down the second coat of primer using 120 (I was originally using 220 but switched to 120 and got much better/smoother results)...

After that I applied a third thick coat of primer and I am EXTREMELY pleased with the smoothness and look of the rear curve... You can barely see the seams of the laminated MDF... If you feel the rear curve it is super smooth and you cannot feel the seams... I assume you can see the seams due to the end "grain" of the MDF absorbing the primer at different rates...

I will probably apply one more thick coat of primer and then be done with it... 8)

The front baffle will not require nearly as much work since it is the flat face of the MDF...

I'll take some picts tonight and post more results...

Thanks guys!!!

Mark

[Hdale85]

My last speakers here (the 4T's) were my first veneer job, I used the heat-lock and iron on method worked great. I just chose a difficult veneer to work with though haha so don't get bamboo. Not a veneer I'd recommend for a beginner now.

[mlammert]

More finishing progress...

First two pictures show the fourth and final coat of primer on the rear of the speakers...

I am VERY happy with the final results and smoothness of the primer...

Third picture shows the first coat of black paint on the rear of the speakers...

So far so good!!!

I also have a first coat of primer on the crossover boxes... Will post pictures of those on my next update...

Mark

[impala454]

Lookin great man, keep the pics coming.

[stink]

Mark, dont know if you have already seen it, but I think Bill's veneering page is very good:

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~schneidw/audio/veneering.html

btw, I have enjoyed watching your build come along.... yeah, experiencing a nice speaker for the first time is a great experience

[mlammert]

Thanks for the awesome link!!!

I have seen pictures of his finished speakers before but I never knew he documented his veneer process...

This is exactly what I was looking for and will help tremendously... :B

Thanks,
Mark

[mlammert]

Hey guys,

Here is the third and final coat of black on the back of the speakers...

I am VERY happy with the whole process so far!!!

This weekend I will hopefully be able to flip the speakers over and start priming and painting the front baffles...

More to come,
Mark

[mlammert]

Quick question/opinion on the finishing process:

My initial plan (A) was to:

1 - prime/paint the back
2 - prime/paint the front (flip speaker)
3 - veneer the sides (flip the speaker over and over)
4 - stain the sides (flip the speaker over and over)
5 - poly the entire thing (which means flipping the 135lb speaker over and over for a fourth time again)

I had an idea of removing step 5 and to include applying poly to the speaker parts as I paint/stain them...

So, my new idea (B) would be:

1 - prime/paint/poly the back
2 - prime/paint/poly the front (flip the speaker over)
3 - veneer the sides (flip the speaker over and over)
4 - stain/poly the sides (flip the speaker over and over)

Or, possibly (C) would be:

1 - prime/paint/poly the back
2 - prime/paint/poly the front (flip once)
3 - veneer/stain/poly left side (flip once)
4 - veneer/stain/poly right side (flip once)

Does anybody see any issue with these new possible ideas???

I guess my concern (which I am probably over thinking again) is do I need to worry about the paint/poly that will be near the edge of the veneer when I go to iron down the veneer???

I will obviously not be ironing the paint/poly but I will be close to it...

Also, does anybody see any issue with veneering and applying the stain/poly all at the same time to one side at a time???

Part of my concern is that I don't want to accidentally dent/scratch/gouge/harm the speaker when I and my wife are carefully as possible trying to flip a 135lbs speaker... :P

Any comments/suggestions/concerns???

Sorry if I am over thinking this step but it is the last step and I want these things to be as beautiful as they sound...

I really appreciate it guys,
Mark

[mlammert]

Well, I talked to another wood working friend of mine over the weekend and he said that he would definitely go the Option C route...

So, over the weekend I got three coats of semi-gloss water-based poly on the back of the speakers...

I am officially calling the back of the speakers completed!!!

Attached are two pictures of the completed backs...

Tonight I will hopefully remove all the tape and flip the speakers over to do the fronts...

More soon,
Mark

[ripcard]

Mark, you might want to give some though on how to support the cabinets once you flip them over. If the contact points are on your newly painted surface you will have impressions of whatever they are resting on in the surface of your finish. Although the paint is dry to the touch it will take weeks or even months for the finish to harden. Given the apparent size and weight of the speakers and depending on how thick the coating is and how narrow or wide the supports are, it is likely indentations will be left regardless of how long you wait. Would it be possible to rig up some supports that contact the cabinet where there is no fresh paint? I'd hate to see all that hard work wasted.

Have been following your build with interest and since no one else mentioned this I thought I'd chime in. If you have planned for this already please disregard.

Take care, Rick.

[wackii]

Great advice Ripcard. It happens to me back when I attemped to do a glossy black on my center. It did leave a mark on my speaker which I had to sand and repaint it. So I ended up cut some mdf and placed them where the drivers are to lift the baffle up. So do paint the front baffle first then place the cut-out mdf under where the driver holes are to lift the cabinet and paint the rest of the surfaces.

Mark, great job with the build. Keep those pictures coming. I am thinking of building the Statements for my mains as well.

Al,

Mark, you might want to give some though on how to support the cabinets once you flip them over. If the contact points are on your newly painted surface you will have impressions of whatever they are resting on in the surface of your finish. Although the paint is dry to the touch it will take weeks or even months for the finish to harden. Given the apparent size and weight of the speakers and depending on how thick the coating is and how narrow or wide the supports are, it is likely indentations will be left regardless of how long you wait. Would it be possible to rig up some supports that contact the cabinet where there is no fresh paint? I'd hate to see all that hard work wasted.

Have been following your build with interest and since no one else mentioned this I thought I'd chime in. If you have planned for this already please disregard.

Take care, Rick.

[mlammert]

Thanks for the info and heads-up Richard and Al!!! :T

I had already kind of thought about this problem but probably didn't take it as seriously as what you guys have described... 8O

I had already planned on taking some old flannel bed sheets and folding them and placing them on top the MDF blocks for when I flip the speakers over to paint the fronts...

However, I do have some old pillows that I could place on the floor and cover those with the bed sheets and flip the speakers over on top of them...

Do you think the pillow/folded bed sheet idea would be sufficient in preventing the indentations???

Is it overly anal to think that the "texture" of the flannel bed sheet would be "pressed" into the paint???

Thanks,
Mark

[Jim Holtz]

Thanks for the info and heads-up Richard and Al!!! :T

I had already kind of thought about this problem but probably didn't take it as seriously as what you guys have described... 8O

I had already planned on taking some old flannel bed sheets and folding them and placing them on top the MDF blocks for when I flip the speakers over to paint the fronts...

However, I do have some old pillows that I could place on the floor and cover those with the bed sheets and flip the speakers over on top of them...

Do you think the pillow/folded bed sheet idea would be sufficient in preventing the indentations???

Is it overly anal to think that the "texture" of the flannel bed sheet would be "pressed" into the paint???

Thanks,
Mark

Hi Mark,

That's not anal at all. I've been down that road myself and the weight of the speakers will be enough to leave an imprint of the cloth in the paint. I agree with ripcard that the solution is to either create a stand that can be positioned in the RS225 cutouts or simply stand the speaker up and apply the finish.

Jim

[mlammert]

Thanks Jim!!!

Yeah, due to the weight of the speakers and the angled shape of them, I think I am going to pass on the "bracket" that will fit in the driver cutouts...

Looks like standing them up is the way to go... 8)

If I use several sheets of MDF under them to raise them up off the floor, I should have no problem painting the bottom lip of the front baffle...

Besides being sure not to have any "sags" or "runs" in the primer/paint/stain/poly while they are being finished vertically, can anybody think of any gotcha's I should be on the look out for while finishing them standing up???

This is getting exciting!!!

Thanks guys,
Mark

[ripcard]

Jim is right. Even the soft material will leave a mark in the new paint. Been there done that as well. If you don't want to stand the cabinet up to finish the front and using the driver holes is not stable enough you might want to try a pair of "V" shaped saddles that are just wide enough to trap the speaker but not wide enough to let it slide all the way down. Sort of a side clamping/friction stand. Scrap 2x4s or similar could be used.

[mlammert]

...you might want to try a pair of "V" shaped saddles that are just wide enough to trap the speaker but not wide enough to let it slide all the way down. Sort of a side clamping/friction stand.

I was thinking of that exact same thing... However, I figure that will only really get me halfway there since that won't help me once I go to finish the sides of the speakers...

That is why I figured I should just go for finishing them standing up as I described above...

Mark

[BeerParty]

Besides being sure not to have any "sags" or "runs" in the primer/paint/stain/poly while they are being finished vertically, can anybody think of any gotcha's I should be on the look out for while finishing them standing up???

I can think of one. Make sure you finish the tops before you stand them up (unless you have high ceilings in your finishing area and want to finish the tops while standing on a step ladder...).

[mlammert]

Excellent progress on the finishing!!!

Attached are three pictures of the finished back of the speaker...

Four coats of primer, three coats of flat black and three coats of semi-gloss poly...

All water based...

I absolutely LOVE how you can see the reflection of the binding posts in photo #1...

I am sold on the Frog Tape as well... It peeled off in one long strip... Absolutely no bleed, no tearing or pulling of the dried paint, nothing... Just one sweet straight line... I was especially impressed with this since there were several coats...

After the tape was off, the wife helped me sand the speakers back up... The backs look very impressive... Even she was taken back a little I think...

When I removed the tape from around the binding posts it left a little line/ring of unfinished area right next to where the binding post connects to the speaker cabinet... I think I will take a fine point permanent Sharpie marker and just touch up those ares...

You cannot see that from standing distance though...

You can also see that I put the new Frog Tape down for the front baffle before I stood the speakers up as well... Again, Frog Tape rocks and is totally worth the couple extra bucks IMHO...

Sorry for all the smileys, I am just WAY excited...

More soon,
Mark

[mlammert]

After all that I put the first coat of primer onto the front baffles of the speakers...

Nothing too exciting here...

Photo Home shows the front of the speaker before primer... The lighting and camera phone make it hard to kind of tell, but Photos Forum and Blogs show the speakers after one coat of primer to the front baffles...

BTW, the sides are not primed... It is just the shadow and the camera phone that are messing with the picture...

I am very happy with the first coat...

One thing I am going to have to do after this coat dries is remove the gasket foam tape from the driver cutouts...

Not only was it near impossible to not get primer on them; I also want to be able to paint down into the rabbet's side so that there is continuous black going into the driver cutout...

That was the only real gotcha... Plus I had originally bought two packages of the foam and only used one; so I have another sitting on hand anyway...

I am hoping that finishing the front baffle will not take as long as the back... We'll see...

More to come,
Mark

[mlammert]

Progress is moving at a fast pace now:

First coat of primer dried...

Sanded it down with 120 grit... The front is glass smooth... :B

Also, got all the gasket foam removed from the driver cutouts...

Photo Home shows the second coat with a close up of the driver cutouts...

Photo Forum and especially Blogs shows the second coat and how smooth it looks... Especially on the "end grain" of the scalloped edge of the baffle...

Hopefully I'll get coat three on tonight...

More later...

Mark

[mlammert]

The third coat of primer was applied late last night...

Nothing to really show so I did not take any additional pictures...

I am very happy with the smoothness of both the surface MDF and the "end grain"...

Trying to decide if I want to put a fourth coat of primer just on the end grain or not...

I'll sand the third coat down when I get home from work today and that will probably be the deciding factor on whether to apply a fourth coat or not...

If not, I will be applying the first coat of black tonight... Very exciting...

Funny how fast these things go when you actually have time to work on them... :P

More soon...

Mark

[mlammert]

Quick Question

Since I have the drivers out for painting, I wanted to get some input on the following question...

The attached photo shows a good shot of the insulation installed in the woofer area of the speakers... You can see how close it is to the driver and how it slightly overlaps the driver cutout...

I read on Curt's web site that this insulation should be trimmed back slightly to allow the woofers to "breath"...

Question is:
Should I trim this back as recommended or should I just leave it as is???

If I should trim it back, what audible changes should I expect??? And, how much should I trim back on the sides???

Thanks guys!!!

Mark

[Jim Holtz]

Quick Question

I read on Curt's web site that this insulation should be trimmed back slightly to allow the woofers to "breath"...

Question is:
Should I trim this back as recommended or should I just leave it as is???

If I should trim it back, what audible changes should I expect??? And, how much should I trim back on the sides???

Thanks guys!!!

Mark

Hi Mark,

Yes, trim it back about 2" from the back of the front baffle. Insulation/foam too close to the driver tends to give it a slightly muffled/dead sounding quality. It's particularly important on the mids. The mids also need to have the foam beveled at a 45 degree angle for best sound quality.

Jim

[mlammert]

Thanks Jim... I appreciate the quick response...

I will definitely trim back the yellow insulation by about 2 inches next to the woofers...

Yes, I have the midrange foam angled at 45 degrees and the tip of the foam is about 2 inches from the back of the baffle in the mid chamber...

Thanks,
Mark

[Hdale85]

Those are looking excellent :B

[mlammert]

Thanks Dougie!!!

I sanded down the third coat of primer and it felt real nice and smooth so I went ahead and put on the first coat of black paint...

Very nice...

Here are some pictures...

More soon,
Mark

[mlammert]

Here are some pictures of the third and final coat of black paint on the front of the speakers...

I am very happy with the way they turned out!!!

I will let this dry today and hopefully start to apply poly tonight or tomorrow morning...

BTW, the streaks you see are just where it was drying...

More to come,
Mark

[mlammert]

I had been so focused on finishing the speakers that I almost forgot about the crossover boxes... ops:

Here are some pictures of the second coat of primer on the crossover boxes...

The first picture shows the main structure of the boxes (they are on their sides due to ease of painting) and the second picture shows the removable backs...

More soon,
Mark

[mlammert]

Attached are pictures of the final coat of poly on the fronts of the speakers!!!

You can see that I have also removed the Frog Tape from the front perimeter... Again, I am very impressed with the Frog Tape... No bleed, no pulling, no taring... Very nice product...

Applying poly to the fronts of the speakers posed to be much more difficult than the rears for some odd reason...

The poly seemed to dry unevenly on the fronts of the speakers... To my knowledge I did nothing different during the application of the poly... But, it proved to be cumbersome...

I overcame this by aggressively sanding between coats... And, the final coat I wiped on instead of brushed on...

After the final wiped on coat was dry I then took an old rag sweater of my wife's and "buffed" the front...

This seemed to work very well and got rid of any remaining streaks...

I really have no clue why this happened... But, it ended on a good note...

I must admit that they are not perfect... I can see imperfections but I am also the creator that is shining a spot light on them from 2 inches away... :P

My wife does not see them unless I point it out... She gives her thumbs up approval to the final buffed version...

Hopefully I can do a test piece of veneer later tonight... And, start painting the crossover boxes black...

Oh, also, my wife is going to dye the foam for the mid tunnels with some black Rit that we just happen to have; as mentioned in this post:

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showpost.php?p=435455&postcount=1060

More to come,
Mark

[mlammert]

Quick question:

Well, I just did some research on finishing maple (that is the type of veneer I ordered) and found out that apparently it is difficult to get a smooth/even coat of stain...

People report "blotchieness" even after using a pre-conditioner...

Ha ha... Will anything with this build be easy or straightforward???

Does anybody have any experience using maple veneer with their speakers and have any comments/advice on finishing it???

Thanks guys,
Mark

[Hdale85]

I'd say the type and brand/quality of stain you have is going to make the biggest difference in that area. A lot of people use maple so I really cannot imagine it being that difficult. What color stain are you planning on?

[ThomasW]

SOP for maple is to use a pre-conditioner. Test samples to see how much you need to apply and still get decent penetration from the stain.

[mlammert]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the comments on the maple... I appreciate it... Keep them coming if anyone else has anything to add...

I am not quite sure on the color yet... I will probably go with a golden honey type color... We have quite a bit of Cherry in our house right now and I don't want to over do it on that color... I figured a more natural color will compliment the black backs and fronts... I might try just applying poly and see what a sample looks like...

I have read that oil based gel stains work best with maple... I was just going to go with whatever Minwax products they have available at the local Lowe's...

Attached are some more pictures...

I rolled out the veneer on the dining room table... You can see where I cut a little piece out to do some tests on... It is amazing how easily the veneer cuts with just a plain pair of scissors...

I also applied the first coat of black to the crossover boxes...

The "streakiness/blotchiness" seems to be gradually fading as the poly cures more... And, again I have buffed it down more with the old sweater rag...

It is almost as if it dried at different "sheens"... Although it only seems to have done this in one area... Very weird...

Again, I am not too upset as from the casual observance it is barely noticeable and the layperson will more than likely never see it... However, I know it is there and I want to try what I can to correct it...

I might just go ahead a buy some true wipe on water based poly if I can find it at Lowe's or Home Depot...

More to come,
Mark

[mlammert]

Some more good progress was made last night...

1 - The "streakiness" of the poly on the one section seems to be getting better and better as the poly cures... I am now officially not worried about it... Still wonder why that happened in just one spot but every day it gets better and is to the point now where you cannot see it unless you REALLY look for it...

2 - I got the second coat of black on the crossover boxes and they are looking nice... One more coat and they should be good... I will have to go back over where the plexi and crossover bases "slide" into the boxes with a utility knife and just trim out a few little "bubbles" where the paint built up in the grooves...

3 - I re-applied gasket tape to all the driver cutouts...

4 - I went ahead and removed roughly 2-3 inches of insulation from the left and right sides of where the woofers mount... Attached are two pictures of this... The first pictures shows the insulation all the way up to the front baffle... The second pictures shows it after the 2-3 inches was cut away... Sorry for the poor picture quality...

I am going to apply the veneer early Saturday morning... Having not done this before I don't want to start on it after I get home from work one night and then be in the middle of it at 1:00AM... :P

Looks like the speakers will be able to be listened to again this weekend hopefully... I'll reinstall the drivers once the veneer is applied... I am not worried about applying stain or poly to the veneer with the drivers mounted since the veneer is just on the sides...

More soon,
Mark

[deucelee]

any updates mark?

man you're gonna need to get a SLR camera to take some pics once this is all done...(or at least a regular camera : )

anyways, good job so far, good god u have a ton of patience...

[mlammert]

Hey Deuce Lee,

You beat me to it... :P

This weekend I got the speakers veneered!!!



I took about 20 photos; figured I would check my email while they transfered to my computer and I saw your reply...

I will post the pictures and a full write up by tomorrow afternoon sometime (have some personal business to attend to tonight)...

Yeah, my wife wants to take some "sexy" pictures of the speakers once they are done with our nice Olympus camera... 8)

I really enjoy all the different work and techniques that I have been doing and learning throughout this project... But, yes, I am to the point now where I want to be done and finished...

Updates very soon!!!

Mark

[mlammert]

Here is the process I went through for veneering the sides of the speakers... I have not applied the veneer to the tops yet, but that will be much easier and take no time at all...

I first sanded down the sides and top of the speakers with an 80 grit sanding sponge... This served to roughen them up a little and to knock down any minor flaws...

I also placed Frog Tape over the finished black sides of the front baffle and rear curve...

I got an old paint tray and poured the Heat Lock into it and used a 6" glue roller to apply the Heat Lock...

When it first goes on it is opaque and covers everything solidly... You can see this in photo #1... As it dries it becomes more transparent... When it is dry it looks like the skin of an orange... You can see this in the rest of the photos...

I made sure to get good even coverage on both sides and the top of the speakers...

The last photo shows how I removed the tape from the sides once the Heat Lock was completely dry...

There should be no tackiness to the Heat Lock when it is fully dry... Personally, I think it took longer than the 20 minutes to dry compared to the directions on the bottle... But, this really made no difference in the long run...

Mark