JBL L5 re-finishing

[wkjeffers]

Has anyone repaired or refinished any of the L series black cabinets? I have an L5 that needs some work. I had t suggested to use lacquer thinner to open the veneer up and then refinish........anyone tackled this before? Any advice is much appreciated.

[rdgrimes]

lacquer thinner will also eat veneer adhesives and joint glues, so caution is advised. Mineral spirits would be a lesser evil.

[gferrell]

What kind of finish are you looking for when your done? Just curious.

[BMWCCA]

I have no advice to offer, but I'd sure like to hear about what you get as advice,what you end up doing, and how it works out.

So, keep in touch!

[Slare]

I would be very interested in knowing as well. The front baffle is MDF and could be refinished fairly typically, but the body/veneer surface has a sort of wonky soft finish.

I think lots of folks here would be interested in seeing how a refinishing effort works out. Natural wood tone finished L5/L7's would throw a lot of people here for a loop as the black finish is pretty polarizing.

[kiaphous]

I'm in the process of refinishing the cabinets on my L3's. I'll post some pictures once I'm done.

[MMudge]

I just refinished an older pair of JBL Lancer 33's, circa1961/2, with the LE8 drivers. The veneer was very dry and there were 45 years of scratches, dents and grit ground into the veneered bottoms.

The veneer was quite thick my todays standards so it made this easier the the Tannoys I tackled a couple of years ago.

I'm sure many of you know this, but the best way to remove many scratches and dents is a steam iron. Lay a towel over the veneer, begin ironing the towel. If you have a steam burst button on the iron use it while ironing firmly. The hot moisture makes the flaws swell back up, and in most cases, disappear. peel the towel off the wood rather than yank it straight up just to be safe.

The moisture will also raise the grain of the undamaged wood and it will feel slightly rough to the touch. Give the veneer a couple minutes to release the moisture then use a sanding block w/600 grit paper and with the grain of the wood. After that, clean, inspect, assess and finish off that side with some very fine steel wool; move to the next panel and repeat. Be careful at the corners where the veneers meet. You don't want to snag anything.

Your finished cabinet will be fresh looking but wide open to stains. I use and good furniture oil to finish the wood. I don't care for glossy finishes or anything that will permanently seal the wood shut. A little oil now and then spruces up the grain.

Minwax makes a great touch up stick in a range of colors. It's a crayon, essentially. Use that on lighter scratches or to fill small voids in the veneer. You can get the crayons at home depot or Lowes.