Painting Mordaunt Short MS908 speakers

02GF74

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Jan 23, 2022
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I've just bought a pair of Mordaunt Short MS908 speakers in beech finish (sort of beige colour)

From what I can tell, they are not covered in a wood veneer but in a plasticy vinyl so I'm asking what is the best product to use to paint them.

I don't think woodstain will work.

I've been reading up about acrylic paint but want something that will stick to the surface and not shrink or crack. It doesn't need to be particularly durable as speakers aren't handled or touched regularly but I don't want the paint coming off should I hold them in inrder to say reposition them.

I would be grateful to hear what you have used on speakers with the same or similar covering, ideally MShort models.
 
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shadders

Well-known member
I've just bought a pair of Mordaunt Short MS908 speakers in beech finish (sort of beige colour)

From what I can tell, they are not covered in a wood veneer but in a plasticy vinyl so I'm asking what is the best product to use to paint them.

I don't think woodstain will work.

I've been reading up about acrylic paint but want something that will stick to the surface and not shrink or crack. It doesn't need to be particularly durable as speakers aren't handled or touched regularly but I don't want the paint coming off should I hold them in inrder to say reposition them.

I would be grateful to hear what you have used on speakers with the same or similar covering, ideally MShort models.
Hi,
I built my own transmission line speakers using 25mm MDF. I used a primer which i painted on using a brush, and then used spray cans to paint them black., adding a top layer of lacquer.

Problems i encountered were that the brush strokes of the base layer show through. The large surface area means for me, was difficult to not get a run, or overspray which looked dull.

The speakers are approximately 35kg each without the drivers, so moving them outside, painting would have been ok if it did not rain. So i decided to paint inside, put down a very large dust sheet - but spray painting still causes small droplets to reach the edges of the room. Voila, once the dust sheet was removed, the carpet edges have a darker sheen. Luckily, it does come off with the right chemicals.

Looking back, i would veneer them, then use a brush to varnish them for a finish as i did with my first transmission line speakers. Even with the base coat, spray paint and then lacquer, the finish was thin looking, and not quite a mirror finish.

I did try and contact a local body spray workshop, but got no reply. They would have provided the better finish if painted, or a robust top lacquer.

Regards,
Shadders.
 
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02GF74

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Jan 23, 2022
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Thanks for the ideas so far. I did consider wrapping but this would end with joints.

I've found description for the finish: A full three-way design, the enclosure proper is available covered in either black or maple vinyl woodprint, though the main focus of the cosmetics is clearly that silver front section.... so it is not a wood finish.

Luckily the base, which is out of sight, is covered with the same stuff so I can experiment with different paints there.
 

Edbostan

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Aug 5, 2021
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I've just bought a pair of Mordaunt Short MS908 speakers in beech finish (sort of beige colour)

From what I can tell, they are not covered in a wood veneer but in a plasticy vinyl so I'm asking what is the best product to use to paint them.

I don't think woodstain will work.

I've been reading up about acrylic paint but want something that will stick to the surface and not shrink or crack. It doesn't need to be particularly durable as speakers aren't handled or touched regularly but I don't want the paint coming off should I hold them in inrder to say reposition them.

I would be grateful to hear what you have used on speakers with the same or similar covering, ideally MShort models.
Thought about vinyl wrapping them
 

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