Suggestions on how to get french polish-like high gloss finish for my speaker veneer?

[corElement]

Hi all

I'll be receiving my pair of Jamo Concert 8 bookshelves around July and something which has been on my mind is the finish of the wooden veneer.

The manual says it's real cheery wood veneer however it's not polished to a gloss, more matt. Since it's a thin layer of veneer I'm wondering if it's safe and possible to polish it to a gloss to reveal the details of the wood and bring out better contrast.

This is the speaker

And this is the kind of gloss I'm looking for

What do you guys suggest for achieving this goal?

 

[ukjeyaraj]

Re: Suggestions on how to get french polish-like high gloss finish for my speaker ven

When I first read the thread title, I thought this could be a DIY speaker. I will definitely not try to tamper with original finish of such branded speaker.

If you want to change the color you need to use wood stains like the one in this link Asian Paints (check 2nd page).

To get a glossy finish use similar to the one in this link Decorative - Acrylic Emulsion Paints and Water Based Paints from Asian Paints (2nd page glossy item)

You need to test it first (if bottom layer of speaker is similar it can be applied there and tested). Again I would suggest not to modify the original look of the speaker.

 

[Moviela]

Re: Suggestions on how to get french polish-like high gloss finish for my speaker ven

There are two ways to get the deep gloss you are seeking. The easy way is to use an automotive polish. Polish is different from wax. Polish can be applied and removed at the moment, whereas waxes require the time to haze over prior to buffing. The amount of shine is related to how smooth the surface is. Buffing with a lamb's wool bonnet on a random orbit polisher will bring up a deep gloss shine using Meguiar's NXT polish.

Another way to increase the gloss is to use a clear polyurethane per these instructions:

How to Apply Polyurethane | The Family Handyman

This will make a very durable finish, far better than the car polish route.

Since the Jamo's are already stained, test in an out of sight area to be sure the new coating does not molest the existing finish.

My suggestion is to practice on some scrap wood at first to perfect your technique.

 

[corElement]

Re: Suggestions on how to get french polish-like high gloss finish for my speaker ven

Wax is totally out of the question, and I have no intention of changing the color of the cherry veneer.

I've seen automotive clear acrylic coats being used to gloss over wooden furniture.
It does a decent job and fades over time without harming or staining the wood.
However it's nowhere near the mirror like gloss and beauty of french polish and french polish is too tedious.

Is polyurethane considered a varnish?

We once tried using varnish on a piece of ancestral furniture and it bonded with the wood. The only way we could remove it was using a chisel to scrape it off. Greatly angered my mother and we haven't used varnish at home since lol.

What kind of polish do you think the speakers in ths picture are? I have a feeling it's polyurethane. My d830's are a similar veneer, wish I could get a finish like that >.<

http://diyguides.dremel.com/apply-polyurethane-veneer-20491.html
This article seems interesting but I have no clue where to get half the stuff on the list lol

 

[ROBIN LANDANSON]

Re: Suggestions on how to get french polish-like high gloss finish for my speaker ven

corelement, which brand tower speaker is ?

 

[corElement]

Re: Suggestions on how to get french polish-like high gloss finish for my speaker ven

Those are dali helicons

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Re: Suggestions on how to get french polish-like high gloss finish for my speaker ven

You can get increased sheen, if not shine, by using a furniture polish.

Personally, I feel that the finish of the speakers you are buying gives more of a real-wood feel. I'm afraid that I prefer it, even to a genuine French-polish shine built up with many hours of hard work by a skilled craftsperson

If I wanted my oak-veneer Castle speakers to be high gloss (which I obviously don't!) the first task would be light sanding until they felt smooth. No, I'd rather keep the look and feel of that wood grain, which does a wonderful job of fooling me that they are not really made from MDF!

Deep gloss is literally deep. Many coats of carefully applied and sanded varnish. Despite the great instructions in Moviela's link, it is not easy to get a finish like that. I suggest you build yourself a bookshelf (or even some hifi furniture?) to practice the finishing before trying it out on an expensive treasure.

Afterthought... the quickest and simplest route to something like that gloss would probably be a melamine spray coat, and any kitchen or woodwork fitter here should be familiar with that. Talk to a friendly painter? Would you trust them with your speakers?

Post afterthought... whatever you did would have to be compatible with what the factory have already done. If not, it could be really nasty. Years ago, a friend of mine had incompatibility problems with a finish he applied to the teak deck of his 44-foot boat. He actually got compensation from the product manufacturer --- but would have been much happier not to have had the problem in the first place.