JBL L250 + Watco Danish Oil = ?

donjansson

Member
Hi guys/girls!

I'm in the final step of building my dream setup, with all Accuphase/JBL products. My L250 looks great, not far from mint if you ask me. But I would like them to really come alive again!

Read somewhere about Watco Danish Oil. Can you give some more info? Is it just to put on a few layers and rub with a cloth? There seems to be some different variations with "Dark Walnut" etc. which one should I use?

AND. The previous owner had a cat, which obviously likes to sit on the left speaker. As a result there's some small scratches. Would Danish Oil treat them?

Kind regards
Oscar, Sweden
 

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The dark walnut Danish oil will darken that finish and likely make the scratches even darker than they already are.

I haven't yet conditioned my 250's, but when I do I'll likely use the regular walnut Danish Oil.
 
Please go look at my post on them you can find by threads I started. I would not use Wotco if they were mine, sorry for being short as I'm mobile right now.
 
Please go look at my post on them you can find by threads I started. I would not use Wotco if they were mine, sorry for being short as I'm mobile right now.

The short answer is more than enough! Could you link to the thread? I'm not used to forums...
 
Whatever you put on will darken the scratches. On the plus side, the scratches look shallow enough to be sanded out. Try some medium (180 grit) paper on the scratches themselves, try to get them gone, then the Watco will do the rest of the job. Just follow the instruction son the can until it looks good to you.
 
Whatever you put on will darken the scratches. On the plus side, the scratches look shallow enough to be sanded out. Try some medium (180 grit) paper on the scratches themselves, try to get them gone, then the Watco will do the rest of the job. Just follow the instruction son the can until it looks good to you.

In that case, do I have to sand the top on both speakers? (To make it equal)
 
Watco Danish Oil is a mix of varnish and oil (mostly linseed) that is heavily thinned with mineral spirits. Dark Walnut has asphaltum added to provide a walnut coloration. It should not be used over wood that has finish on it because it needs to penetrate into the wood. It is applied by wiping in on liberally, then letting in soak in for half an hour, and then any of the Danish Oil left on the surface is vigorously wiped off. "Teak Oil" is the same stuff made by a different company.

To me the cabinet looks like it has been stripped to remove old finish. The wood looks like some sort of mahogany--likely African. Only the edges are solid wood, the panels have veneer surfaces than shouldn't be sanded more than lightly, by hand, not a sander. I would not try to sand out scratches on the panels for fear of sanding through. The dark Watco might well emphasize scratches, the natural probably won't.
 
Watco Danish Oil is a mix of varnish and oil (mostly linseed) that is heavily thinned with mineral spirits. Dark Walnut has asphaltum added to provide a walnut coloration. It should not be used over wood that has finish on it because it needs to penetrate into the wood. It is applied by wiping in on liberally, then letting in soak in for half an hour, and then any of the Danish Oil left on the surface is vigorously wiped off. "Teak Oil" is the same stuff made by a different company.

To me the cabinet looks like it has been stripped to remove old finish. The wood looks like some sort of mahogany--likely African. Only the edges are solid wood, the panels have veneer surfaces than shouldn't be sanded more than lightly, by hand, not a sander. I would not try to sand out scratches on the panels for fear of sanding through. The dark Watco might well emphasize scratches, the natural probably won't.

So you mean the cabinet is not original?!
 
So you mean the cabinet is not original?!
maybe we need to back up a tad.

When speakers came from the manufacturer with real wood finish, that wood was typically veneer. In the early days, like pre 80's, veneer was thicker. Whether or not they could have made it thinner back then is debatable and depends on who you believe. Needless to say, later "veneers" got thinner. My take on it, or belief if you will, is it came down to profit. Cut the veneer thinner and you get more out of the wood you're cutting it from.

This is why the stern warnings from people who have "been there, done that". They know from personal experience that sanding too long, too aggressively OR with to course a paper will wear away completely the veneer.

There are a variety of tactics. Some people have successfully "raised" the grain near scratches before sanding to reduce the amount of material that needs to be removed to "flatten" the surface. This is tricky, to say the least.

My favorite advise when it comes to "working" with real wood is hit the wood working journals and websites. You won't find better tested advise and videos to help. That they may know little or nothing about speakers is completely irrelevant.

Those who own these speakers, of course, will be the best source for color and finish.
 
I have had L250s and they are typically walnut veneer with hardwood edges. The veneer that you have is almost certainly original, as it would be extremely tricky to make new veneer flush with the edges. A very light hand sanding with a block might help level out the scratches. You can sand the edges a little more vigorously, but only away from the parts where they join the veneer. That is the most vulnerable area of all. :eek:

I would use Watco Teak Oil and follow the instructions to a T. That, to my eye, gives me a very OEM finish. What I want is a warm, but not glossy finish, with just a hint of oil atop the grain; most of the oil should be in the wood. Sorry these photos don't show the finish better:

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Watco Teak Oil and follow the instructions to a T. That, to my eye, gives me a very OEM finish. What I want is a warm, but not glossy finish, with just a hint of oil atop the grain; most of the oil should be in the wood. Sorry these photos don't show the finish better:

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That is just jaw dropping.
 
My 250Ti's are in the original boxes stamped "Teak". They are not and should not be shiny. I've used Watco "normal" for years on many wood finishes. It was originally recommended to me when I bought a table made of many woods such as maple and cherry from an artisan and he told me that's what he'd used.

This is what plain Watco Danish did in only two coats for a pair of L80Ts that had been neglected for years (before and after):

 
In that case, do I have to sand the top on both speakers? (To make it equal)

No!!!

One thing you dont want to do is start sanding hard and not stripping them.

If these are the first ones stripping is really easy as it's just oil on them. Lacquer Thinner will wash off the oil really fast, just keep wiping them down changing rag a lot and having really wet thinner rags. When your rags start to look clean you have finish your stripping step.

Now you said the tops have scratchs, take a wet water rag and a household iron and steam the tops to swell up the scratches. This should lift most of them to the original surface hight.

When the cabinets are dry hand sand them lighly with 180 grit. I say this and didn't want you to sand out the scratchs because the wood has changed colors over the years. The wood looked like a brown walnut and will look like that againg with heavy sanding. Right now they have a wounderful amber fade/ageing to them, if you sand heavy you loose it and they will start looking new.
 
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Watco may or may not bring out scratches, sometimes almost makes the disappear. It may depend on the wood and original stain. I've used in on several cabs. I like it because it's fast, simple and looks good, not a long-term finish but more like a long lasting treatment.
 
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