New at finishing cabinets - need some understanding

[tom_b]

I've used it many times on subwoofer projects. It has it's advantages.

I'd say it's not as easy to make look good as it might seem. Getting the edges perfect takes some skill with a hand file but doable.

Also, it's important to spread the contact adhesive with a roller to get it nice and smooth. Too many glue boogers will spoil the look.

[Steve Lee]

Good to know this and thanks.

[trevordj]

Personally, Bondo has ruined more cabinets than it has helped. Bondo cures very hard and it's tough to sand without gouging out the surrounding MDF. If you use Bondo, be very careful to keep your sanding block flat and use a rigid block, like a piece of wood, not a soft block like a sponge. If your technique is decent, you can achieve a finish similar to a new car.

Those cabinets look great!

Bondo has become the synonym for body filler which is ironic because it is really the only one no one should use. Any of the premium fillers work well, my personal preference is rage Ultra. I have used rage gold as well, it doesn’t spread or sand as well as rage ultra but still nice. 3m platinum select and platinum plus I don’t care for, they sand a lot like bondo.

With any filler green stage shaping after about 10min and sanding within about 20min is key. If you wait hours or days then it is like sanding concrete.

-Trevor

[a4eaudio]

Does anyone use Formica as a laminate finish for the sides top and bottom of their speaker cabinets?

I fail to see where this isn't a good idea that short circuits all the problems related to finishing wood products.

I really want to do this but am open to your thoughts.

Watch the video in post #9 of this thread. He uses some kind of laminate but I don't think it is Formica brand.

[Steve Lee]

Thanks - I watched him use laminate as a rigid substrate for painting-over.

I think I would stop at laminating and skip the painting.

I never knew one could iron-on laminate using dried Titebond-II glue.

VERY interesting and a great way to keep from asphyxiating oneself using contact cement

[Kornbread]

Does anyone use Formica as a laminate finish for the sides top and bottom of their speaker cabinets?

I fail to see where this isn't a good idea that short circuits all the problems related to finishing wood products.

I really want to do this but am open to your thoughts.

Yep, post number nine. This is Hifiside video. Pretty sure his profession is auto-body. He knows what he is doing.

[djg]

Here's an ancient center channel speaker. At least 25 years old. Semi gloss black formica over particle board. Still stuck down just fine. I used either 3M 1300L or Weldwood cement. Local speaker store design (freely adapted).

[tom_b]

Thanks.

They are up near the ceiling.

It's on top of a Polk RTi A3. The A3 is on top of a Heco Superior 700 that has had a crossover restoration. The Heco is on top of an Ikea LACK cabinet that holds about 150 albums on each side. I'm lucky it hasn't fallen and killed me.

The speaker pictured is a Dennis Murphy MB-OW1 from about 2003 (guessing). They sound really good. I've made several pair for people over the years. Some of the newer units have grills. All are gloss black. With good quality crossover components, the MB-OW1 sounds really detailed and open. I enjoy them a lot. Bass is surprising but it is a bookshelf, after all. Cost was not low. They are substantially more than the Polk RTi A3 and only sound marginally better. Both are amazing speakers, IMO.

I'm thinking of building a pair of Samba MT for computer speakers. I am running some sort of Monsoon Audio planars that I'm happy with but speaker builders should have everything custom. lol!

[jd12]

Wow y’all really killed it - a little overwhelming with the amount of information and suggestions, but I will work through it all and decide how I will proceed. Thanks I appreciate it all!

[tvrgeek]

PAINT guns. Not glue guns.
Again hot glue is handy for kids crafts and holding crossover parts down. Not cabinet making.

[tvrgeek]

Here's an ancient center channel speaker. At least 25 years old. Semi gloss black formica over particle board. Still stuck down just fine. I used either 3M 1300L or Weldwood cement. Local speaker store design (freely adapted).

Uh, yea. A glue line is not going to show soak in through laminate! And yes, for indoor use, even contact cement or hot glue holds up fine for laminate. Several 3M sprays will even work as long as it is flat. If a curved surface, you need a glue that does not creep. The only downside to laminate is it is not easy for a DIY to bend it around a 1/2 inch or so radius.


TIP:
If you have not compared a square edge box to one with all 12 edges radius-ed, you don't know what you are missing. The difference is so big, you might even need to tweak the crossover. Much smoother. I did not realize how important this was until I built pair I just could not get the top end sounding smooth. I tried everything. It surprised me how audible doing the box BACK edges was. I wound up with a felt ring in the fronts too. As a benefit, imaging improved. Yea, I go and on about diffraction as I found it does make that big a difference.

If you put a block of felt, whatever thickness, 1/2 x 1/2 inch or so, around the inside of the grill frame, it will do wonders for the diffraction and smooth the response. Not addressing this is the reason the silly no grill cloth tend took off. You can buy it as seal packing. Or you can get sheets of 1/2 inch Owens Corning 705 to 709 series compressed fiber glass boards, put holes in them and cover the front baffle under the grill frame. I bought some damaged drop ceiling tiles for almost nothing for one build. Lots of creative ways.

[djg]

This post was to show Steve lee an example of formica on a speaker cab. He asked about it

3M 1300L is used to hold rubber pneumatic deice boots on the leading edges of aircraft flying surfaces. When the boot deteriorates after years, they are very difficult to remove.

The 1300L contact cement is quite up to exterior use.

I've used salvaged fiberglass ceiling tiles as a source.