Canuck Audio Mart

Hey folks,

I picked up a real nice set of Argonauts by Mission and want to refinish the cabs for the top of one has a couple of nasty gouges. My question is how can i fill these in? i don't think i can sand it down deep enough so i want to fill these marks before i finish the cabs.

I was thinking i could mix the sanding dust with some epoxy and use that for fill, at least it would be the same color?

thanks for any help

You can find different colour wood fillers at Home Depot, so you can get the one that matches your wood/finish the most. I find that those fillers absorb the stain a little bit more than the wood, so you will still see the spots where you filled the gauges. You may want to look at the idea of re-veneering that top side.

The following article gives you a relatively simple step-by-step explanation:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAn ... px?id=2718
I've followed it and I can confirm it does work (if done patiently) .

Small depressions can be lifted by stripping the finish and steaming them with a some water and a hot iron. Steaming won't remove the damage entirely but will at least raise the surface flush. If this is successful, lightly moisten and steam the entire veneer surface to raise the grain evenly. If you have to use putty I recommend a fine latex surface putty (neutral colour) as it sands easily and accepts stain well.

Easiest way to cover the remaining marks is to refinish the cabinets with a fairly dark stain, applying some extra stain over the marks with dry brush using long brush strokes to simulate the grain. Don't wipe this extra bit off - try to blend it in with the surrounding area as well as you can. Do both cabinets for a matched pair.

Need a membership to see that article.

Thanks for the replies, i would really like to try and keep the color of the wood as they are.

Dude, when a carpenter/cabinet maker(Rip) tells ya how, then you just found out.

With a clear finish your options are very limited. You can still try to steam the depressions out, but the creases in the veneer will remain visible. You could try re-veneering just the top, but matching the colour with existing will be impossible for a number of reasons. Even if you sand the existing top veneer smooth, the lacquer and veneers on the remainder of the cabinet will have oxidized and yellowed over the years making a colour match very difficult. You'll have to strip and sand the entire cabinet for any consistency, but it will then be a different colour than what you have now.

Best option for you would be to apply a light topcoat of clear lacquer (of matching sheen - or close to it) over the existing finish to lessen the apparent damage to it, then apply a colour matched wax stick to fill in the depressions.

or you could just leave them as they are now, keeping the colour the same guaranteed and

I'll ad my voice to ripblade's.
Steaming with a wet cloth and cloths iron then faking the grain with the stain is the best.
When the depressions tear across the grain like those, you're pretty much screwed.

If the Veneer is made from real wood, then light hand sanding with a 200 plus grit sandblock will even the surface. Use a good tack cloth to remove all grit, and find a matching finish (stain and protection layer).

If the veneer is synthetic, don't use this method.

Kidtricky's post got me thinking about "engineered wood". Is it making its way into speaker cabinetry?

It's been around longer than many of us.
Goes by the name of plywood and fibre board.