The beauty of a DIY trade

rjj45

You know, recently, @joeybutts was "glowing" about some drivers he got in trade from me, and for myself, I just kept thinking that DIY is probably the only place ever where trades result in both parties with a big grin.  I'd really been feeling the need to upgrade my little TC Sounds Epic 8 sub, so I reached out, and it turns out that Joey had a Titanic3 12 inch sub he was ready to part with. So I got this:


Not much in the WAF department, but we all know how to fix that! The box itself was 1 inch MDF, with a plywood insert to screw the sub in.

A little veneering with some recon macassar ebony resulted in this:

rjj45

I almost always use some kind of oil finish, but I really wasn't happy with the test pieces of this veneer with oil. I think it was Roman on PETT who advised lacquer, and I found that lacquer didn't darken the light strips, and so gave the most contrast. I really like the result:


The finished version has a few flaws. Lesson for me is not go down to the shop when I've had "a few". Ended up drilling a hole in the surround, but I think that the bicycle patch I applied will work. In any event SWMBO loves the look and loves the sound, so I'm golden. Thanks to the community, guys!
AND THANKS JOEY

PWRRYD

Awesome looking finish!

6thplanet

I have some of that veneer as well, now I know how beautiful it will be! Nice build 👍

Kornbread

That looks sweet. 

Where do you guys get your veneer and is it reasonably priced? 

For some reason my screwdrivers love surrounds.  I've used a dab of ShoeGoo to fix most of them but is there an official fix?             

joeybutts

Holy crap that looks great!!!  So happy it worked out for everyone.  

Excited I have a full projects worth of drivers!  Thank you sir!  Thanks for doing that sub justice 

rjj45

PWRRYD said:

Awesome looking finish!

Thanks!
I tried brushing on Deft lacquer, but didn't get the results I wanted (TBH, I used the cheapest bristle brush they had). So I sanded much of that off, and spraying 2 coats of rattle can Deft lacquer. Easy, fast, and looks good. 

rjj45

Kornbread said:

That looks sweet. 

Where do you guys get your veneer and is it reasonably priced? 

For some reason my screwdrivers love surrounds.  I've used a dab of ShoeGoo to fix most of them but is there an official fix?             

I think I got that sheet from Tapeease  - $64 plus shipping, so I gave it a try.
Recently I found a new hardwood supply shop in town. Veneer prices were awesome - $45 for quarter sawn oak - $60 for sapele with no shipping fees! I said "you guys are spoiling me!"

re: screwdriver malfunctions
I initially used "shoe goop" on the back side of the hole, but that was the very last bit of the tube.
As far as I can see, shoe goop should be a great material for this kind of repair.