C-60 Sovereign restoration

[yggdrasil]

About 6-8 weeks ago I made a pair of protoype Smith horns for my DIY JBL's. They were simply laid on top of the speakers, the L91's were removed and the holes blinded. "It will stay like this for a while." I told my wife, thinking 2-3 months. "OK" she said. 6 days later - "Time's up" she said (She also claims it was 8 days).

Anyway I concluded that the DIY had to leave the living room (to another place with no wife interference) and be replaced by speakers that would not be subject to research & development.

Last week a pair of C-60's came up in Denmark, which is just (short) trip.

I have started looking over the cabinets and drivers.

First I hooked them up at very low volume. All drivers play. The lansaloy is gone completely, and was replaced by tape. I have now removed the tape.

Step one is obviously to order new surrounds. Is it possible to get JBL surrounds?

The speakers have been stored in a humid environment. Much of the lacquer is gone. There are a few deep cuts. I have spotted small dark spots all over the speakers (see close up). Are these spots ment to be there?

Also the back panel and the baffle needs repainting as the particle board is starting to come through the paint.

Do anyone have recommendations / schematics for new crossovers?

Lots of work to do, but it's worth it for house peace.

[saeman]

Hello Johnny: I have restored/attempted restoration on a few pairs of Sovereign I's/Sovereign II's. Depending on your desired end result, restoration is possible. The pair you have is in Golden Oak. The early sov's finished in the lighter option were called Golden Pecan and shortly after they changed to Golden Oak. To my knowledge all were made from white oak but finished in different styles. Your pair looks to be 1974 vintage or later. In 1974 they started mounting the 15" drivers using 8 fillister head screws with tee nuts behind the baffle, instead of the traditional 4 clamp arrangement that they continued to use on their pro systems. The Sovereign was dropped from the product line in 1974 but was still available for a couple years after that on special order basis. The black specs in the finish are factory original. They were applied to the surface after the first coat or two of laquer. That was a very popular finish technique with Spanish/Mediterranean furniture in the late 60's and 70's. I have duplicated the black specs by taking a small brush with black paint on it (trial basis) and while holding it over the surface, tapping it with a stick to cause small specs of paint to splatter on the surface. If you look carefully at the existing finish you will notice that the base wood was not stained before being laquered. It appears that JBL used laquer with an added tint. Doing that they could achieve more depth of finish with additional coats of spray. After the desired color/shade was achieved they would finish with a clear product. When you strip the cabinets you'll see just how many coats they did use. I would say 8 - 10 minimum. I stripped a dark Country Oak pair that took me forever to strip thru the finish (never again), well maybe. If I can be of any additional help don't hesitate to ask. Rick

[saeman]

An additional comment on the back and baffle. On your Sovereigns the Baffle and Back are made of particle board. P.B. does not do well when subjected to excessive moisture. What you are seeing is the surface starting to crumble and rub off with the paint. Sand both surfaces and apply two coats of polyeurethane varnish to seal the wood surface. Then sand them smooth and repaint with black - good for a long time. Consider doing the same to the exposed cabinet bottom too. Rick

[Steve Gonzales]

Can't add much to Rick's input. I would LOVE to have a go at restoring them!!, Good Luck with them and I can't wait to see some pictures, Best Regards,
Steve Gonzales

[saeman]

Further info on the black specs in the finish - On the first pair of sovs I restored I didn't bother with the black specs in the finish. The restoration came out real nice but something was missing with the appearance - it was the black specs. Don't let the seemingly tedious job of applying the specs turn you off. If you apply them after the first two coats of laquer are on and dry, any mistakes can easily be wiped off with a cloth lightly dampened with thinner. After doing a few you'll get the hang of it. I practiced before hand on a piece of cardboard just to make myself feel better.

If you want to achieve proper end appearance use laquer and not polyeurethane and make sure the laquer is SATIN and not semi-gloss or gloss. If you don't have a spray gun - RENT one for a couple of days. Laquer dries fast and you can spray several coats a day.

In my previous post I stated that Sovereigns were all made from white oak - Not necessarily true however white oak is what their production run cabinets were made from. Keep in mind that if you asked JBL for something special they would happily do it if possible. I bought a pair of Sovereign II's a few years back and found that they were made from Red Oak (entirely, not just the trim). These could well have been a special order. Has anyone out there seen anything else besides white oak ??? Rick

[Steve Gonzales]

I do a bit of restoration work myself and remember using a toothbrush to make spatters. You need to thin your material to the right viscosity and put a small amount into a very shallow pan, then dip just the first 1/8" of the ends of the bristles into the material and then hold it over the surface that's to be spattered and run your thumb across all the bristles quickly, the same as if you were trying to get all the water out of it. Works for me, SG.

[rloggie]

In restoring Soverigns, is it ever advisable to "spot" refinish? I purchased a mint condition C63 console cabinet recently. Mint except it has a water mark the size of my hand on the top edge. Can I refinish just the area damaged using the materials you've indicated? Or do I have to do the entire top at once?

Further info on the black specs in the finish - On the first pair of sovs I restored I didn't bother with the black specs in the finish. The restoration came out real nice but something was missing with the appearance - it was the black specs. Don't let the seemingly tedious job of applying the specs turn you off. If you apply them after the first two coats of laquer are on and dry, any mistakes can easily be wiped off with a cloth lightly dampened with thinner. After doing a few you'll get the hang of it. I practiced before hand on a piece of cardboard just to make myself feel better.

If you want to achieve proper end appearance use laquer and not polyeurethane and make sure the laquer is SATIN and not semi-gloss or gloss. If you don't have a spray gun - RENT one for a couple of days. Laquer dries fast and you can spray several coats a day.

In my previous post I stated that Sovereigns were all made from white oak - Not necessarily true however white oak is what their production run cabinets were made from. Keep in mind that if you asked JBL for something special they would happily do it if possible. I bought a pair of Sovereign II's a few years back and found that they were made from Red Oak (entirely, not just the trim). These could well have been a special order. Has anyone out there seen anything else besides white oak ??? Rick

[saeman]

Hi Robin: Post a couple of pics showing the whole top and the area of concern. Refinishing a small area to match existing is way out of my league. Might also be too much for a very skilled antique restoration guy. Remember - the cabinet is 30 + years old and the UV has been hitting it all these years. Finish color and hardness has changed. I've tried all sorts of tricks on small spots and had very little luck. My very first choice is to always preserve the original finish and appearance coz you can NEVER totally duplicate it (just come close). Makes you wish it was just oiled walnut. Oak with multiple, multiple coats of aged laquer presents a real chalenge. And you're talking a spot as big as your hand. My bet is that you'll never hide it. Damn these people with wet booze glasses and flower pots anyway. Rick

[rloggie]

I'll post a picture later tonight when I'm home. This cabinet is really pretty. I didn't have a use for it, just happened on it.

Robin

[Audiobeer]

Ifyou want to duplicate the spatter finish there is a product in an aerosol can i have used for spot repairs or complete refineshes and works really well. It's like any other paint can except it has a tip that spits the material in a consistant pattern. I would have to say on a finish that old it would be easier to strip it and start over. Wish you lived local as Steve said. That would be a enjoyable weekend project!

[geowal3]

Audiobeer, can you ID "the product"? Thanks!

[Audiobeer]

HPI Products off Fee Fee Road in Maryland Heights Missouri sells it. It's just called black Spatter distressing paint. If you need it I could pick you up a can the next time I go there and ship it ground. As for as spot repairs go on this forget it. The laquer has lifted just about everywhere. If you felt real lucky you could try some cheeze cloth and a apply laquer thinner one side at a time until you get all the laquer loose and pretty much melted away via rinsing and what's left will act as a sealer coat. Then scuff sand with some 360 tri mite cabinet paper just letting it slide across the surface without weight. Fill your spray cup with a cellulose laquer thinned and add a little orange NGR stain to it. Scuff sand it again. Apply another clear sanding coat, scuff sand and apply your "Distressing spatter paint" as it's called. Then top coat it. If and only if your lucky there will not be any fish eye on the surface due to contaminets. I say you will have a 1 in 10 chance that it works. You could try (It would work!) what is called a french polish but that takes finnese from experience. If you had a finisher local he could try what I am talking about and have it completed (One side whether it be a top or whatever) in two hours with the correct humidity.

[yggdrasil]

Last week I got around to remove the drivers. Both cabinets smelled from long time humidity.

The cabinets were turned upside down and sanded slightly on all black areas. Then all the oak was masked. The paint have been sprayed on. I had hoped one coat would be enough, but tonight I have sprayed on coat 3.

The picture with both cabinets were taken after coat 2. Very large cabinets for my little workshop.

The drivers have signs of moist. The bullet on the 075's do not shine at all. The aluminum ring just under the back cap of both the 375's and LE15's have yellow fine flourish substance on them.

I had to sand (very fine sand paper) the bullets on a pair of 2402's used in a project I did this winter. It was very difficult to keep the direction of the sand paper at all times. Maybe they could be mounted on my wood turning machine? Will probably have to split the drivers, and remove the red wax seals. Any thoughts?

[saeman]

Hi Johnny - Your problem with P.B. that has been exposed to excessive moisture will most likely not be solved by overcoating it with spray paint. Sanding it smooth and then spraying over it doesn't eliminate the surface and sub-surface layers that are soft and crumbling from the moisture. The spray paint goes on too thin and dries too fast. In an earlier post I mentioned using polyeurethane varnish (or something similar). Right now the P.B. is soft and crumbly on the surface and you can most likely dig into it with your fingernail. If you take a thinned and brushed on coat of varnish and let it soak in while it dries you will secure the P.B. surface layer and deeper layers depending on the drying time of the varnish and how heavy you brush it on. Let the first coat dry and apply another. Then sand smooth and spray black. Without first securing the surface you will most likely still be able to scratch thru the spray paint and remove P.B. with your fingernail. Leave a pair of speakers sitting in the garage for a couple of years and that's what you get. I've seen it many times. Rick

[yggdrasil]

In an earlier post I mentioned using polyeurethane varnish (or something similar).

I overlooked that. But I do not understand what polyeurethane varnish is... Language barrier you know.

Could it be a waterbased laquer?