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Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap

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Posted on June 10, 2021 at 07:13:39
sisterray
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Location: Northern Illinois
Joined: October 3, 2007
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April 28, 2012
I'm talking about the very thin layer of vinyl covering found on many speakers. Dinged corners are a real problem with this stuff. Can wrinkles at corners be smoothed if no vinyl material is missing?

Thanks, as usual.


"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"

 

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RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 14, 2021 at 13:01:20
kyle
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Posts: 1838
Location: London Ontario
Joined: September 29, 1999
The company I work at does vinyl applications on everything from cop cars to beer fridges.
The installers use a hot air gun to heat the vinyl so it can be conformed to curves etc. You could try a hair dryer to warm the area and smooth it with your fingers.
Don't use an iron, don't cut it.
If the area is distorted and you inject adhesive under the vinyl, it could cause a permanent distortion on the corners if you haven't repaired them first.

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 14, 2021 at 13:08:40
sisterray
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Location: Northern Illinois
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April 28, 2012
Thanks for the advice. I suspect the corner may be damaged. It could be 5/8" MDF or particle board. I think I'm going to leave it be at this point. I have considered small metal corner protectors, but I haven't found the ones I want.


"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 12:50:12
Jonesy
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Can you provide a closeup and/or what speaker it is?

Cheers!


"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."




 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 12:54:27
sisterray
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Posts: 899
Location: Northern Illinois
Joined: October 3, 2007
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April 28, 2012
I can try, but the loft is very dim. It's the right rear corner of one Dayton MK-442T. It's the typical wrap used on budget-priced speakers. I really wish manufacturers would shift to textured paint or a thicker wrap. It's shitty stuff. I'm not asking for black walnut veneer.


"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 08:51:21
6bq5
Audiophile

Posts: 4366
Location: SF Bay
Joined: August 16, 2001
yes, but not easily-
try a warm steam iron
however if the particle board underneath has large voids or missing bits...it might no end up a pretty as you hoped...
Happy Listening

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 08:55:17
sisterray
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Location: Northern Illinois
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It does sound like it could work well, but I could see how I could do more damage, too. It's a very minor ding, but I tend to be compulsive about such things.

What about mechanical smoothing?


"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 13:24:03
sisterray
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Location: Northern Illinois
Joined: October 3, 2007
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April 28, 2012



Here's one.


"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 11, 2021 at 09:39:37
ABliss
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Looks like you could use a sharp blade like a razor, to gently raise it up, smooth it out with your fingers, then apply some crazy glue with the tiny applicator, not too much that it squrts out, then press it down.
The crazy glue dries fast, so it should keep the vinyl smooth again.

Worth a try, can't look any worse.

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 13:25:47
sisterray
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Posts: 899
Location: Northern Illinois
Joined: October 3, 2007
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April 28, 2012



Here's the other.


"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 14:56:45
Jonesy
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Sometimes you can get glue under vinyl that has lifted. But to do so you would need a syringe type needle dispenser to poke it through the vinyl.

In your case it looks like the corners have actually dented a bit. Not sure if you can reshape them back into place.

Being careful not to mar the surface, you could try tapping with a hammer, or even better set up a clamp that you can slowly turn and inspect as you go. Either way, the end result may or may not hold it's shape.

The steam iron is a good idea too, but it you want to be a little more gentle, you could try heating the areas slowly with a hair dryer and see if you can reshape the area with your fingers. Or in combination with the hammer or clamp.

To be honest, you may be best leaving it alone and call them battle scars. Sometimes messing around may make it worse.

Cuz...

"And take this mole off my back
And put it on my cheek.
And uh... while I'm here, why don't you give me
Some of those high-heeled feet?
And he said: Listen there's no guarantee
Nature's got rules and Nature's got laws
But listen look out for the monkey's paw"

Laurie Anderson

Cheers!

Jonesy




"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."




 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 12, 2021 at 09:42:38
Mick Wolfe
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Yep, I'm an expert at "making it worse" thru my various experiments. Agreed, I would leave it as is and just say the speaker has a bit of a unique character.

 

RE: Wrinkled Vinyl Wrap, posted on June 10, 2021 at 15:15:37
sisterray
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Posts: 899
Location: Northern Illinois
Joined: October 3, 2007
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April 28, 2012
I'll take your advice & call it a battle scar. Anything corrective would probably worsen it, I'm afraid. The pics make it worse-looking than it is in-person.

Thanks for the Laurie Anderson quote. Love her first album. Still can't believe she was married to Lou Reed.


"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"

 

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