[JohnCT]

Hi all, I have a 66B that is what I presume to be a "late" version as its shape is cathedral and not tombstone - and the speaker cone is trash, so I'm considering my options on this radio.  

Has anyone fabricated a new cone for this type of speaker?  I've never really tried something like this - particularly a type with the center spider screwed into the pole piece.  If so, do you fabricate a new VC bobbin or reuse the original?  I haven't been able to find anything on youtube.  Glasslinger on youtube made a speaker cone but it was for a 20s speaker without a VC.  

Is there a pre-existing cone kit that can be modified to work with this speaker?

Any insight or links greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

John

[GarySP]

Welcome to the Phorum, John.
In the Philco Radio Library (located at the bottom of the home page) are sources for speaker repair parts and services listed under Resources. You might want to start there. Others here have had speakers rebuilt for them or rebuilt them themselves. They can advise you as well. I have never had to do anything other than repairing small tears in cones. I've been lucky there!
Take care and BE HEALTHY! Gary

[Radioroslyn]

Hi John,

Rich over at Sound Remedy replaces the cone, vc, and spider when he services a speaker. You are looking at about $50 + the ride. Just make sure that your field coil and output transformer are good.

https://ammonlabstrainingacademy.com/soundremedynj/

[Radioroslyn]

Here's a thread of restoration of a 16X that includes the reconstruction of the speaker cone. The speaker is a bit huskier than your K type, this one is a 10 1/2 U speaker. https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=17572\

One of the most time consuming parts of reconing the 8'' is finding the proper 8" cone. There are hundreds of replaces but one of more of it's dimensions will be incorrect. In short you'll do a lot of looking to try to find something that may work.  You probably want a paper cone rather that a paper with a foam edge. The foam edge budges out and you'll need to add a spacer between the cabinet so the it can move freely. 

I've reconed a handful of early K from 1930/31. These are different from your spkr, the cone is deeper on the early ones. I use the old vc/spider and glue it to the new cone.

If you are going to diy cleaning is important. The inside of the frame and the gap (the part that the vc fits down into). Dust and dirt gets down in there and impedes the movement of the vc which in turn limits the frequency response.

GL

[JohnCT]

Thanks Roslyn and Gary for the information and the warm greeting, I pheel very welcome already.

This 66B is a radio I've had in my parts graveyard for years that my son has had his eye on, and I'm thinking about doing a ground up on it for Christmas 2024. Fortunately, I haven't picked anything out of it except an antenna coil (which I have a newly rewound one ready to go in).

I'm retiring this year after over 50 years in consumer electronics and I'll have time over the summer to play around and redo the cabinet, something I generally don't have time for. For morbid curiosity more than anything, I'm going to try to Frankenstein together a cone, a voice coil, and maybe even a spider and see if I can get them to play nicely together.

Worse case is I send the frame to a professional or I might run across another one locally in the meantime.

John