Hi all, I had the good fortune of getting my hands on a pair of 4430s recently, and I want to restore their appearance and performance as best I can. I’ve read many of the threads on this board, but still have questions about how to best do things.
Over the next several paragraphs l will describe what I’m planning to do, and I will ask questions along the way. Please chime in with any ideas or suggestions that you may have. My skill level is medium to low, so I don’t expect them to look like new, just a whole lot better than they look right now. Here it goes…
The cabinets have scratches, some deep, and dings all over them. I’m not planning to apply new veneer to the cabinet, but I was thinking of using ‘Restore-a-finish’ to clean them up and hopefully hide most of the smaller imperfections. Depending on how this goes, I may take sand paper to the veneer and try refinishing the top and sides. With the drivers removed, I’m planning to tape the control plate, top and sides, then spray paint the front and back baffles, and bottom a flat black. I will use wood filler and sand where needed on the front. Can anyone recommendation a good durable spray paint? Something durable and scrubbable? If anybody knows how to remove the controls plate on the 4430 without damaging the plate please do tell.
The grill cloth is in good condition, but approximately 8” of it has separated from the frame. What is the best way to reattach it? Contact cement, gorilla glue, other? Should I use wax paper between my fingers and the cloth as I hold it in place while the glue dries? Or is there a better technique? I guess I could staple the cloth back down if needed, but I would like to avoid going that route.
Both 2235H woofers are working, but one was already re-coned, and that surround now needs replacing again. The other woofer appears to be original and in great shape. I’m taking re-coned woofer into a repair shop for an assessment. It bugs me a bit that the cones are different in the two woofers. If I need to re-cone the first woofer I may consider re-cone for both of them so they look and sound the same. Are those aftermarket kits as good as the originals? For anyone who has used a aftermarket cone kit, does it sound the same as the original?
The 2421A drivers are original. I opened them up and no signs of cracking on the diaphragms. While in there I noticed the foam on the back plate is rotting. What material and where to get it? I will ask the speaker repair shop about this as well. The driver mouth is dirty, so I will remove the diaphragms and give the driver mouth a blast of air.
The 2344 horns are not cracked or damaged, but they have some scuffs on them. I plan on lightly sanding the edges of the scuffs with 800 grit paper and spray painting them. Probably flat or semi gloss black. I read here about using an automotive paint that sticks to plastic, but can’t find that thread anymore. Should I use a primer first? I want a really durable finish so I can clean the horns from time to time and not damage the paint. I once disassembled, sanded and spray painted a pair of 2405s. They looked great at first but the paint chipped off easily. I’m hoping to avoid that this time.
The controls will need a clean as I can hear issues as I rotate the dials. I will use Deoxit F5 as I do for electronics pots. Any idea how to best get the controls out for cleaning? Will going in from behind with a straw attached to the nozzle work? Are there openings in the pots to get the lubricant in? Also, can I clean the crossover switch the same way?
Finally, the crossovers. I have no plans to touch them just yet. I will consider bypassing the crossover switch and replacing the caps at a later date. For now I want to keep it original, and will just change the binding posts for something that accepts banana plugs.
All comments welcome and appreciated.
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Originally Posted by grumpy
