Finishing Birch Ply

[Vikash]

Hi,

I'm a newbie hear and excited to have found this uk workshop forum. I'm by no means a woodworking purist, but my interest lies in speaker building and I've recently started working on a project using latvian birch ply that I need help finishing.

I've tried several things so far (after sanding with 180 grit using palm sander):
a) applying a couple of coats of danish oil. The result is a very blotchy finish (from what I'm told is uneven absobtion).
b) applying some pva to help seal and take the oil more evenly. The result is better but still not very even.
c) single pack acrylic lacquer sprayed and polished out which is still blotchy at some viewing angles.

Here's (c):

I'm not particularly set on any type of finish which is why I'm trying a few things - looking for the easiest to apply with the best overall finish.

I haven't tried a cabinet scraper before (although read about it a bit here) and it seems this will help a lot in preperation for whichever finish I decide. Also I've heard that cellulose sanding sealer may help take a top coat more evenly. Before I splash out on more tools and finishes I would like your opinions and advice!

Here are the speakers I need help finishing:

Vikash

 

[Scrit]

Hi Vikash and welcome!

You may find tha a canbinet scraper does the trick, but probably easier would be to sand through the grits: 100 - 120 - 150 or 180 then seal with a clear (acrylic) MDF sealant. A couple of coats of that, denibbed with a grey Scotch or Machine Mart cloth (like a pan scourer only finer and grey), or a piece of Webrax after drying to remove any rough areas will give you a good enough surface to apply your top coat. I'd suggest that you forget oil finishes on plywood - the veneers are very thin and trend to absorb the glues used in the construction uneqially, hence the blotchiness. The sealant will stop the penetration of yout finish into the timber and should give a more even end result

Regards

Scrit

 

[jasonB]

Have you tried a decent water bourne lacquer like Barfords Aquacote or Dulux Diamond Glaze, both are really floor finishes but work well on timber furniture.

I tend to use the Aquacote and apply with a paint pad rubbing down between coats with 320g silicon carbide paper.

Jason

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Vikash

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Vikash]

Here's how they turned out. Ended up using the scraper, and finished with clear wax. Quite happy with it.

Vikash

 

[the_g_ster]

How do you get any bass out of those speakers? There isn't any bass enclosure unless that's in the bottom.

Look good.

G

 

[Vikash]

It's a fully active dipole loudspeaker, and yes there are two 10" woofers in the bottom for the bass.

The look good, they sound even better

Some more pictures here: http://www.vikash.info/audio/orion/