4333 A restoration

[spirou38]

One year and a half ago I picked up a pair of grey 4333 A from a Dutsh recording studio. The cabinets were in poor condition but the speakers worked fine. I decided to restore them with French wallnut veneering. Here are some pics of the restoration that is almost completed, just foilcalls and front grill logos are missing.

Before, they were grey with a black front face :

After removing the gray paint with a heat gun, sanding a few remaining marks of paint, cutting and finishing the front angles with a molding machine, I began the veneering ( sorry for the bad pictures, my Canon camera was out and I used a camescope to take the pictures ) :

..... to be continued

[spirou38]

The veneering...


..... to be continued

[spirou38]

The veneering is now finished ( I used tung oil ) and the front face has been JBL Blue painted :

... to be continued

[pos]

Superbe, bravo !

[Fangio]

Wow GORGEOUS Pascal, the veneering looks excellent! Great job particularly on that angled front, I'd expect thats the hardest part! :applaud:

[Chas]

Gorgeous. Nice work!

[spkrman57]

Since I am wood-working challenged, I can only drool while looking at the pics!

Thanks for sharing with us!!!:applaud:

Ron

[richluvsound]

Just the inspiration i need to get mine going.

I can get very,very good foilcal and grill badges made , but I need a min order to make it affordable. Pm if you interested

Rich

[majick47]

Pascal the JBL factory couldn't of done better. Beautiful job!

[speakerdave]

As someone who owns a pair of 4333A in walnut, I must say you've done a very good job replicating the speaker. Nice work! Thank you for showing it to us.

David

[mech986]

Very Nice work. Could you comment on your veneering process for those of us who are not so well experienced or skilled?

Did you add on the front angles or cut them from the original cabinet and then veneered over the resulting angle?

Also, did you have to rebuild the grille frames?

thanks again for some stunning pictures and work. Hope you are enjoying them tonight!

Regards,

Bart

[macaroonie]

:D

[Audiobeer]

Very nice job! I like the open grain w/oil. Makes the wood lucious!

[spirou38]

Very Nice work. Could you comment on your veneering process for those of us who are not so well experienced or skilled?

Did you add on the front angles or cut them from the original cabinet and then veneered over the resulting angle?

Also, did you have to rebuild the grille frames?

thanks again for some stunning pictures and work. Hope you are enjoying them tonight!

Regards,

Bart

Hi Bart,

For the front angles, no I didn't add them. I cut them with a spindle moulder ( not sure of the correct word, it's a part of a big woodworking machine ; it's like a fixed big router ).

Yes I had to partially rebuild the grill frames, one bottom part was broken and many other parts were unglued.

Veneering was not the more difficult, you just have to be careful.

I bought a pack of 25 pieces of 1.5 mm ( 1/16" ) thickness French walnut direct from a factory close to my house ( for about $140 I bought enough for at least 2 pairs of 4333 ! ). They were about 150 cm x 30 - 35 cm ( 60" x 12 - 14" ). Because one sheet was not wide enough for 1 face, I had to prepare 2 sheets before assembling them : first, when looking at the stack of walnut sheets, you open the upper sheet like opening a book so that the veneers of the wood will have a nicer aspect and you get like 2 pages of the “walnut book” ; then you put one inner edge of the book on the other inner edge of the book so that the upper sheet covers the other on about 1 cm ( 1/2" ). Then with a ruler and a very sharp cutter, you cut it very carefully while keeping the cutter perfectly perpendicular to the cutting surface ( that is very important to get a very good assembly ). It will be easier if you put a walnut sheet under the one that covers the first sheet, your ruler will be absolutely flat. Now, with a 5 cm ( 2" ) transparent adhesive tape, you assemble the 2 sheets while pressing the 2 edges together. As I have just 2 hands, for the cutting and assembly above phases, I did that with my wife ' as all the remaining work ! ). But something very important, as I used thick walnut sheets, for a perfect finish, you have to begin gluing the lateral sides. I think it's less important if you use 0.75 mm ( 1/32" ) sheets. So, now you can cut the assembled sheets with a exceeding margin of 1 cm ( 1/2" ) of the first lateral side. Also important, always prepare 1 face at the time just before the gluing phase because of possible dampness. Now, you are ready for gluing. With a paint brush, you put a thin coat of slow wood glue on one cabinet lateral side, wait 2 minutes, then put the walnut by the middle of the cabinet side, gently bending the sheets and slowly laying down the sheet on one side so that there will be no air bubbles between glue and walnut. You can use a pastry roller to do that. Then proceed the same manner with the remaining part of the sheet. Now, put a piece of white paper for covering all the walnut sheet ( some times there is too much glue, and the glue goes thru the walnut ). Then put a very thick and rigid piece of fiberboard on the paper and proceed like on the pictures. After putting the walnut sheet on the glue, it is very important to proceed VERY quickly : because I used wood glue, the walnut will react as it is damp and it will curl ! 8 hours later you can remove the clamps.

Now, you will cut the exceeding parts of walnut : prepare a thick piece of fiberboard and put the cabinet side that you have glued on the fiberboard. With a cutter on which the blade will exceed to the maximum, you lay on the blade as flat as you can on the cabinet side and gently cut the exceeding walnut. Proceed in at least 2 or 3 times and keep the cutter blade as flat as possible on the cabinet side so as to get a perfect cut angle. If it is not perfect, and even if it seems, you put the walnut side up and wit a new cutter blade that you will keep as flat as possible on the cabinet side, you can slowly cut the exceeding remaining parts very easily.

Proceed that way for the 4 sides. The finish of the front side is the same, just keep your cutter blade flat on the front angled side.

It’s not more difficult for the veneering of the front angled sides, proceed the same way, but keep in mind you have to first glue the smallest sides ( the ones that are close to the painted sides ), then the ones that are between the cabinet sides and the little ones on the front.

Now, you just have to sand and finish. I put 6 coats of a mix of ¼ turpentine 3/4 Tung oil and earth pigments to get the color, and finally 2 coats of pure Tung oil. Between each coat, I scraped all the surface with a new cutter blade to remove all the straightened wood fibers. For the front blue color, I went to a specialist that made me the same color than my 4344 MKII ( but I had to go at least 3 or 4 times if my mind is good ).

Yes I enjoy those speakers, however they are one of my auxiliary systems :D.

As my English is very poor :o:, I hope you could understand my comments. If not I will try to make new pictures for better explanations.

Feel free asking questions, I will probably not answer immediately because my family will arrive to morrow for about 7 days.

Pascal

[spirou38]

:D

Hi Mac,

Thank you for the l-pads :D

What about the Armagnac ?

Pascal

[speakerdave]

. . . . I cut them with a spindle moulder ( not sure of the correct word, it's a part of a big woodworking machine ; it's like a fixed big router ). . . .

"Spindle moulder" says it. Also called a "shaper" in the U.S.

David

[spirou38]

"Spindle moulder" says it. Also called a "shaper" in the U.S.

David

Thank you David :)

[spirou38]

And now they are in use, with the slant plates but without the front grills :

... to be continued

[spirou38]

And with Zilch cloth :

Many thanks to Zilch for the cloth and the "gluing cloth user's guide".

Pascal

... that's all for the moment !

[hjames]

And what a gorgeous project it is!!

Enjoy that - its fine looking work & no doubt sounds real nice too!

[spirou38]

As I was asked to upload the pictures in the LH forum, I did it and you can now find all the pictures in messages 18 to 22.

But I don't know how to edit my first 2 messages for removing the pictures links and inserting a new text like above :banghead:. Somedy can help me or do it ?

[shaansloan]

Now, you just have to sand and finish. I put 6 coats of a mix of ¼ turpentine 3/4 Tung oil and earth pigments to get the color, and finally 2 coats of pure Tung oil. Pascal

Does anyone know the exact recipe for the 4333 finish? Here Pascal says he used "earth pigments"....does anyone know what that is or how much?

Please let me know....

Thanks,
Shaan

[tomee]

Very nice work! Good description of how you did it - I think your english is just fine!

Could we see a picture of that turntable that sits on top of the JBLs - an EMT perhaps? I think JBL fans can appreciate quality even if it's not a speaker. :barf:

edit: I see I'm replying to a year old thread! pardon me...

[JBLCanuck]

It appears nobody knows Shaan...I've asked the same question many times but never gotten a straight answer. JBL used 2 finishes at least. If you read the threads on this forum, it appears most think the lacquer finish stopped in the 70's yet I'm pretty darn sure my 4333A's have their original finish & it sure looks & feels like lacquer.
I'm pretty sure they used a stain under the lacquer/oil but the only thing I've ever heard on here is to use Watco. Watco...Watco is a brand & they have many, many colors?
Most guys restoring JBL's don't fully strip their cabinets & so re-oiling or using a finish restore product looks just fine but I'll experiment with my 4345 project & come up with some answers here for you...or try :)
I just can't picture the JBL oil formula with no color added before hand giving that nice redish tint that all vintage JBL's seem to have.
It would just be nice to hear what product guys have used in the past & then a picture of the results...no? :dont-know
Is it a secret or do these characters only know electronics? :D



Does anyone know the exact recipe for the 4333 finish? Here Pascal says he used "earth pigments"....does anyone know what that is or how much?

Please let me know....

Thanks,
Shaan

[JBLCanuck]

By the way....no offense intended to spirou38...your work looks spectacular & if I'm hearing you correctly, you've added dye to the mixture to give the desired color. I think what Shaan & I are looking for is a shortcut so that we don't have to spend 40hrs experimenting with pigment. :D
Call us lazy:applaud:
This may very well be the route I go as well but I usually use Mohawk dye & so if I do...I'll try to document how much & exactly what I've mixed because several people are in the same boat as Shaan & I here.
So is it common belief here that most of the big blue monitors had an oil finish & not lacquer?

[Audiobeer]

I've always used a coat of walnut paste filler on my the 4333's I had. I started with Mimwax Golden oak. Then a couple of light sanding sealer coats. Scuff sanded with 320 then used a coat of Walnut paste filler.

[JBLCanuck]

Interesting....never heard of it?
Who makes it?



I've always used a coat of walnut paste filler on my the 4333's I had. I started with Mimwax Golden oak. Then a couple of light sanding sealer coats. Scuff sanded with 320 then used a coat of Walnut paste filler.

[JBLCanuck]

Here you go Shaan....this Blue was matched to my 4301's but as I said, I suggest adding a touch of white to lighten it up slightly. I did & it has worked well for me.
Good Luck! :)
http://members.shaw.ca/missionkraft/jblblue.jpg

[Mr. Widget]

Here you go Shaan....this Blue was matched to my 4301's but as I said, I suggest adding a touch of white to lighten it up slightly. I did & it has worked well for me.
Good Luck! :) JBL has not been entirely consistent in their "JBL Blue". Over the years there have been several slight variations and the current Japan Only 43XX systems are significantly darker.


Widget

[Audiobeer]

http://www.mlcampbell.com/secured/pisheets/C211-3%20WOOD%20FILLER.pdf

Follow up with a flat Laquer suff with 500 and steel 000 steel wool and you get a very natural finish.




Interesting....never heard of it?
Who makes it?

[4313B]

JBL has not been entirely consistent in their "JBL Blue". Over the years there have been several slight variations and the current Japan Only 43XX systems are significantly darker.You wouldn't happen to know of anyone who has matched the current darker blue would you? I need that formula.

Bo's match for the older 43xx still stands too doesn't it? I think I have a can of it somewhere that I haven't used yet. Maybe the formula was written on it.

I guess I should put all these formulas in the Tech Section where they will be easier to find in the future.

[mech986]

You wouldn't happen to know of anyone who has matched the current darker blue would you? I need that formula.

Bo's match for the older 43xx still stands too doesn't it? I think I have a can of it somewhere that I haven't used yet. Maybe the formula was written on it.

I guess I should put all these formulas in the Tech Section where they will be easier to find in the future.


4313B,

I was just thinking the same thing - there ought to be a sticky with the different formulations (depending on base paint manufacturer) of the JBL blue's that have been successfully used - or as you mention, put them into the tech section (and probably pointed to by a good JBL FAQ).

The thread could reference the original threads where they originated, be stand alone (but might be missing the nice baffle photos), or point to the restoration threads where they can be seen in context discussion and with photos.

They all can be good.

As for the darker shade, seems one would have to have a physical sample of the darker shade to work with and compare a color formulation. We would probably need some Japan members to help or a contact at JBL before they get shipped overseas. Would seem though that this Behr formula is very straightforward and might go darker by a hair shade by adding a unit of either the blue or black.

With my eyes, might not be able tell without great natural lighting and color swatches side by side.

Anyway, much thanks to JBLCanuck and others who have worked so hard to add this touch to monitor and cabinet restoration. It really is appreciated! :applaud:

Regards,

Bart

[Mr. Widget]

I guess I should put all these formulas in the Tech Section where they will be easier to find in the future.Excellent idea.

I believe this is the final Bo formula.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=53980&postcount=21



Widget

[JBLCanuck]

My original plan was to use Bo's formula. I have an account with Sherwin Williams but when I took them that formulation...I guess they use different tinters...or at least call them different names in Canada. Maybe it was the metric thing but anyhow, they couldn't mix it.
They wanted me to bring in the speaker but they mix it manually & I wasn't really keen on leaving the speaker there.