Vintage Asylum

Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time.

Return to Vintage Asylum


Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Repair of oil cloth surround on alnico woofer

75.111.22.94

Posted on March 19, 2017 at 12:13:17
sanman
Audiophile

Posts: 1780
Location: Redwood Coast
Joined: November 13, 2004






I was wondering if anyone could give me advice as to how to reattach the surround to the rim of this woofer? Thank you
Ps can anyone ID the driver?
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
RE: Repair of oil cloth surround on alnico woofer, posted on March 19, 2017 at 23:15:14
dxho
Audiophile

Posts: 86
Location: Virginia, the colonies
Joined: September 24, 2006
It probably needs a patch, or a new surround.

575 might mean Heppner.

 

RE: Repair of oil cloth surround on alnico woofer, posted on March 20, 2017 at 00:33:23
Eli Duttman
Audiophile

Posts: 10455
Location: Monroe Township, NJ
Joined: March 31, 2000
Please take what I say with a copious amount of salt, as I don't know if my ideas will actually work.

I think I see 2 things in the photo: adhesive failure and rust. The surround itself seems to be intact. Brush any loose rust away with a SOFT toothbrush. Then, use a rust converter, like Duro Extend, applied sparingly, with a Q-tip. After the chemical reactions have completed and any solvents evaporated, reattach the surround to its seat with contact cement. Epoxy and cyanoacrylate strike me as being dead wrong.


Eli D.

 

RE: Repair of oil cloth surround on alnico woofer, posted on March 20, 2017 at 08:17:12
Paul Eizik
Audiophile

Posts: 2120
Joined: September 15, 2001
Sanman

Just to add to what the other posters have said, the bottom series of numbers appear to be the EIA manufacturers code and 575 would indicate Hepner, with the 3 being the last digit of the year made (which could mean anything from 1943 to 1973), with the 44 being the 44th week of that year. It's hard to see from the pic but if Eli is right and there is some rust on the frame, then it would be wise to follow his suggestion and use a rust reformer. You can buy specialty glues for gluing speaker re-cones and surrounds together, but I have had good luck re-attaching a loose surround with a home made version made from DAP silicone rubber thinned out to brushable consistency with Xylene, or mineral spirits if that's what the instructions call for. Some "clothespin" type clamps would be good to hold the surround in place while the stuff dries.

Paul

 

RE: Repair of oil cloth surround on alnico woofer, posted on March 20, 2017 at 08:58:31
Thermionic27609
Audiophile

Posts: 411
Joined: March 29, 2009
I recone speakers, and it looks to me like your surround has torn at the edge, which is something I would consider too severe to patch. You've got a long tear and no really good way to bridge it with something to make the patch last. Also, it looks like you have rust on the basket frame. Those small rust particles can effectively saw through the surround edge over time, which is probably what happened. I think a new surround is the only way to fix this properly. You need to remove the gaskets and clean the edge to get a good mounting surface. You might even need to seal the mounting surface with a paint with strong adhesion to metal. Then, replace the surround and gaskets. I think that's the only way to do it properly. Any other way, and the rest of the surround is probably due to fail soon. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I've patched many speaker cones and surrounds, but this is bad.

 

Thanks and some context, posted on March 21, 2017 at 08:42:33
sanman
Audiophile

Posts: 1780
Location: Redwood Coast
Joined: November 13, 2004






Here are the oddball infinty speakers that this woofer came from. They say Holosonic 1 on the back but do not have the 5 tweeter array that I saw on the only picture I found on the internet. Anyway they sound good, nice balance. The front tweeters don't exactly match and the overal condition is rough. They have banana jacks, which seems odd for a mid quality speaker from the 70's.
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan

 

RE: Thanks and some context, posted on March 21, 2017 at 19:56:02
Coner
Audiophile

Posts: 3703
Location: S.W. Washington state, USA
Joined: November 17, 2001
Obviously a Peerless tweeter on front.

 

Peerless tweeter, posted on March 23, 2017 at 15:59:56
sanman
Audiophile

Posts: 1780
Location: Redwood Coast
Joined: November 13, 2004
The paper cone is pretty much toast on that tweeter...does that affect sound quality?
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan

 

Some progress, posted on March 24, 2017 at 08:44:12
sanman
Audiophile

Posts: 1780
Location: Redwood Coast
Joined: November 13, 2004



Well it continues to pour rain here in Northern California. I decided to attack the cabinets. I got rid of the nasty grill cloth covered panels on the sides and front and decided to go with an open open baffle look. I will hand paint the sides and front with a satin water-based enamel.
I did a fix on the woofer by removing a section of the gasket, scrubbing the rust off and gluing the edge down, replacing the gasket section. Sounds fine, no rub, If needed, I will replace the entire surround later.
I have ordered two matching peerless tweeters.(oh, and I raplaced one of the banana jacks which was broken off.) The walnut veneer is in good shape.
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan

 

Page processed in 0.054 seconds.