LE25 dust cap dent removal solution!

[thoots]

Folks,

Just had to relate a "success story" for you, and share the technique that worked for me.....

A friend hooked me up with a quite nice pair of L26's, but they had one little problem -- the proverbial "doesn't affect the sound" dust cap dent. I didn't get a good "before" shot, but here's a crop that shows pretty much what it looked like:



Well, I'm sorry, but I COULD hear the difference, and it was awful!

Heheh, just kidding.

But, I started looking into it, and eventually came up with a solution utilizing a little "mini attachment" set for my shop vac -- this thing right here:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/tmt/conyourvacto.html

I'm sure I found mine at Wal-Mart or Target or similar, but that's the kit. The real tool is that little hose -- short of going out and measuring it, it's about one-quarter or one-third the diameter of the LE25 dust cap at the end, and that seemed to be just about the right size.

So, really, I just wetted down the dented area of the dust cap with a very small paintbrush I had on hand, and then hooked this hose up to the ol' shop vac, and yanked that dent right out! Actually, the end that attaches to the shop vac's hose has some "slots" that cut down the vacuum pull, and I covered those with my hand as best I could to increase the suction. I wound up wetting down the dent a couple of times -- after the second round, golly gosh, but that dent popped right out! Check out the results:







You can see the little crease as a horizontal mark across the cap where the top of the dent was, but otherwise, it's as good as new! I've listened to the speaker quite a bit since I did the little dent removal job, and all sounds fine from here -- no apparent trauma done to the tweeter during the operation.

So, this sure "worked for me!" And, for the record, here are the L26's, pre-operation, along with their competitors of the day, the Altec Model 3's. Quite a different solution to the same sized box!



thoots

[4313B]

Nice!

[dblaxter]

i have to save those speakers look exceptionally nice ,and they have to be 25 years plus ,i dont know what the other brand is but they do look nice also ,my comment is that i just love the look of the LE25 tweeter with the orange ,tan ,etc. color surround ,i wish they still made that recone kit and not the black , again ,THEY LOOK MAVALUS

da didnt read the whole description, before i said i dont know which brand

[Regis]

neat solution that I'm going to tell my bud with the L-100's about, as his suffer from the same malady. Something about speaker domes (especially the shiny 033's) that makes the unknowing want to push them in. Must be some primal urge. I've been eyeing the Decades as a purchase for my girlfriend and I'm curious to how they stack up against the smaller three-ways (like the L-110).

[Alex Lancaster]

Congrats!, a simple solution, as all great solutions are.

[kworrilow]

I tried to do the same thing on a dented dustcap on a 12" woofer. Thought I could get enough suction...but it didn't work. Any other ideas? I hate to break the red seals...

[Don C]

Try using a paper coffee cup with a hole in the bottom to apply some suction. Styrofoam cups make a better seal against the woofer, but the vacuum tends to collapse them. Moisten the dome first.

[Regis]

...with the hole in the bottom, get some soap bubble solution in a saucer and you'd be amazed at the incredibly large bubbles you can blow! With patience and a deep breath, you can blow them up to 14". The kids love it.

[4313B]

Excellent!

He's thinking on his feet!

[4313B]

Once again I have to comment on how nice thoots gear always looks.
Outstanding!

[thoots]

Folks,

Thanks for the kind words!

As for the orange "surrounds" or whatever they are, indeed, I prefer them to the black. Both of my L100's have the orange, and I love it!

I have no idea about the history of these L26's, but they are consecutive serial numbers. Seems I've heard folks talk about it being somewhat common for L26's to come from the factory with orange or black, but that's just hearsay from the cobwebs in the back of the head here....

As for sound quality, I think the L26's sound just incredibly better than they deserve to. Truly one of the few two-way speakers that don't make me "miss the midrange" from a three-way. Plenty of bass, nice midrange, clean treble -- just all-around good, well-balanced sound, with the proverbial "forward" character typical of the JBL bookshelves of the day. They make the Altec Model 3's sound pretty inferior -- not as clear in the bass, colored in the midrange, and not as clean in the high end. And, the Model 3's are actually pretty listenable speakers.

So, if anyone's interested in a pair of L26's, I couldn't recommend them more highly. I think you'd like 'em!

thoots

[Regis]

For your impressions on the L-26. Good to hear a perspective of how they do against the three-way's, as I've never actually heard a two-way JBL, always having ownde the 3-way speakers over the decades. Gotta love that JBL sound!

[kworrilow]

You guys are unbelievable! To make an even BETTER seal, I cut a piece of towel and then cut a hole in IT slightly smaller than the cone. I wet the towel, and put it between the lip of the cup and the cone. Worked like magic. Thanks!

[R Beardsley]

kworrilow


Dent removal
I tried to do the same thing on a dented dustcap on a 12" woofer. Thought I could get enough suction...


Does your woof have a vent at the back? What worked for me on my 128H-1 was to moisten the cap at the dented area and use the vacuum hose to "blow" from the back. This allowed me to view the cap as it reformed, and also allowed some control over pressure. It took about 3 times with the cap slowly coming back. After it dried. you can't really see where the dent was.