What paint for 2395 lenses/horns?

[EdSawyer]

hi folks -

I am rather new here and already did a search on this but didnt' find any info. I have a pair of the (huge) 2395 slat-plate lenses and the oval horns that attach to them. The grey wrinkle-finish (hammertone?) paint is peeling in some areas and I'd like to restore it to something close to it's original look. It seems like the bare aluminum was painted w/o primer, from what I can see of the peeling areas. Given that I can't probably match the exact color, I don't mind repainting them completely if need be. THe outer parts of the lenses have the wrinkle paint, as does the whole cast horn piece as well. Inner parts of the lenses are a grey smoothfinish paint (some real deep parts of the slats are unpainted... looks like JBL painted them after being assembled.)

So, any ideas/advice/info on what type of paint to use and where to find it? I like the sound of these lenses a lot, haven't gotten the final system together yet but running them with a pair of 2482 drivers crossed at about 400-500hz and EV ST-350 tweeters on top at around 5k and up, sounds pretty good. The lenses definitely sound better/smoother than the various radial and biradial horns I have to play with at the moment. (2385s and some RND big radial horns).

thanks in advance,
-Ed Sawyer

[Mr. Widget]

There are several manufacturers that sell aerosol spray paints that result in a wrinkle finish. Hammer tone is a different type of look. Black is the most common color available for aerosol wrinkle finish, but you can occasionally find other colors. One good one is Krylon #3370 Black. This product works very well.

I haven't tried these but here is a brand that also makes a red and gray.

http://www.speco.com.au/vht_special.html

If you use the black color your horns will look like the home model HL90. If you want to keep the JBL Pro Gray (Not a very consistent color by the way) you could always spray a gray lacquer over the wrinkle finish, once it has fully dried.

One trick to wrinkle finishes is that the heavier the coat of paint the deeper the wrinkles. A light coat looks like photo equipment, a heavy coat and it looks like an engine block.

Good luck.

Widget

BTW If you get a chance try the 2397s, they are my favorite.

[Mr. Widget]

You can order both the Krylon or the VHT here in the States from these guys.

http://www.tubesandmore.com/

[EdSawyer]

Thanks for the info! I appreciate it. I am not too familiar with 2397 - will look those up. The 2395's certainly are no slouches... (there's a set getting pretty bid-up on Ebay, @ $910+ for the pair... they are in a bit nicer shape than mine though).

thanks
-Ed

[Alex Lancaster]

Hi Ed:

As far as I remember, the slats were not painted, possibly a past owner did.

Alex.

[EdSawyer]

hi Alex -

thanks for the note, Slats were definitely factory paintwork - looks to have been painted after assy. Color and other details confirm it had to be a factory job. I had the whole thing apart when I replaced the hardware with stainless nuts/bolts/etc. They are fairly simple, it wouldn't be that hard to replicate, given that the value seems significant to bring $900+ for a pair on ebay, I'd think it might be worth it. Casting the horn would be some work but not insurmountable. The rest could easily be bent up or laser cut from flat stock with little trouble.

thanks
-Ed