[morzh]

Mike

I didn't have problems putting the dial back though I agree it is very inconvenient procedure.
But tension it does not seem to have much.
At least before it got in contact with the dial the tuning shaft and the spring moved freely and there was a gap between the spring and the rear of the box it is in.

[KCMike]

https://imgur.com/hwpCNOW
    Here is a picture of one I have on an old chassis. The spring has good tension. I f you can't get yours to work correctly I can send you the complete assembly so you don't have to drill out the rivets on yours

[morzh]

Mike

Thanks, appreciate the offer; let me first investigate it a bit. If it's beyond hope I'll impose on you then.

[morzh]

So,

Today I swapped the gear from that chassis I bought years ago in Kutztown with mine, as I noticed the tuning cap rotated just fine despite being very grimy, so after this my tuning works just fine.
Maybe the groove was worn, maybe the spring was no longer springy enough

After this I aligned the radio, which went fine, 70 alignment is very easy and simplistic.
Have to say the trimmers padders are sensitive to lateral force so when using a formidable tool I had to constantly stabilize it by hand from it weighin down on the trimmers. But it worked fine.

   

Ready to go back into the cabinet.
Now need to figure how to glue the cloth.

Anyone cares to answer my question from before?

[Eliot Ness]

As far as cloth goes the 70/90 cloth is probably your best choice.  I usually use 3M Super 77 spray adhesive.  I've never removed the speaker from my grandfather clock so I can't really picture your dilemma.

[morzh]

Well....

Here is the cloth side of the baffle. The cloth is on this side, the speaker on the opposite.

   

Now here is where the screws go that hold the speaker.

   

As you can see the screw head will be covered with the cloth. If the cloth is glued then the screw has to rip it to go in. 
If I want for this to not happen I need to first attach the speaker. But then gluing the cloth become cumbersome as the baffle no longer could be layed flat on the table because of the speaker.


It is possible the screws are hidden behing the cabinet opening and my worries are unfounded, but I have yet to look into this. Also unlike in many radios where screws merely puncture  small hole, these have to fully go under meaning that the hole is the size of the screw head which is large.

[KCMike]

Interesting problem. Maybe you could bolt the speaker on then lay it into a box a little smaller the board, then you could glue the grill cloth on.
Just tossing out an idea.

[morzh]

Mike

Good idea, actually.
As long as I have the box and it is sturdy enough to not collaps when I press to smooth the cloth.
Also I will have to protect the cone while spraying the 3M glue.

[Eliot Ness]

Mike, a hot soldering iron will melt a nice hole where needed with no fraying.

[morzh]

Good to know, I didnt know if the cloth was fully synthetic or not.

[morzh]

I have a goodly supply of 70/90 cloth I bought 2 years ago from Mark Palmquist.

Speaking of Mark, how is he doing amidst all this?

[Eliot Ness]

Business wise I imagine he's doing well with all the shut-ins working on radios, I'm about to place an order myself.

Health wise I hope he is staying in and safe.

On Facebook I saw that Ed Lyon (MAARC) is in ICU.  Ed was a prolific writer for their newsletter on a wide range of subjects.  I don't think this is Corona related,  but his wife is also having issues so prayers for both appreciated.

[morzh]

   

As can  be seen, the screeholes are in the cutout and so have to be covered.

This was not very smart. It means the if something happens tothe speaker that requires its removal separate from the baffle (rewinding the voice coil) the whole thing then has to be re-clothed.

[morzh]

So...

(I have the second baffle from the days of yore when I bought the second (then it was the first) chassis, and a bad speaker with the baffle for $15.)

Here's the plan:

1. Use the second baffle as the pattern and cut the piece of 20/70 cloth to the size exactly, save for the tapered top corners.
2. With the speaker mounted

   

a) protect the cone with a piece of paper.
b) spray the glue
c) stretch and glue the cloth.

I guess, I need to iron the cloth after spraying it with starch spray first.
Also, I noticed at the top the cloth was tacked by two small staples and at the bottom with a few brads.
I wonder if I should reuse the brads, or should I do it a bit differently, as I usually do it, and cut the cloth oversized and then staple it on the opposite side after having glued it to the top surface.

What do you guys think?

[Eliot Ness]

I think I'd glue and stretch.  Adding brads/staples certainly wouldn't hurt.  Even with synthetic cloth I've found that after the glue is dry a light mist with water followed with a hair dryer helps tighten it up if needed.