[morzh]

The AK808 speaker has this:

   

What is the simplest reliable way to fix it?

[Eric Adams]

Hey Mike,

You're going to get many answers to this, but you might want to try what I've been using. If it is a crack where the edges match up, like yours looks to be, a few coats of rubber cement will work great. It doesn't harden so the cone will still act the same way. Just my 2 cents.

[klondike98]

Ron's got Syl's technique posted here.  For some small tears, I've just added a little rubber cement along the tear, let it dry and repeated the application so the cement forms a bridge across the tear.  If I can reach both sides of the cone I'll try to put some on the back too.  Its flexible and seems to hold. 

[37silverstreak]

I've used "Aileens Tacky glue" diluted with water and a piece of coffee filter to reinforce. Works very well for me.
good luck!
Kevin

[morzh]

Thanks guys.

Will try some of that.

[Arran]

Mike;
  I think that tacky glue, or that glue pen glue, will work fine, I used to use contact cement myself, you don't really need to add a patch for that crack, just smear glue on both sides and it will be fine. One thing you do NOT want to use is silicone, no matter how many times you may run into that garbage being recommended, silicone is for caulking around bathtubs and windows, not speaker repair. The people that recommend silicone are just the blind following the blind, speaker shops use a form of contact or rubber cement, except it's dyed black.
Regards
Arran

[Phlogiston]

I've used a new cone.

The black stuff is neoprene cement. I used to get it at the scuba shop to fix wet suits. Yeah, works on speakers too.

[morzh]

How about fabric glue? (I have it). It also supposed to stay flexible when dried up.

From what I understand any glue that stays flexible and bonds to paper should do?

[klondike98]

Yep, I've read that some folks have used fabric glue.  In those cases I believe they put a piece of coffee filter or other fiber like paper over the crack but its worth a try to just try to seal it ...imho.

[Jayce]

Oddly, my late friend and I have had luck with Elmer's Glue-all for repairs. It does seem to work ok for regular cracks and minor repairs as long as you don't put it on too thick! I found a radio he confirmed he had repaired nearly 20 years ago that had one of his early Glue-all repairs on the speaker. It was and is still holding. He switched back to the Elmers when we discovered that the speaker cement we were using from AES was actually warping the speaker cones after a few years, totally ruining the speakers in some radios he had repaired for me and others.

[morzh]

Here's a question: is there a difference between contact cement and rubber cement, and if there is - will the contact cement work?

There is no rubber cement in Home Depot, but there is contact cement (also with a brush and smells the same).

[klondike98]

Contact cement is different than rubber cement.  Not sure if it would work or not, but it seemed to work for Arran.  Walmart would have rubber cement (as would any office supply place or probably even a CVS, Rite Aid or Walgreen's) and a hobby shop or fabric shop like Joanne Fabrics would have the Tacky glue mentioned above.  I got a different brand of tacky glue at my local True Value. I think many glues might work OK as long as they are thin coats along the tear.

[Arran]

 Contact cement works fine, it seems to go on thinner then the rubber cement we used to have in school, at least the solvent based kind. You can get it in those small bottles or cans with a built in brush, or paint type cans, or even in a small tube, you can put it on with small brush and then smooth it around with your finger, but stir it well first as the solvent tends to separate a bit. White and yellow glue, like Elmers makes, is PVA glue, and it gets quite hard and stiffens things that you don't want stiffened, like the hinge/surround, fabric glue would be preferable.
Regards
Arran

[Jayce]

I got some rubber cement today at Ace Hardware while getting some wood glue to repair a Crosley console I did a bit of dumpster diving to rescue. I'll try it on my next speaker repair and see how it works!

[sam]

I use liquid tape dry's rock hard though