L100s just like new, well almost

[Wilsonj]

I just finished the restoration of a set of JBL L100s that I bought in 1978. They have survived 15 moves and 3 wives. So I thought it only fitting to clean them up a bit. I’m sorry I don’t have any before pics. I was pretty far into this project when I stumbled across this group. You guys have been a great help. Thanks a lot. The cabinets were not in too bad of shape. I did the usual abrading and steaming of dents. The veneer is pretty thick and I was able to remove all surface defects. I did have to replace one side of a walnut grille frame that was partly missing. I then masked off the cabinets and foilcals and painted the fronts and backs with flat black topped of with a clear coat of semi-gloss.

[Wilsonj]

The sanded veneer was given a wash coat of thinned 50/50 polyurethane and mineral spirits. That old veneer sure is pretty.

[Wilsonj]

For a top coat I used a mixture of tong oil and polyurethane burnished in with 320 grit paper. This gave the veneer that original JBL oil finish look.

[Wilsonj]

I just could not put in the woofers with the yellowed aquaplase after seeing what Steve Gonzales did. I followed Steve’s directions and they came out like new.

[Wilsonj]

When I tried to clean the old foam rings off the LE25s I managed to break the leads to the tweeters. These had to be sent out to be fixed and when they came back they had new foam.

[Wilsonj]

Here they are all put back together and finished.

[Wilsonj]

Now if they only had Quadrex Grilles. Hint Sonofagun.

[Wilsonj]

Grille cloth will have to do for now. Thanks again for all the help I got from reading countless threads. By the way they seem to sound better now that they look better.

[Earl K]

Wow, Gorgeous !

[Robh3606]

Those look better than new


Rob

[hwirt]

Brings back memories of my old L100's. Looks good as new.

[57BELAIRE]

OUTSTANDING!!!!!

I can't think of a better way to apply one's talents than the preservation of our beloved vintage JBL's.

I'm particularly interested in your steaming method to remove dents.

I have a pair of L300's that were strapped to a pallet during a relocation and one small area on the rounded top next to the glass was indented. I was told that if you put a damp washcloth on the area and pressed down with a steam iron the dent would swell and smooth out. I didn't want to try it until I knew for a fact that was how it was done.

One look at your gorgeous L100's tells me you know what you're doing...any suggestions would be much appreciated.

rbh

[Wilsonj]

OUTSTANDING!!!!!


I'm particularly interested in your steaming method to remove dents.

I was told that if you put a damp washcloth on the area and pressed down with a steam iron the dent would swell and smooth out.
rbh

You got it. Make sure the washcloth is clean, use distilled water and don't expect it to swell out all at once. Depending on the dent you may have to work at it. Remember to keep the cloth rather wet. Don't let it dry out. You can also pre-wet the area to get things started.

Good luck

[Alexander]

Jim,

Beautiful work! Your craftsmanship really shows with this outstanding restoration of a beloved classic...Andrew

[pmakres1]

Jim,
Very nice indeed!! This brings back very fond memories for me too. I sold my L100's in 1982 so I could buy my L220's. Although it was necessary at the time, I still miss them anyway! Another thing I noticed, you have those stands just like I had with my L100's. The only difference is, mine had JBL logos on the front of the stands. Otherwise, identical. Your L100's also look to be of the same approximate era as mine, from looking at the driver arrangement and network control plate on the front. I'm still trying to find another pair of those stands, I have a pair of 4313B's in my Florida room system that need stands. I should have held onto those stands at least! I'm not sure but the L100 was perhaps a better system than the 4313B...they only have a 10" woofer so I'm using them with a PB12 sub with pretty decent results.
My pair of 4313B's were pretty gouged up when I got them and I too had very good luck restoring the cabinets-like yours, the veneer was pretty thick so they were pretty workable. Aside from some very minor corner dents you'd never know the cabinets were once in rough shape. I used similar tecniques as you did, with steaming out the gouges, etc.

Very nice work Jim...I could look at these all day!

Best regards,

Peter Makres