Olympus are at home

[Wardsweb]

Yes you can put two C50 in the back of an SUV.

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_suv.jpg

[Wardsweb]

Can a determination be made as to approx build date by the serial numbers: 48029 and 48030

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_home.jpg

[Audiobeer]

Very Nice ! Keep the pics coming. I'm working on a few myself. Love to see yours progress!

[Wardsweb]

Very Nice ! Keep the pics coming. I'm working on a few myself. Love to see yours progress!
These are being redone for me, so I'm not sticking to all original. The cabinets will be refinished, woofers refoamed, pulling the LE85/91 and putting 2405 in their place, then building either 2397 or Westlakes horns to sit on top of the cabs. I'll start with he LE85 while I look for some 2" drivers. The crossover will be from scratch. I will be using quarter sawn bubinga for the horns. You can see the wood standing by the cabs. It is a lot darker once oiled.

[yggdrasil]

The serial numbers suggest building date late 1968 or early 1969.

[Wardsweb]

The serial numbers suggest building date late 1968 or early 1969.
Thanks !

Now next questions: are the grill clips unobtanium? I am missing one.

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_clip.jpg

[Audiobeer]

That's normal, I'm missing a couple also and may have a source. Will advise!

[Wardsweb]

Very Nice ! Keep the pics coming. I'm working on a few myself. Love to see yours progress!
The refinish begins. Some sanding with with a random orbital and some 320 grit to smooth things out. The finish is so dry it just powders.

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_refinish01.jpg

[Wardsweb]

The other cabinet needed a little more attention. It wasn't bad but a few joints were loose so some glue and clamps to tighten it all back up.

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_refinish02.jpg

[Wardsweb]

Sanded and oiled. I will let this set for a couple days and then finish with some DEFT lacquer.

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_refinish04.jpg

[Mr. Widget]

SI will let this set for a couple days and then finish with some DEFT lacquer.Really?

A pure oil finish is so beautiful, why add a layer of junk on it? Obviously you know how you live and have produced enough beautiful wooden works of art to know what you like, but still....


Widget

[Wardsweb]

Really?

A pure oil finish is so beautiful, why add a layer of junk on it? Obviously you know how you live and have produced enough beautiful wooden works of art to know what you like, but still....


Widget

I've never worked with only oil before. I guess I'm a creature of habit. I am open to suggestions, so is there some magic to this or just stop with the oil? Are there better oils? Boiled linseed? Etc...

[Mr. Widget]

I've never worked with only oil before. I guess I'm a creature of habit. I am open to suggestions, so is there some magic to this or just stop with the oil? Are there better oils? Boiled linseed? Etc...I use Watco Danish Oil Natural color... you have to reapply after about a year... and then every few years, but it takes just a few minutes and makes the piece look new again. For a dining table or other piece of furniture that takes a fair amount of abuse a simple oil finish isn't such a great idea, but for speakers, unless you have small children you really don't have to plastic coat this stuff.

I just really dislike most lacquer and urethane finishes on open grained woods like walnut.


Widget

[Audiobeer]

I'm with the Widgemeister on this. I believe strongly in laquer finishes for wood veneers that has been damaged or is in harms way. In other words if I have a walnut JBL cabinet that has holes in in or or even veneer sanded through or peeled I have to use laquer to mask the cosmetic repairs that I'm doing. I have to have the various coats to mask what is going on underneath the finish. BUT when it comes to a simple grain finish on an open pore wood like Walnut or teak, oil looks so natural and beautiful. I'm a big fan of Boiled linseed oil applied with 600 grit wet/dry sand paper over a few days initialy and then only after that as needed.

[DavidF]

I'm with the Widgemeister on this. I believe strongly in laquer finishes for wood veneers that has been damaged or is in harms way. In other words if I have a walnut JBL cabinet that has holes in in or or even veneer sanded through or peeled I have to use laquer to mask the cosmetic repairs that I'm doing. I have to have the various coats to mask what is going on underneath the finish. BUT when it comes to a simple grain finish on an open pore wood like Walnut or teak, oil looks so natural and beautiful. I'm a big fan of Boiled linseed oil applied with 600 grit wet/dry sand paper over a few days initialy and then only after that as needed.


Me three with Widget and Audiobeer. Preference is fine, they are in your home. The luster of oiled wood is so much richer and, lacking non cliche words, organic. Besides, I can never get a raised finish so lush that it can't be confused with a high quality vinyl.

[Wardsweb]

Ok here they are with Watco Danish Oil. The can says flood the first coat, wait 30 minutes, reapply, wait 15 minutes and wipe dry. Any harm on adding several more coats?

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_top1.jpg

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50_top2.jpg

[mech986]

:thmbsup::thmbsup::D That is absolutely awesome!! They look fabulous. Did you go with the natural or a specific color of the Watco? Do they actually look as red as the pic or in natural light will they appear more browish?

Whichever, they look great.

Question now is, how to treat the delicate grilles, that is the real trick and one I haven't seen addressed with the Olympus or similar S99 grilles.

[Mr. Widget]

Ok here they are with Watco Danish Oil. They can say flood the first coat, wait 30 minutes, reapply, wait 15 minutes and wipe dry. Any harm on adding several more coats?I usually do more than three... sometimes I have continued to apply coats for several days... If you do several coats the luster will increase slightly but ultimately there will be tiny droplets of oil that come up to the surface after you have wiped them with a dry cloth. You must wipe these droplets each time they appear before they dry completely or you will have tiny shiny spots.


Widget

[Wardsweb]

:thmbsup::thmbsup::D That is absolutely awesome!! They look fabulous. Did you go with the natural or a specific color of the Watco? Do they actually look as red as the pic or in natural light will they appear more browish?

Whichever, they look great.

Question now is, how to treat the delicate grilles, that is the real trick and one I haven't seen addressed with the Olympus or similar S99 grilles.
The flash seems to bring out the red. I will get some pics in sun light and see if they are a more accurate representation. As for the grills, yes what to do? I'm thinking of block sanding lightly and the spraying a dark walnut finish. I'll test on the back side first and see what works.

[Lee in Montreal]

Wow. Great work. I love the feel of oiled wood. I'd use the cabinets to house two 2235h, with a 2397 on top, as well as 2405 sitting on the 2397.

Mated to three amps and an active three-way crossover. :D

[Wardsweb]

Wow. Great work. I love the feel of oiled wood. I'd use the cabinets to house two 2235h, with a 2397 on top, as well as 2405 sitting on the 2397.

Mated to three amps and an active three-way crossover. :D
My plan is to use the LE85 fitted to a wood horn (2397 or Westlake, still deciding) and a 2405 in a matching wood box. I do love the 2235H but want to keep this project from getting out of hand.

Can you post a pic of yours or shoot it to me in a PM?

[Lee in Montreal]

Can you post a pic of yours or shoot it to me in a PM?

I suppose that by "yours", you meant the 2397... ;)

I will have pictures in two weeks. Still approving on the production estimates. Final okay shall be given on Wednesday.

[Wardsweb]

Ok here is a better representation of the color. This is with about 5 coats of Watco natural oil.

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/c50oiled.jpg

[hjames]

Ok here is a better representation of the color. This is with about 5 coats of Watco natural oil.



Gorgeous wood!! You are the wood man!

[BMWCCA]

Lovin' the Watco here, too! Those are very pretty, indeed. :applaud:

[Audiobeer]

Makes you wonder why JBL put laquer on them in the 1st place? :)

[Wardsweb]

Makes you wonder why JBL put laquer on them in the 1st place? :)
It was "good enough" bang for the buck. Several coats of hand laid oil is time consuming and time is money. If you want to maximize profit, keep your cost of goods low and sell at a decent margin.

[Wardsweb]

Just playing around today.

http://wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_C50/S8.jpg

[Lee in Montreal]

Makes you wonder why JBL put laquer on them in the 1st place? :)

Makes you also wonder why many cabinets are designed to fit into a 4'x8'... Cost efficiency my friend. ;)

[BMWCCA]

Makes you wonder why JBL put laquer on them in the 1st place? :) Well, they didn't . . . not always. Surprisingly, it seemed to be in the later stuff where they started going with the hand-rubbed oil finishes. At least to the best of my recollection! I think all Paragons I ever saw were hand-rubbed oil. My original C37s are lacquer though, but have the late-model N2400 crossovers in them so they must have done lacquer and oil simultaneously. By customer request? :dont-know:

[Wardsweb]

Blast from the past. This old thread popped up on a search, so I thought I would update it with a current picture. Still going strong.

http://wardsweb.org/mysystems/sunroom122319.jpg

[Mr. Widget]

Very, very nice! Those Olympus speakers are still flat out gorgeous!
Cool room too.


Widget

[Wardsweb]

Very, very nice! Those Olympus speakers are still flat out gorgeous!
Cool room too.


Widget

Thanks, it is the sun room at the back of the house. I guess now it is more the toy room. It is one of four systems in the house. The Widgets are still in my main system in the living room. Klipsch Jubilee's in the den and Quad 2905 in the dining room.

[Wardsweb]

The only constant is change. Switched things up in the sun room.

85974

[Robh3606]

Those are something! Change is good

Rob:)

[grumpy]

Certainly fun to sample various technologies and equipment periods! Some stick, some less so.

Nice collection, as always :)

[ET60]

I've never worked with only oil before. I guess I'm a creature of habit. I am open to suggestions, so is there some magic to this or just stop with the oil? Are there better oils? Boiled linseed? Etc...
The original paperwork that came with these states,:cheers: 3 parts boiled linseed oil to 1 part pure gum turpentine