Restoring Leslie Finish

[tpappano]

I just obtained a 1971 145, already rebuilt the amp and it sounds great! The cabinet has many areas where the finish appears to have flaked off down to bare wood. Woodworking is not really in my wheelhouse, is there a way to "repair" this sort of damage or should I strip the old finish off and start over? It would be yet another "learning experience". Thanks to All!

[Sweet Pete]

This one too.Turned out just fine.From twenty feet away who's to know?Had some cleaner pics,just can't find them.Box looks and sounds great now.
Howards to the rescue,quick and cheap/dirty refinish good enough for this old roadie.Steel wool and Howards,that's it.Beeswax finish,good enough.
Currently hanging off the shop M3!

[tpappano]

Thanks Pete, looks great! I'm certainly not expecting to make it look 'like new', just better than it is now, perhaps to appeal to a buyer at some point 8). I do have some Howards, I'll try some on it, sure won't make it worse 8)

[Drawbar Dave]

I was going to say the same as Pete. I bought a Howard's kit for my BC and 147 and it turned out great considering I know nothing about restoring finishes!

[tpappano]

Hi Dave, I tried some Howards on a small spot. It helped tint the "bare wood" areas a little darker but it still looks like Tulsa's streets with all the potholes 8) I'm wondering if I shouldn't just attempt stripping and refinishing, I couldn't possibly make it worse, could I?

[Drawbar Dave]

Might be worth you looking at Bobmann's picture gallery, He has had some outstanding results.

[Sweet Pete]

I just slathered it on there with a coarser steel wool to start,the veneer is so rough I thought I'd leave it to tell a story.One look up close and the old 'patina' is evident,a true road warrior that lived at one time at the Yale Hotel.Started out as a 142 in 1969,and is once again a 142 after many years with a 147 amp.Veneer replacement is not an option with my skill set,not prepared to do a thorough refinish like bobmann.Looks decent,and more importantly sounds great!Had a new middle back panel made up,13 ply birch.along with a fresh P15LL,now it really kicks.Moldings are not stock,look fine however.

[tpappano]

Thanks guys, I found some steel wool and will try a more liberal application when I get to the shop 8) yours does look great! I certainly don't mind 'proof of life' blemishes, all my stuff has them !

[tobeycat2007]

Some great info here on refinishing leslies has done several of them, the finished leslies look amazing compared to the original state. I redid a rough 147 it is a lot of work.

http://www.jackhollow.com/hammond/index.html

[handyczech]

If you are not looking for a living room restoration, but still better than a cleaned up road warrior, you have several options. I would suggest that you lightly and carefully sand the top by hand, starting with no coarser than 80 grit paper. Remember the veneer is extremely thin, use light pressure and a padded sanding block. The idea is to brush off all the loose and damaged lacquer and dirt. Use progressively finer paper up to about 220. Dust it off and wipe with lacquer thinner or acetone. When dry, try a tiny can of Minwax Special Walnut, possibly blended with some mahogany if you are looking for a red color. Apply with paper towels and see where you stand. If you like it and it is better, do the whole thing. Don't fret about the deeper scratches. If you are not looking for living room quality, this may do the trick. Wood refinishing need not be challenging if you follow simple steps and accept imperfections that would take forever to eliminate. Or you could paint the whole thing black like my 22H was. Stripping that was a bear, but the 90% return in seeing the old finish back was worth it. Your final finish could be Minwax satin poly.

[guylavoie]

So what kind of original finish did Leslie's have? Seems like some kind of lacquer according to the previous post. I have a 145 that's 95% pristine but with a few spots that would need a touch up. What would be the best way to preserve the original finish?

[Sweet Pete]

This one came to me 90% and a very light rubout of Howards Cherry achieved a nice finish.AFAIK it was laquer spray used by the factory.
Larry has sound advice too.It's a lot of patient work to do it from 'scratch' excuse the bad pun.122 middle back plate and a 147 amp.
Isn't that how all Leslies end up after 50 years? Also replaced the JBL with a P15LL.

[tpappano]

I gave the top a Howard/steel wool/beeswax treatment and wound up with better blended color, but still a lot of "topographical features". It does look much better, especially from a few feet away 8) I will try handyczech's method on a different spot and see how that looks. I had a friend with some "wood skills" come by and take a look, and he has me seriously considering stripping and refinishing. Not looking for perfection, but perhaps it would look 'pretty darn good' (tm). Pete, the 147 I got a couple months ago looks very much like yours above, hardly a mark on it. I was kind of thinking of ultimately selling one or both of these to finance further Hammond madness, but on the other hand they both just sound so good... I won't part with the 21H, I really like the way it sounds with its 20 watt amp!

[handyczech]

As with Hammond, the traditional way of finishing walnut furniture was to use a tinted paste wood filler (not the kind you use for filling holes). Then a layer of lacquer based sanding sealer, fine sanding, and several coats of satin lacquer, sanded between with lubricated 300-600 grit paper, finally steel wool. If the cabinet had been in better condition, cosmetic techniques would work well. In this case, you have to get rid of what is left of the old clear finish, either chemically or mechanically, or both. Don't bother with the gouges. An old time polisher once told me "when in doubt, make it dark".

[handyczech]

This 22H was painted black Rustoleum after the last owner went after it with a belt sander and blew through the veneer in spots. The bottom was shot due standing in water for years. The bottom and all 3 missing back pieces were replaced by Valhalla and are perfect. After recapping the BV generator, line box and preamp, the tone was way bright, added to by the fact that the treble driver was replaced by a Ham-Suz unit. Replaced the cotton wad in the driver and put the tone control 2/3 down and it now sounds as it should. Recapped the amp which was modified by a 2 speed add on, which did not work right with the built-in brake. Tubes, motor rebuilds, belts and replaced a warped lower rotor with an ebay find, and there you have it. Seller wanted $1500, advertised it for a year on cl, I bought it for $700 as he complained bitterly. Bottom line, I spent too much, added another $400 or so, but now it works and sounds great and looks good for a 60+ year old formerly abused piece.

[Sweet Pete]

Great score,even greater work Larry!