L100T's Thanks to Heather (hjames)!

[svollmer]

You know, participating in a forum such as this is really cool because of all the technical information one can gleen and all the great ideas that are passed around. But what's really neat is how you can meet some really great people who can make your day.

Case in point is Heather (Hjames). As you can see in another post, a group of us met in Tyson's Corner yesterday to check out the Harman traveling demo truck. I had been meaning to email the group over the past few weeks to let them know I'm in the market for a pair of L80T or L100T as a "fixer upper" project for me and my oldest son, Liam. When making the preparations to meet via email, Heather told me about a pair of L100T's she was thinking of getting. I told her that if she decided to not purchase them, or if she wanted to resell them later (at market value), I'd be happy to grab them.

We discussed it a little more when we all met in Tyson's. Later in the afternoon, Heather called me and mulled it over and offered to let me buy them directly from the seller because she thought the father/son fixer upper idea was cool. Of course, I jumped at the chance.

Oh yeah, I didn't tell you the price. Only $100!!!!!!! :applaud:

Well, the seller was only about 12 miles from my house. I just got back from picking them up and they are really nice and are going to be a great project pair of speakers. Here's the skinny:

Woofers: Both are in fine mechanical shape, but need new foam and a little cleaning. No biggie, a Rick Cobb special will be ordered ASAP.

Mids: Both are in very good shape; just need a little cleaning.

Tweeters: One is working and is in good shape. One is not working, but I haven't had a chance to see if it's blown or if there's some other reason.

Cabinets: They have some small chips on them and a couple scratches and water stains, but hey, these are project speakers! :) We might build new ones out of MDF with more bracing or we might re-veneer them. Liam would like them to be black ash. If anyone knows how to do a proper black finish to ash, please let me know.

Grills: One grill has a few broken pegs. If we make new cabinets of different dimensions, this will be a moot point. But Liam had a great idea that we'll try if we just we reveneer the cabinets. Since the grills are just lightweight plastic, he suggested we cut off all the grill pegs and glue on magnets. Then we could put the opposite magnets under the new veneer! Cool idea!

JBL Decals: I'll post pictures below, but you'll note that the JBL decals on the backs are different from each other. One is a darker black, is textured, and has the serial number printed on it. The other is smooth, lighter black, and has no serial number. There's a white paper sticker on the input terminal with what I think is the serial number for that speaker. So, they're either a miss-matched pair from different manufacturing runs, or maybe one is a Chinese knock-off? ;)

Crossovers: I'm thinking of upgrading them to T3 status. At a minimum, I'll replace all the caps with better quality ones. And, I'll improve the internal wiring just because it will be easy and inexpensive.

If anybody has any cool ideas, please let them flow!

And a GREAT BIG thanks to Heather from me and Liam. :applaud:
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[svollmer]

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[hjames]

What a grin on Liam's face - great!
That's the whole point - glad to see it works out so well ...

Those cool Revel in-wall speakers we saw had Magnet grills - Liam's got a great idea!

Any other ideas - yep!
Move the ports to the front! Rear ports mean the have to stand proud of the wall - and take up more room than they need to!
I haven't done that to my L100T/T3s yet, but it was a nice improvement to the L60Ts I had a couple years back! With them, I matched front port placement to my L20T speakers. If you use a drill saw, you can glue the plug you get from drilling the front to fill the old hole in the back!

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[svollmer]

Those cool Revel in-wall speakers we saw had Magnet grills - Liam's got a great idea!

Any other ideas - yep!
Move the ports to the front! Rear ports mean the have to stand proud of the wall - and take up more room than they need to!
I haven't done that to my L100T/T3s yet, but it was a nice improvement to the L60Ts I had a couple years back! With them, I matched front port placement to my L20T speakers. If you use a drill saw, you can glue the plug you get from drilling the front to fill the old hole in the back!



Yes, he said he got the idea from the Revel speakers yesterday.

And I like the idea of moving the ports to the front as they will be in his bedroom replacing some Large Advents and the real estate is a little tight.

They'll be powered by a vintage Pioneer SX-950 receiver. The system is pretty good right now, but with these L100T's, it's going to be awesome! Can you imagine having such a cool system when you were 13? My parents would have kicked me outta the house for cracking the drywall.

Me: :rockon2::rockon1: Dad: :banghead: Mom: :eek:

[svollmer]

JBL Decals: I'll post pictures below, but you'll note that the JBL decals on the backs are different from each other. One is a darker black, is textured, and has the serial number printed on it. The other is smooth, lighter black, and has no serial number. There's a white paper sticker on the input terminal with what I think is the serial number for that speaker. So, they're either a miss-matched pair from different manufacturing runs, or maybe one is a Chinese knock-off? ;)


The drivers, grill guides, little plastic footers, and input terminals are removed. The 2214H woofers have what appear to be two different date stamps, so this might explain why the decals are different. The internal wires are also a little different; all of the negative wires have black stripes on them. I guess they are from different production runs. One woofer has " 090586 " and the other has " 060387 ".

We checked the continuity of the non-working 035Ti and we got zippo. So, I guess I'll hunt down a diaphram or replacement tweeter. Other than that, all looks well.

[Uncle Paul]

Great father-son project! I like the idea about moving the port as well as the clever usage of the left over plug.

[BMWCCA]

I like the idea about moving the port as well as the clever usage of the left over plug.Just like our Heather; give, give, give!

I'd repair the system as stock (with respect to the port position) and see what you think of it. The rear port on my L7s and L5s doesn't really pose a problem even when they're only inches from the rear wall, especially when angled. I somehow doubt the woofer in the L100T will be the least bit challenged in your son's bedroom! The rear port becomes an issue when you cram the bookshelf speakers into an actual bookshelf—probably why the L20T is front-ported—and on the L60T (like Heather's) simply because its woofer might need all the help it can get. :dont-know:

[svollmer]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

We're still mulling over how to finish them. We're now thinking that if he wants them black, we might just patch the dings in the existing walnut finish, sand them smooth and refinish black without re-veneering them first. If so, I'll probably leave the port in the back. If, however, we decided to re-veneer them, we're open to much more options and will look seriously at moving the port.

Anyone have a suggestion on how to get a nice black finish? We're not shooting for mirror black gloss. Just a nice black, probably semi-gloss. And I don't think it would hurt if grain showed through either.

BTW: Rick Cobb kits are on order!

Also, I pulled the 035Ti apart and the VC is shorted. The foam behind the dome is gooky too as others have experienced. I'll search for a used 035Ti or a beat-up pair of monitors with donor 035Ti's.

[hjames]

A couple of the folks who have refinished speakers have used bondo-type automotive body filler to apply a smoothing coat over the wood veneer to get an auto-body type finish ... if you didn't go through all the finish layers to get the super-smooth coat,
you would probably have some grain left ...

Doesn't he want the shiney shiney revel-type speakers?


Thanks for the advice everyone.

We're still mulling over how to finish them. We're now thinking that if he wants them black, we might just patch the dings in the existing walnut finish, sand them smooth and refinish black without re-veneering them first. If so, I'll probably leave the port in the back. If, however, we decided to re-veneer them, we're open to much more options and will look seriously at moving the port.

Anyone have a suggestion on how to get a nice black finish? We're not shooting for mirror black gloss. Just a nice black, probably semi-gloss. And I don't think it would hurt if grain showed through either.

BTW: Rick Cobb kits are on order!

Also, I pulled the 035Ti apart and the VC is shorted. The foam behind the dome is gooky too as others have experienced. I'll search for a used 035Ti or a beat-up pair of monitors with donor 035Ti's.

[JuniorJBL]

I use a thinned down wood filler to fill wood grain. I use woodwise wood filler from my hardwood supplier.

[svollmer]

I use a thinned down wood filler to fill wood grain. I use woodwise wood filler from my hardwood supplier.


A couple of the folks who have refinished speakers have used bondo-type automotive body filler to apply a smoothing coat over the wood veneer to get an auto-body type finish ... if you didn't go through all the finish layers to get the super-smooth coat,
you would probably have some grain left ...

Doesn't he want the shiney shiney revel type speakers?

Thanks guys; I like those ideas. I think filling in the grain would lead to a much better finish coat. Maybe we could then take them to an auto-body shop to have them shot in a nice finish. I don't think I could do a nice finish from cans.

And yes Heather, I'm sure he'd LOVE the shiney Revel speakers. Maybe he'll let me trade his college savings and we could both enjoy them! ;)

[Mr. Widget]

Thanks guys; I like those ideas. I think filling in the grain would lead to a much better finish coat. Maybe we could then take them to an auto-body shop to have them shot in a nice finish. I don't think I could do a nice finish from cans.I agree, but realize that automotive paint will magnify any surface imperfections and not hide them. If you don't want to pay the shop to prep the surface you will need to fill the grain with a suitable filler that won't shrink or react with the top coat and you will need to sand them smooth, smooth, smooth... a good project but expect to put some time into it.

If I were doing the project I'd spray Evercoat Feather Fill (http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=70)... assuming you don't have a compressor and spray equipment you can spread this flowable "bondo" , Evercoat Glaze Coat (http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=2). Both require careful sanding and some dedicated time put in, but you will end up with a surface that the body shop can then prime and spray without paying them to spend hours of prep.

If you do use either product, buy a respirator... the fumes are rather strong and not at all healthy. I attribute all of my bouts of insanity to years of handling these and similar products improperly. :D


Widget

[Titanium Dome]

Great father-son experience. Looking forward to the ongoing narrative.

Are we going to get any quotes from Liam?

[svollmer]

Great father-son experience. Looking forward to the ongoing narrative.

Are we going to get any quotes from Liam?


I agree, but realize that automotive paint will magnify any surface imperfections and not hide them. If you don't want to pay the shop to prep the surface you will need to fill the grain with a suitable filler that won't shrink or react with the top coat and you will need to sand them smooth, smooth, smooth... a good project but expect to put some time into it.

If I were doing the project I'd spray Evercoat Feather Fill (http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=70)... assuming you don't have a compressor and spray equipment you can spread this flowable "bondo" , Evercoat Glaze Coat (http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=2). Both require careful sanding and some dedicated time put in, but you will end up with a surface that the body shop can then prime and spray without paying them to spend hours of prep.

If you do use either product, buy a respirator... the fumes are rather strong and not at all healthy. I attribute all of my bouts of insanity to years of handling these and similar products improperly. :D


Widget

Thanks Widget! I hope I'm not getting in over my head on the refinishing :o:. I'll talk tonight with him so we can decide exactly which route we (okay, mostly he) wants to take. I'm up for anything and thrilled that he's thrilled with the speakers and is excited about doing this project with his pop. I remember fondly going with my dad to Luskin's, George's, Dixie Hi-Fi, German Hi-Fi, and Myer-Emco to check out stereo equipment. I hope he'll remember this in the same way; I know I will.

Dome - I'll be sure Liam posts a few comments himself too. And I'll be sure to post pictures of the process. I'll take some tonight of the disassembled tweeter and maybe the x-overs. I'm thinking of a suitable replacement for the melting foam in the 035Ti. I'm thinking maybe carving some felt in the shape might work.

Thanks everyone!

[louped garouv]

Thanks everyone!

and thanks to you for keeping the legacy alive...

although you'll be sorry when he starts putting down things like
'bubble back 375s' and 'truextent diaphragms' on his christmas wish list!

:)

[svollmer]

and thanks to you for keeping the legacy alive...

although you'll be sorry when he starts putting down things like
'bubble back 375s' and 'truextent diaphragms' on his christmas wish list!

:)

Thanks, but I don't deserve a lot of credit other than exposing him to our hobby. Actually, I think I'm reliving my youth as my Dad and I were the two in the family who shared an interest in audio and used to go to audio shows in and around the Washington DC area. Good memories.

Like a lot of kids today, he absolutely loves music, but also wants convenience and portability. He also loves video games. So, I put together a system in his room of spare stuff (a CRT TV, the Pioneer receiver, and the Advents) and when he heard the difference of the sound of his video games on it, it was a revelation. Then I let him play his Ipod through it and he liked it. But when he heard the same stuff on CD, it really clicked.

You're right about the future. :hmm: I have to convince him to keep up his good grades in school and get a high paying job so he can buy "us" a Synthesis system.

[wu6fiend]

Congrats on scoring a pair of L100Ts for such a fair price ($100)

I'll be watching this thread with interest. My L100Ts are among my most prized possessions, and I enjoy listening to them at least 1-2 hours each day.

With regard to the different JBL labels/white serial number label etc, I think you have a pair made up of early & later L100Ts. Strange. I own two sets of L80Ts also, and one pair has the JBL label with the serial number, and wooden base, while the other pair has the white serial number label, JBL label without serial number, and a plastic base.

With regard to the damaged grills, some owners have resorted to reattaching them with magnets or velcro, or you could do what I did, find a nice pair of original grills for sale on eBay (I think I paid $30 for them).

[svollmer]

Thanks wu6fiend. I probably won't be doing anything too extravagent, but I will document the rebuild in case it's of any help to any current or future members. And thanks for the idea on the grill. I do like the original ones and would like to keep the original look. But when I've been searching for "JBL L100T" or "JBL L100T3" on eBay, not much has been coming up. But these things come and go in waves, so I'll keep on looking.

Steve

[pathfindermwd]

Congratulations on the L100T find! I love these speakers! I have 2 sets, one with L100T3 crossovers, and another with modified L100T to T3 crossovers with L-Pads added. Duanage here did the mod. I refinished my first L100T's. The veneer was in pretty good shape, with the usual watermarks on the top from being used as plant stands :crying:, and of course the bikini tan from the grills. I decided to refinish mine with stain, here's the post with some pics: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?27946-JBL-crossovers&highlight=

Painting them black should be no problem. I would wipe them down a few times with mineral spirits to remove any furniture wax or oil from handling. Give them a quick sanding with 180 grit by hand, and patch any chipped areas with wood filler, and block them smooth with 100 grit then lightly with 180 (or similar). Wipe down again, prime them with a aerosol can of Kilz, or some other stain blocker, not more than 2 coats, and do another quick sanding with 220 or similar. Paint them by brush with an interior semi-gloss oil-based paint. Oil-based paint dries very slowly so your brush marks shouldn't be too obvious, but they will have a good luster and show most of the grain (and possibly some patches depending on how big they are). Since the paint dries slowly you want to make sure they do not get dust blown on them while they are drying. If you don't like the finish you can always wait until they are cured to sand them down again and move on to the more involved heavy primer, blocking, and spraying, which is what a body shop would probably do. But I really think you would like the look brushed semi-gloss would give you, and they are wood veneer, so it fits well. If you are opposed to brush marks you could use a mohair roller, which will make the work alot faster, but also take more paint, it should offer a sprayed look ( less some sheen) without the hassle of spraying - since oil based paint dries so slowly it lays down nicely.

I wouldn't personally go for the super-smooth "gloss" option with gloss black because though they might look cool for awhile, they are hard to keep clean, and scratches show so easily. If you really want to go that direction I would suggest a different color. White hides everything, and can be pretty dirty without showing it. Or how about Ferrari Red?:bouncy:

Or, how about a carbon fiber look? You can find it at a local fiberglass supply store, or use a vinyl veneer:
http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Glossy-Black-Carbon-Fiber-Sheets-Vinyl-Decal-p/ac-carbon-sheet-black.htm?gclid=CLG5huij8asCFQd6gwodFnQvLw

There is so many ways you could personalize them. Whatever you choose, they are great speakers. Hope it's a fun project! Post back some pics for us when you are done!:bouncy:

[lgvenable]

It's easy to fix the chips. look at a good hardware store for the filler made with walnut dust. Use this to fill the chips, troweling the edges from each direction to make a clean edge. Follow by being patient and allowing to dry completely and sand until the surface is finished flush to the veneer. Follow by using a # 2 pencil or dark brown coloring pencil to create grain lines. You want to get a stainable filler, so that if needed use a light walnut or pecan stain to match the walnut color.

Once matched, use Watco walnut finish and enjoy your new as mint spaghetti finished wood board, but finished correctly they'll look brand new....that's my 2 cents.;)

I did it on the small chips in two pairs of L100T's, BTW $100 is a world beater price.

[svollmer]

pathfindermwd/lgvenable:

Thanks very much for your refinishing suggestions. Other than finishing a few pieces of butcher block maple for my equipment racks with Minwax Poly, I've never done any refinishing, so your suggestions and insight will come in very handy. My son is still debating what finish he'd like on them, but he keeps leaning to a semi-flat black finish with the grain showing through, like you see on a lot of today's speakers. But, I believe they're black over ash which has a deeper grain. I have a friend who has a pair of gloss black over walnut Legacy speakers and they look pretty nice. If I were finishing them for myself, I'd try to just refinish them as close to original as possible. And if I screwed it up, I'd probably try my luck at re-venerring them. And if I screwed that up :o:, I'd build new boxes from MDF that were deeper and more narrow on the front with a bunch of shelf bracing, keeping the same net internal volume, of course.

And yes, $100 was a steal for them; Heather was a saint to pass them along to us :applaud:.

I owe you all some pictures, but for now, a narrative update is in order.


The boxes have been completely stripped, but no sanding or refinishing work has begun on them.
The particle board "risers" on the bottoms were swollen from getting damp. They've been removed and will be replaced with a flat board and/or spikes to keep them stable on carpet.
The crossovers have been removed. All wiring was de-soldered from them in preparation for upgraded wiring. Nothing fancy, just a nicer twisted wire, probably 16 AWG (at least to the woofers). And we're either going to upgrade the caps, or possibly upgrade it to the T3 crossover. Maybe Duanage is still offering this service.
The JBL badges on the fronts were removed, repainted black, and sanded so the silver around the edge and the "JBL" is nice and shiney.
Liam and I started working on the woofers. Original foam surrounds have been removed. He sanded the front of the baskets so the silver is now bright. We began the refoam process last night. We installed the foam on the back sides of the woofers, as originally done, and left them to dry overnight. We'll glue the other sides to the baskets today.
OF NOTE: I looked into the vent hole on the back of one of the woofers and noticed something moving around in there. It looks as if JBL installed foam filter on the inside of the basket over the vent hole before installing the cone. This foam had rotted and fallen in. We used a small piece of tubing hooked to our vacuum and sucked it all out. The other woofer still had it in place, but it was cracked. So we removed that one too. I'm thinking that if we left it in there, maybe it would eventually turn gooey and get caught in the gap, but I'm not sure. Before re-installing them, we'll put some kind of filter media over the vents on the outside of the magnets to duplicate their purpose.
As stated earlier, one of the 035Ti's was not working. After disassembling it, the v/c didn't look bad or overheated, but it had no continuity. I assumed it was dead, but Liam noticed that one of the leads looks broken just before it's soldered to the Faston connector (oh, to have 13 year old eyes again!). So, we're going to try to dig the lead out of the glue around it and re-attach it. We probably don't have a good chance, but what the heck, it's already broken. If we can't fix it, I'll be looking for a replacement.
Well, that's all for now. I'll get some pictures of the above activities posted as soon as I have a chance. If you have any other suggestions, please keep 'em coming and thanks very much in advance!

Steve

[opimax]

call me for tweeter check around 8

Mark

[4343]

pathfindermwd/lgvenable:
...


As stated earlier, one of the 035Ti's was not working. After disassembling it, the v/c didn't look bad or overheated, but it had no continuity. I assumed it was dead, but Liam noticed that one of the leads looks broken just before it's soldered to the Faston connector (oh, to have 13 year old eyes again!). So, we're going to try to dig the lead out of the glue around it and re-attach it. We probably don't have a good chance, but what the heck, it's already broken. If we can't fix it, I'll be looking for a replacement.

...
Steve

That's fairly common, the posts move just a bit when plugging/unplugging and there you go...

I was able to get one from my L100T's working again, then added a bit of hot-melt to try to keep the post from moving. Of course, when you heat the post enough for solder to flow, it will melt the plastic, and a bit of quick pressure on the melted plastic will also keep it from moving.:blink:

[hjames]

call me for tweeter check around 8

Mark
They're travellin' ... Steve and Liam just left here ... what a thoughtful pair!
I had just sat down to do some reading and saw them coming up the sidewalk - loaded!
Those nice guys just brought me a case of Hofbrau Octoberfest beer! YUMM!
That stuff will last Emma and I a year ... he he he!

Very nice - Thanks so much, guys!
:cheers:
We chilled a couple down and had them with dinner last night.
Emma says they are very quaffable (!) ...
I say its quite a fine beverage, thanks!

[BMWCCA]

That's fairly common, the posts move just a bit when plugging/unplugging and there you go...

I was able to get one from my L100T's working again, then added a bit of hot-melt to try to keep the post from moving. Of course, when you heat the post enough for solder to flow, it will melt the plastic, and a bit of quick pressure on the melted plastic will also keep it from moving.

+1. Very fixable. And don't try to straighten out the Fastons, even if they look crooked. Ask me how I know! :banghead:

[svollmer]

They're travellin' ... Steve and Liam just left here ... what a thoughtful pair!
I had just sat down to do some reading and saw them coming up the sidewalk - loaded!
Those nice guys just brought me a case of Hofbrau Octoberfest beer! YUMM!
That stuff will last Emma and I a year ... he he he!

Very nice - Thanks so much, guys!
:cheers:

No, thank YOU! Liam and I finished the refoaming last night. Will update with pictures ASAP. He's really digging this project! :)

Sorry Mark! Didn't see this until this morning. I'll try to call you this evening. Thanks!

[svollmer]

+1. Very fixable. And don't try to straighten out the Fastons, even if they look crooked. Ask me how I know! :banghead:



I was able to get one from my L100T's working again, then added a bit of hot-melt to try to keep the post from moving.

Mike/Phil: I was just going to try to touch it up with some thin solder. Is this what you recomment, or is there a "cool" method of fixing a crack on the lead wire?

[BMWCCA]

Mike/Phil: I was just going to try to touch it up with some thin solder. Is this what you recomment, or is there a "cool" method of fixing a crack on the lead wire?
I used my Wahl Isotip
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[svollmer]

First some cabinet prep:

We taped up the decals on the back and the ports (I was afraid I'd damage them if I tried to remove them). This picture was from before the tape job on the ports was complete.

Then we removed the risers on the bottoms. We'll either replace them with 1" thick MDF boards, like on the Ti series, or install spikes so they penetrate the carpet and keep the cabinets from rocking around during the bomb blasts of his video games!

For some reason, I can't get the pictures to load in proper order; sorry!

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[svollmer]

Spraying the logos and wet sanding them:


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[svollmer]

Starting work on the woofers:

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[svollmer]

We haven't decided yet if we're going to upgrade the crossovers to T3 specs at this time. Regardless, we removed them, unsoldered the wires so we could replace them with a larger gauge, and cleaned the flux off the areas where the wires attach.

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[svollmer]

The woofer surrounds are replaced.

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[svollmer]

We also ordered an 035Ti tweeter grill and retainer, and a couple of missing driver gaskets. A shot of the damaged tweeter is posted in another thread (link below), but I'll post it here as well to keep everything together.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?31426-035TIA-quot-Copy-Tweeter-quot-....is-this-even-legal&p=322248&viewfull=1#post322248


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[svollmer]

Okay, my son has decided he'd like to have them refinished as original. Much easier for us (I think). :applaud:

So, I'm going to get some Famowood walnut wood filler from Rockler to fill the chips in. This product has real wood "flour" in it, hardens, and can be sanded and stained. I didn't find anything like it near me locally. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18537&filter=walnut%20wood%20filler

I'll ask my wife, an amatuer artist, to pencil in any grain necessary as suggested by lgvenable in post #20. Then we'll clean and sand the wood with 200 grit paper before applying Howard Feed-N-Wax.

I welcome all comments on my plan. Am I overlooking anything or should I be doing something different? Thanks!

[svollmer]

Time for an update! We've filled in the chips; fortunately for us and our lack of talent in this area, they were very small. Then we lightly sanded the cabinets with some 220 grit paper, followed by 003 (sp?) synthetic steel wool we picked up from Woodcrafter's. After that we applied the first coat of Howard Feed-N-Wax.

Wow! What a difference!!

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[hjames]

One thing I just never understand -
some folks just never oiled their cabinets ... poor dry wood!

But yeah ... they are really coming out gorgeous!!
Kudos to you both ...


Time for an update! We've filled in the chips; fortunately for us and our lack of talent in this area, they were very small. Then we lightly sanded the cabinets with some 220 grit paper, followed by 003 (sp?) synthetic steel wool we picked up from Woodcrafter's. After that we applied the first coat of Howard Feed-N-Wax.

Wow! What a difference!!

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=53595&d=1320886669

[svollmer]

We, like Heather, also decided to do the L100T to L100T3 crossover upgrade, courtesy of Duanage. I sent the crossovers to him last week and got them back today and they look beautiful (Beautiful work; thanks Duane!). We'll install some upgraded guage wiring and install this weekend. For those interested in the crossover conversion, here's the thread: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?7812-L100T-vs-L100T3&highlight=duanage
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[svollmer]

One thing I just never understand -
some folks just never oiled their cabinets ... poor dry wood!

But yeah ... they are really coming out gorgeous!!
Kudos to you both ...


I agree! I used to oil the 240Ti's I had a long time ago pretty regularly with lemon oil. It really kept them in good shape and made that teak look be-u-tiful. But it was kind of a pain because they would dry out quick and I'd have have to keep doing it all the time. I kind of wished they had a permanent finish on them.

But, I'm thrilled with the Howard Feed-N-Wax so far. Yet, another great idea I've learned here!

[svollmer]

We had to drill out the wire holes in the crossovers to accept 14AWG wire.

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[svollmer]

Here is one crossover with the new wire (on sale at PE). We also changed the binding posts with some gold ones I picked up some time ago from Ebay real cheap.

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[svollmer]

One little visual mod Liam wanted to do was change all the hardware to silver to reflect the look of the JBL logo, the frame of the woofer, and the 035Ti dome. We were able to find the exact screws in stainless steel at Lowe's. The only difference is the 10/24 Filister screws for the woofers are now Allen head instead of Phillips head. It's a pretty cool look and we saved to original screws should he ever want to switch back.

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[svollmer]

We replaced the damage "risers" on the bottom with an MDF board, like the 240Ti's have. We used inexpensive spikes on them to penetrate the carpet so they stand more stable. Spikes also have the nice effect of not allowing the speakers to crush the carpet. So, whenever we move them, it will look like nothing was there.

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[svollmer]

Here are some shots of them finished:

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[svollmer]

And one final shot with Liam expressing his joy with the speakers. He loves them, enjoys them daily with music and video games, and says they're way better than the old Advents.

Thanks to everyone for their input, help, and suggestions. Even though this might be a simple little project to some of the very talented folks here, it was a real blast and a great learning experience for us.

And a very special thanks again to Heather (hjames) for passing the opportunity to purchase these on to us. We're very grateful and endebted to you!

53894

[Eaulive]

:applaud:

[Don Mascali]

A really fine job! :rockon2:

[pathfindermwd]

Looking good! I also added stainless steel screws to mine! :applaud:

Glad to hear you went with the T3 crossovers from Duanage!

[duaneage]

Here is a tip for the screws ....

I use gun blue to blacken screws. It gives a great durable finish that is dark enough. Won't work on stainless or zinc. Great restoration on the cabinets, it's more prideful to restore the wood than reach for the black paint. I admit to being veneer challenged a bit, I used vinyl on the last pair I built.

[hjames]

If its stainless - you could try a black sharpie - it may be enough,or just shoot some black krylon spray paint into a cap and use a Q tip to apply it ... !


Here is a tip for the screws ....

I use gun blue to blacken screws. It gives a great durable finish that is dark enough. Won't work on stainless or zinc. Great restoration on the cabinets, it's more prideful to restore the wood than reach for the black paint. I admit to being veneer challenged a bit, I used vinyl on the last pair I built.