07-26-2012, 09:54 AM
We would all like to see before and after pictures for inspiration. Sounds like this one is somewhere between a restoration and a crusade.
If you have had occasion to order a set of replacement surrounds for good speakers, they always include a little bottle of glue, of which you use less than half for the repair. I fixed several speakers with leftovers from last time I did my Altec 7's, and don't have any left. or I would contribute it. The stuff is somewhere between Elmers and Fabric glue. Maybe one of the vendors sells this stuff seperately. I've seen articles about everything from coffee filters to toilet paper to used dryer sheets and even pieces of old tee shirts used to fix speakers. Savages have put duct tape, wads of cotton, and worse in sets that have crossed my path. Truth be told if the voice coil is patent and you can get it to not rub, just about anything will help restore some semblence of acoustic clarity, and repairs can be made very much less apparent with a light spray of flat black enamel. Just don't go near voice coil, and yes, you can replace the little piece of felt neatly and carefully if it has one. Many screw down spiders did not, and decades of crap needs to be blown out gently or tapped out by gravity. If all else fails snf you are not looking towards starting a museum, can probably sub a modern efficient PM speaker and resistor for the field coil, if the set has one, for under $15, and it will sound better. Up to you.
If you have had occasion to order a set of replacement surrounds for good speakers, they always include a little bottle of glue, of which you use less than half for the repair. I fixed several speakers with leftovers from last time I did my Altec 7's, and don't have any left. or I would contribute it. The stuff is somewhere between Elmers and Fabric glue. Maybe one of the vendors sells this stuff seperately. I've seen articles about everything from coffee filters to toilet paper to used dryer sheets and even pieces of old tee shirts used to fix speakers. Savages have put duct tape, wads of cotton, and worse in sets that have crossed my path. Truth be told if the voice coil is patent and you can get it to not rub, just about anything will help restore some semblence of acoustic clarity, and repairs can be made very much less apparent with a light spray of flat black enamel. Just don't go near voice coil, and yes, you can replace the little piece of felt neatly and carefully if it has one. Many screw down spiders did not, and decades of crap needs to be blown out gently or tapped out by gravity. If all else fails snf you are not looking towards starting a museum, can probably sub a modern efficient PM speaker and resistor for the field coil, if the set has one, for under $15, and it will sound better. Up to you.
