Jeff B. Testarossa TMM, 2-Way, RAAL/Satori

[fuzz092888]

Finished what are possibly the ugliest crossovers to almost grace AH. I'll probably leave them bare for now after I chamfer. At this point I just want to hear them and I also don't have the scratch to finish them the way I want to. The only issue is that I have to see if I have any extra male speakons around. I thought I did, but now I can't seem to find them. I ordered more, but they won't be here until Thursday, so I may have go wait until next weekend to give these a workout. Well, assuming the PR I dropped a hammer on is also functional as well

 

[fuzz092888]

 

[fuzz092888]

 

[annunaki]

They are coming together! Can't wait to see the finished product and read about your impressions.

 

[annunaki]

Quick question, did you chamfer the inside of the enclosure around the drivers to help them "breathe"? Your font baffles look really thick is all.

 

[fuzz092888]

They are coming together! Can't wait to see the finished product and read about your impressions.

Thanks. As far as a finish goes, they'll remain bare for now. I'm still deciding what to do with them. The original plan was to paint them, but I may just do a simple stain and shellac.

Quick question, did you chamfer the inside of the enclosure around the drivers to help them "breathe"? Your font baffles look really thick is all.

Not as much as I should have. I dropped the drivers in after the baffles were already attached and regretted not doing more, but it also didn't look as bad as I thought it might.

 

[fuzz092888]

After some driver measurements for monkish, I finally finished the second speaker. So they're all buttoned up and ready for the speakon connectors tomorrow to give them a proper test.

 

[TheWarrior]

Thanks. As far as a finish goes, they'll remain bare for now. I'm still deciding what to do with them. The original plan was to paint them, but I may just do a simple stain and shellac.
Not as much as I should have. I dropped the drivers in after the baffles were already attached and regretted not doing more, but it also didn't look as bad as I thought it might.

How about brown/red-ish stain for the front baffle, satin black for everything else? Piano gloss is great but only if your set up allows the speakers to be positioned so that your display doesn't reflect back and blind one of your viewers!

Word to the wise, seal the grain! That will keep the pores from soaking your finish in leaving an uneven surface. Especially on plywood!

Apply stain first. Grab yourself a 220 grit 3M sanding sponge and #0000 steel mesh. Use the mesh to sand after sealing the grain (wear a mask and goggles!). I use 'Crystalac'. Apply generously! Then use the sanding sponge and a spray bottle of water too moisten the surface before sanding. Use long even strokes. And repeat the wet sanding between coats of finish, except for the final 1-2 coats.

Lol... I'm back to cabinetry the next couple weeks so sanding and finishing are what I think about...

 

[Alex2507]

How about brown/red-ish stain for the front baffle, satin black for everything else? Piano gloss is great but only if your set up allows the speakers to be positioned so that your display doesn't reflect back and blind one of your viewers!

Word to the wise, seal the grain! That will keep the pores from soaking your finish in leaving an uneven surface. Especially on plywood!

Apply stain first. Grab yourself a 220 grit 3M sanding sponge and #0000 steel mesh. Use the mesh to sand after sealing the grain (wear a mask and goggles!). I use 'Crystalac'. Apply generously! Then use the sanding sponge and a spray bottle of water too moisten the surface before sanding. Use long even strokes. And repeat the wet sanding between coats of finish, except for the final 1-2 coats.

Lol... I'm back to cabinetry the next couple weeks so sanding and finishing are what I think about...

YAA, OSA and OEEA discuss wood. Surprise surprise surprise.

That Crystalac is a grain filler. I've only ever used a Ben Moore grain filler in the past and now Ben Moore only sells a Old Master's grain filler which I have now but haven't used yet. I saw an old Norm Abramms thing on using grain filler and read a little about it. That makes me far from an expert but I generally seal wood with natural wood stain or colored stain first. I would avoid putting that on raw wood. I'm not sure why though. You know, aside from not being an expert, I could be wrong.

 

[fuzz092888]

How about brown/red-ish stain for the front baffle, satin black for everything else? Piano gloss is great but only if your set up allows the speakers to be positioned so that your display doesn't reflect back and blind one of your viewers!

Word to the wise, seal the grain! That will keep the pores from soaking your finish in leaving an uneven surface. Especially on plywood!

Apply stain first. Grab yourself a 220 grit 3M sanding sponge and #0000 steel mesh. Use the mesh to sand after sealing the grain (wear a mask and goggles!). I use 'Crystalac'. Apply generously! Then use the sanding sponge and a spray bottle of water too moisten the surface before sanding. Use long even strokes. And repeat the wet sanding between coats of finish, except for the final 1-2 coats.

Lol... I'm back to cabinetry the next couple weeks so sanding and finishing are what I think about...

Nah, that color scheme wouldn't really fit with everything else I've got. If I do anything it'll probably either be a natural stain or an oil. Unless I circle back to the original plan which is to high build primer, automotive paint, and clear coat them. I'll have to keep that in mind because that process would work well with some other projects I have in mind.

 

[Rickster71]

Nah, that color scheme wouldn't really fit with everything else I've got. If I do anything it'll probably either be a natural stain or an oil. Unless I circle back to the original plan which is to high build primer, automotive paint, and clear coat them. I'll have to keep that in mind because that process would work well with some other projects I have in mind.

They look good fuzz, can't wait for your listening impressions.

If I may add a little about picking a finish.
Those dark areas on the bevels (can't tell 100% from pics if they're burn marks from the blade and/or manufacturer's glue.) Burn marks may be lightly sanded, the dark areas from their glue isn't going away.
So it will show through stain or oil. That's why you see a lot of guys put 1/4 round there..... and that adds its own set of issues.
I'll bet the auto paint would look really good!
Doug suggested the Mary Kay pink.... or was it mauve?

 

[fuzz092888]

They look good fuzz, can't wait for your listening impressions.

If I may add a little about picking a finish.
Those dark areas on the bevels (can't tell 100% from pics if they're burn marks from the blade and/or manufacturer's glue.) Burn marks may be lightly sanded, the dark areas from their glue isn't going away.
So it will show through stain or oil. That's why you see a lot of guys put 1/4 round there..... and that adds its own set of issues.
I'll bet the auto paint would look really good!
Doug suggested the Mary Kay pink.... or was it mauve?

They're burn marks. I did a light sanding, but actually could get rid of them completely because the veneer layer on this ply is so thick, there's no risk of going through it. Really good ply.

I had thought of doing a roundover, but liked the way the chamfer came out on the last sub I built.

If I had the money I'd do that auto paint in a heartbeat. I just need to ask the autobody tech area at my school if they can do and how much it would cost. I think I trust them, but it is a bunch of high school kids so that's a little disconcerting as well.

Nah, no pink , but I was thinking of doing a color like this

 

[TheWarrior]

YAA, OSA and OEEA discuss wood. Surprise surprise surprise.

That Crystalac is a grain filler. I've only ever used a Ben Moore grain filler in the past and now Ben Moore only sells a Old Master's grain filler which I have now but haven't used yet. I saw an old Norm Abramms thing on using grain filler and read a little about it. That makes me far from an expert but I generally seal wood with natural wood stain or colored stain first. I would avoid putting that on raw wood. I'm not sure why though. You know, aside from not being an expert, I could be wrong.

Correct you would use stain first. The purpose of grain filler is to prevent the grain from soaking up the top coat and leaving tiny dimples in the shape of that species grain structure. Its several sanded coats of this (and sanding the top coat too) that produce a flat, mirror finish.

Read instructions for each type of finish, as many require a stain underneath. I use General Finishes 'Arm R Seal' hand rubbed and it can be used without stain. I read an article comparing finishes, and hardness, and this stuff is right up there with varnish! 10 coats and it's as strong as the wood structure beneath it!

I think you saw my 'designer' bookshelf I posted a few months back; that thing had almost a gallon of finish on it!

 

[TheWarrior]

Nah, that color scheme wouldn't really fit with everything else I've got. If I do anything it'll probably either be a natural stain or an oil. Unless I circle back to the original plan which is to high build primer, automotive paint, and clear coat them. I'll have to keep that in mind because that process would work well with some other projects I have in mind.

Order General Finishes 'Arm R Seal' if you want to go natural! If you're ok with the exposed cut ends of the plywood, cool. Otherwise make sure whatever you use can be used without a stain!

 

[TheWarrior]

There's also a video I think on Fine Woodworking about 'Green and Green Furniture' and they do a decent demo of how best to apply it. I just order a bag of microfiber towels from Amazon and use them until they're saturated and can no longer wipe cleanly.

With wet sanding between coats of finish, I spray with water and then use paper towels to clean the surface off before the next coat. Paper towels will leave fibers behind once they are saturated, so change them out frequently.

The finish is only as good as you are obsessive about sanding and cleaning! Real men don't need a static free room!

 

[fuzz092888]

Order General Finishes 'Arm R Seal' if you want to go natural! If you're ok with the exposed cut ends of the plywood, cool. Otherwise make sure whatever you use can be used without a stain!

I've used teak oil before and it works well. Poly coat on top looks pretty good, but I'd be interested in trying the method you described. Probably not a giant pair of towers for a first effort, but something to try on the next set of bookshelves for sure.

 

[TheWarrior]

I've used teak oil before and it works well. Poly coat on top looks pretty good, but I'd be interested in trying the method you described. Probably not a giant pair of towers for a first effort, but something to try on the next set of bookshelves for sure.

Actually a big flat surface would be the best for learning to rub your wood ;-)

Its the small interior corners that can get a lot of buildup. Just be sure after your final wipe on a side, to wipe whatever is underneath to make sure no drips form. And it they do, Arm R Seal is infinitely sandable and forgiving. This is the kinda stuff you would hear people saying, "Not happy with the finish, sand and do another coat!" and it's literally that simple. Just realize finishing can take days....

 

[fuzz092888]

 

[fuzz092888]

Go the speakers set up. Wasn't sure how it would work with two pairs of speakers, one with side firing PR's and the other with side firing woofers in an AB AB configuration so went with what's below. Sounds fine to me. I just need to rerun Audyssey for the outside (HT) speakers. Also below is 1/2 component racks. The Threshold is now driving the Testarossas and the antimode is in that signal chain providing level matching and bass management.

 

[TheWarrior]

All this excitement and anticipation, and ,"sounds fine to me" ???????