Surrounds on old woofers

[Wagner]

Hi!
Wondering, do you guys re-coat or freshen up pleated surrounds on drivers like the old whited coned 12"s as a matter of practice or leave them be if the material is still soft?
And tacky enough to catch every piece of wood dust :banghead:
I hate putting stuff on drivers that are in nice shape and original, even if they are old.
Should they be re-coated and if so, with what?
Thank a million :bouncy:
Thomas

[robertbartsch]

Do a search here.

Anyway, one idea used here includes treating old foam surrounds with Dot 3, non-synthetic brake fluid.

Although I have not done this, I do have a pair of LE14s that have had this treatment done by a previous owner and they are soft and plyable. I would guess that once the surround is no longer plyable that such treatment would not work, and therefore, they need surround replacements but I'm not sure on this point.

JBL does not sell surround replacements only but aftermarket kits are often used. ...Work in pairs, if necessay.

[grumpy]

I think he means air-flex (sp?)... "goop" used on pleated/cloth surrounds.
... and no, I wouldn't re-treat them if the material was still soft and present
(not run all to one end)

[Wagner]

I think he means air-flex (sp?)... "goop" used on pleated/cloth surrounds.
... and no, I wouldn't re-treat them if the material was still soft and present
(not run all to one end)

Hi!
That's right, I was. The black pleated cloth ones with the shiny stuff on them. If you try to pick out little pieces of trash you can feel that it's still kind of rubbery. You can see light through them if you hold them up on the right angle.
Thomas

[grumpy]

You can see light through them if you hold them up on the right angle.

yep.

[badman]

So long as they're in good shape, I'd let well-enough alone. I like this style of surround.

[Wagner]

So long as they're in good shape, I'd let well-enough alone. I like this style of surround.

I think I would agree!
They look nice and shiny. I rotated them 180 degrees 'cause it was obvious they were a little looser at the bottoms. Gravity never sleeps! :D
After all, they've been sitting in one position for more than 30 years! :)
Is there a simple way to check the quality of the surround's seal, or do I just need to quit worrying about it?
Thomas

[midlife]

I have received my speakers from some ebay shopping. I have L166 woofers with woofer surrounds that appear to be intact, but the cone travel is tight and I am wondering if the surrounds are old enough to be limiting the cones proper movement? What makes me wonder is the Jubal woofers I have seem to be very free (almost lacking suspension) in movement compared to the 166 base drivers. I am not very knowledgeable about the optimum compliance for these woofers (when gently, by hand, working these cones back and forth, is my concern misplaced? I haven't been able to make a listening test since the system is not up and running at this time. thanks for any suggestions.

[midlife]

I have received my speakers from some ebay shopping. I have L166 woofers with woofer surrounds that appear to be intact, but the cone travel is tight and I am wondering if the surrounds are old enough to be limiting the cones proper movement? What makes me wonder is the Jubal woofers I have seem to be very free (almost lacking suspension) in movement compared to the 166 base drivers. I am not very knowledgeable about the optimum compliance for these woofers (when gently, by hand), working these cones back and forth, is my concern misplaced? I haven't been able to make a listening test since the system is not up and running at this time. thanks for any suggestions.
And an additional question, the speaker frames are solidly stuck in the front baffle? How should I get them out? I have removed the screws, has the gasket adhered to the front baffle surface, have others experienced this problem? They won't budge :banghead:

[grumpy]

1) Don't exercise the cones with your hand. Use music or a test set designed for
speaker analysis. I doubt the L166 bass driver foam has hardened... if anything, they
deteriorate to dust. Whether they're original or not, and operating to spec, are other
questions.

2) speakers stuck to the baffle is a common issue. Folks here have a range of "solutions."

[Marvin]

Addressing the Altec type base drivers, I talked to the good folks at Great Planes Audio. They informed me that the sticky substance on the base driver surrounds is an acetone base substance. Use an acid brush, the small stiff brush used in soldering, and apply acetone to the surround. This should dissolve the puddling and refresh the sticky material. I tried this on my own Valencias and was surprised at the result. IT WORKS. I bought the acetone at Home Depot and the brushes as well. They also suggested rotating the drivers 180 degrees as mentioned earlier.

If you have any questions regarding Altec type drivers, I suggest calling the guys at Great Planes Audio. They gave me good honest advice and saved me much money. I would recommend them to anyone.