Refurbish Kef 104/2 help

bigaudiofanatic

A friend of mine gave me a set of these today at no cost. From what I have researched so far, I should replace the speaker surrounds. However I noticed the cabinets need some work. My father is the wood worker but I haven't shown him them yet. Upon first glance they look to be wrapped in some king of fake wood on the exterior. Does anyone know if they can be sanded down and refinished? Any advice would be helpful as I would like to breath new life in these.

zingo

The surrounds on at least the four 8" woofers will have to be replaced, and make sure the flaking foam doesn't get in the woofer voice-coils because they are horizontal.

The finish should be a wood veneer, so you might be able to give it a light sanding; make sure to test a bottom corner or unseen spot first.

bigaudiofanatic

I have seen the rebuild kits so I will be sure to replace them.

It does seem to be veneer from what I see, I will try sanding however can it be removed? Anyone know if it's wood under it?

bigaudiofanatic

DSkip wrote: »

I wouldn't mind if a friend gave me a pair of those to refurb. Have fun and do it right man. With no initial investment, its surely going to provide a bit more motivation to get them done.

Exactly I am just going to need some guidance to help me do it right.

bigaudiofanatic

Howard restore a finish keeps coming up in my searches. Anyone know if this will work for veneer?

DaveHo

There are a couple of lengthy rebuild threads over on audiokarma. The woofers on these are a bit more challenging due to the rod that joins them and the foam donuts which will need to be replaced as well. But for free, I wouldn't hesitate to throw a few bucks at them. They are worth it.

bigaltx24

Very nice speakers, well worth restoring, not the greatest bass but the mids and highs are really gorgeous. If they're just scratched or faded Howards Restore A Finish and Feed and Wax can work wonders. If the veneer is damaged it can be stripped and redone, there is MDF under the veneer.

bigaudiofanatic

So I tried Howard restore and I will have to say it worked pretty well. Brought a certain shine back as well as fix some of the water rings.

Before









After












I also demoed them and they sound pretty darn good. There is a lack of bass that I have to agree with every review I read. I think the speaker surrounds are okay but will be replacing them this week.

jon s

Early 104/2 models had rubber surrounds instead of foam (mine had rubber). If it is rubber, then you have no need to worry about the woofers. The cabinet most likely is made of MDF with veneer over it. You could probably sand down the veneer and refinish it. If that is not possible, re-veneering will probably be the easiest way to go...

bigaltx24

They look pretty good, Howard's is amazing stuff.

Michael8it

I picked up a pair of 103's with similar finish problems. All I took to them was some 120 grit on a palm sander with very light pressure. The finish came right off. Then some finish sanding with 220 or 240 grit, and I put natural satin polyurethane on them, no stain. Looked just like new.

bigaudiofanatic

Does anyone around me know how to repair/replace the surround of the woofers?