Repairable or trash ?

[Wardsweb]

I sold two mint 416-8C woofers on Ebay. Buyer says both pole pieces are loose. I'm having them sent back here for inspection. This is amazing considering how I packed them: bolted to 1/2" plywood, layers of 1/2" bubble under the plywood and the rest lined with high density foam. Each in it's own 350# double wall box.

[Don Mascali]

Never under estimate the power of a carrier to F it up.

[Earl K]

Hi Wardsweb,


- I'm always amazed at the apparent "clustering" on these sort of topics/occurences
- First Bo(s)' "publicized" misfortune of a "guillotined magnet" on a 2122h and now your speakers demise via shipping .
- I'd ask Bill H at GPA what he thinks about "loose pole pieces" and old Altec glue.

- If the pole pieces are truly loose or shifted / and / the existing cones can't be saved by a pro reconer ( such as Bill ) / then based on the price of magnet repair & "2" new kits for reconing / then I'd say they're trash . But ask Bill .

- At this point I really don't know what to think.
- This may be a type of scam by the buyer that won't be apparent until you have your woofers back in your possession .
- My 416-8C(s) have serial numbers on the foilcal.
- Did you keep track of the numbers on yours ?

[scott fitlin]

I am going to agree with Earl on this one, ebay sellers AND buyers can sometimes be a fraudelent bunch.

Pole pieces coming loose? The shipping company would have to have dropped them out the 4th floor of a building or something ridiculous like that, for this to happen.

I had a woofer fall from the top shelf in my warehouse, about 12ft, it hit the concrete floor, gap shifted, but pole piece WASNT loose! And this woofer wasnt packed, just raw frame on the shelf.

I believe you packed them properly, and I have recieved woofers bolted to plywood, bubble wrapped, in a box, never a problem with this on my end.

[Titanium Dome]

Beware the old switcheroo. I wouldn't put anything past some of these bastiges.

[Wardsweb]

At this point I have his money and UPS has the speakers that are on their way back to me. So once I see them I'll know the real story. I have lots of hi-def photos of the speakers I sent.

[scott fitlin]

Did you insure the package/packages? If you did, they can be claimed as damaged in transit, everyone wins.

[Wardsweb]

Did you insure the package/packages? If you did, they can be claimed as damaged in transit, everyone wins.

I always insure. I've already spoken with my UPS Rep and she said they would do whatever I deem necessary.

[scott fitlin]

I always insure. I've already spoken with my UPS Rep and she said they would do whatever I deem necessary.

Great. I know its a bitch having this happen, but at least you dont lose!

[Gary L]

Beware the old switcheroo. I wouldn't put anything past some of these bastiges.

My thoughts exactly!

I go so far as to add an identifying mark in some inconspicuous place because I have had a buyer pull a switch on me.

I do hope this works out for you both and no foul play is detected.

Gary

[Wardsweb]

Well the speakers are back and the pole pieces are intact. The issue is there seems to be a round metal disc that was glued to the end of the pole piece and it has come loose. So, the cones are free and nothing rubs. There is just a metal disc loose behind the dust cap. I call Great Plains Audio and left a message to see what's up and how it can be fixed. May just need to remove the dust cap, reglue or remove that disc.

[Earl K]

Well the speakers are back and the pole pieces are intact. The issue is there seems to be a round metal disc that was glued to the end of the pole piece and it has come loose. So, the cones are free and nothing rubs. There is just a metal disc loose behind the dust cap. I call Great Plains Audio and left a message to see what's up and how it can be fixed. May just need to remove the dust cap, reglue or remove that disc.

Oh,,, okay !

- I'm guessing that this "now floating" disc was originally glued in place to prevent the gap area from venting to the back ( can't use front and back venting ) .

- I've seen that some 416-8C ceramic slugs are in fact vented through the ceramic magnet / one can see this when the foilcal is missing or lifted . I suppose Altec had some commonality in manufactured parts for their 416/421 line.

- Thanks for the "look-see" into what goes wrong with older Altecs .


- I'm sure Bill will have a solution for you .

[Wardsweb]

I never did hear back from Bill, so I figured I didn't have anything to loose at this point so I removed the dust cap and now understand what's going on.



There is a metal disc that glues to the pole piece and it has come loose. So I need to glue it back, along with the dust cover and I'm back in business. Any suggestions on what kind of glue to use on the metal disc?

[andy11]

epoxy usually works very well for bonding metal.

[herki the cat]

I figured I didn't have anything to loose at this point so I removed the dust cap and now understand what's going on.



Wardsweb

Herki the cat:
Say Wardsweb, you did a very nice job of removing the dust cap. How did you accomplish this task so precisely & neat?.... I have several drivers in need of dust cap removal, repair & re-attachment of the original dust cap.

You were asking about re-cementing dust cap..... Try to avoid epoxies on any part of the cone assembly. It is impossible to undo epoxy welds on cone parts; also avoid Acetone and MEK solvent-based cements because their fumes can get trapped under the dust cap & also wreck havac with foam surround parts in speaker assemblies.

C. P. Moyen Co., offers toluene based cements that are safe around foam parts in speakers. This company has an excellent catalog of cements for speaker work. Please call customer service @:

C.P Moyen Co.
8157 Monticello Ave.
Skokie, IL 60076
Ph# 847-673-6866 / Fx# 847-673-2812