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Thread: Zilch Cloth Installation

  1. #31
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    Screen spline

    I have done L-100s, 65s, 150s, 4312, even 212s this way. Install a router upside under a table or buy a router table. Use a 1/8 inch straight bit. Put a fence about 3/8 in on back of grill and router a groove all the way around about 3/16 deep. It is very easy to do. Buy a pack of 1/8 inch screen spline at the hardware store and the roller installer tool. I install the spline on opposite sides then pull it back from the corner and re-pull the cloth back and re-install. Easy and perfect every time. Easy to pull the spline out and install new cloth. Never a wrinkle. I cut the excess with a razor blade. The groover is tighter and works better in MDF I have made but it also works on the JBL particle board. You will never touch glue again.

  2. #32
    RIP 2014 Ken Pachkowsky's Avatar
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    Zilch Cloth?

    As I recall, it was Steve xxx from Bakersfield,Ca that found the source for JBL Blue cloth? Am I mistaken?


    Ken

  3. #33
    RIP 2014 Ken Pachkowsky's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by johnhb View Post
    I have done L-100s, 65s, 150s, 4312, even 212s this way.
    John

    Great idea....thanks so much.

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Pachkowsky View Post
    As I recall, it was Steve xxx from Bakersfield,Ca that found the source for JBL Blue cloth? Am I mistaken?


    Ken
    Yes Ken ,you are correct and then he hooked up Zilch and the rest is history.

  5. #35
    Senior Member Woody Banks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Pachkowsky View Post
    As I recall, it was Steve xxx from Bakersfield,Ca that found the source for JBL Blue cloth? Am I mistaken?


    Ken
    Ken
    You are correct! It was Steve, but I don't think you have his last name spelled correctly.

    Woody

  6. #36
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Banks View Post
    Ken
    You are correct! It was Steve, but I don't think you have his last name spelled correctly.
    So, how do you spell Gonzales?
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

  7. #37
    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Pachkowsky View Post
    As I recall, it was Steve xxx from Bakersfield,Ca that found the source for JBL Blue cloth? Am I mistaken?
    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Banks View Post
    Ken, You are correct! It was Steve, but I don't think you have his last name spelled correctly.
    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    So, how do you spell Gonzales?
    add some more XXXs ?
    2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
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  8. #38
    RIP 2014 Ken Pachkowsky's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    So, how do you spell Gonzales?
    Yes it was Gonzales.....

  9. #39
    Senior Member Woody Banks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hjames View Post
    add some more XXXs ?
    Heather

    I always forget, are the XXX's hugs and the OOO's kisses or is it the other way around?

  10. #40
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    JBL Grille Cloth Installation

    #1

    I just finished up a 4345 grille and you are right, it was cake and working the cloth made sense once I started. Thank you for the instructions and goodbye hot melt nightmare; I always hated making grilles using that method. It took forever and required a ton of manipulation to make it come out perfect. This contact cement method is crazy easy and looks absolutely perfect. I'll go ahead and put it in the Tech Section where it belongs.

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    #1

    I just finished up a 4345 grille and you are right, it was cake and working the cloth made sense once I started. Thank you for the instructions and goodbye hot melt nightmare; I always hated making grilles using that method. It took forever and required a ton of manipulation to make it come out perfect. This contact cement method is crazy easy and looks absolutely perfect. I'll go ahead and put it in the Tech Section where it belongs.

    AND it's authentic and true to the O.E. method in appearance when done.

    I love it!

    Thomas

  12. #42
    Senior Member brad347's Avatar
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    Just used this tutorial to apply grille cloth to my 4345s. Instead of the original Zilch/saeman blue, I went with a rust-colored orange that matches my room better from acoustimac.com

    A couple of things that I learned throughout my process (came out great, looking perfect from the front and near-perfect-- almost factory-- from the back):

    1) It's worth it to stress once again to JUST barely tack the corners down. If you tack too much down at the corners, it will make it more challenging to get a wrinkle-free corner when you are finessing it to get the sides tacked down.

    2) Once I had all the corners tacked down, I had better luck working "corners in" as opposed to "down the line" as seemed implied in the original tutorial. In other words, get both corners on a side pulled/stretched so that the pattern on the fabric is straight, and then stop. Go to the other side, and do the same. Then, working toward the center is easy and your corners look even with respect to the pattern/grain/whatever you want to call it.

    3) Don't understate how important stretching the fabric is to getting good, wrinkle-free and mitre-free corners. In addition to doing the "2/3 stretch" from corner to corner, also don't be afraid to grab a big hunk of fabric and stretch it up when you're making the transition from "corner" to "straightaway." This will allow you to work with the fabric instead of against it--and make a nice even wrinkle-free corner.

    4) I found it best to start not with the frame literally "centered" on the fabric, but to approximate the first and second corner-to-corner "stretches" when centering. In other words, if my first stretch is left-to-right, I'll start with the frame over toward the right a bit more, knowing I'm going to stretch the fabric that direction. This helps the frame stay centered after all stretches.

    5) I had GREAT results with the "tolex glue" from www.tubesandmore.com and I thought it was perfect for this application. I had about 1/4 quart leftover from a guitar amp I recovered recently, and decided I'd just give it a shot before going to the Home Depot. Well, it worked like a charm. I don't know what it is, but it is very strong and not stinky at all. The "iron" method outlined in the OP really helped activate it and tack it down, and despite the fact that I used the factory-like 1/2"-ish border and stretched fairly (not extremely) taut, it does NOT seem to be going anywhere. We'll see how it holds up over the long haul, but for now it really seems perfect. It's designed to keep vinyl covering on guitar amps, etc, so I'd imagine it's not designed to lift off easily. Best of all it is NOT stinky at all like the stronger versions of contact cement. The glue is very workable-- apply it to the frame and let it dry/tack up, then apply the fabric. It grips so good you really don't even need the iron, but I used it anyway for good measure and it really did seem to provide an extra measure of strength.

    6) If your grille has a center reinforcement bar, use this to your advantage as a visual straightedge to keep the grille grain/pattern straight as you are doing your corner-to-corner stretches.

    ---

    Big thanks to saeman for the tutorial. It allowed me to do these grilles perfectly on my first try, and it went a lot better than the Jubal grilles I did just improvising-- though those eventually came out OK in the end (not as good as the ones I just finished though). Hope my observations help someone.

  13. #43
    Senior Member markd51's Avatar
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    I would imagine it is tricky getting the corners right, without a need of mitering, and avoiding bundling of the material? It the Zilchcloth that stretchable-workable that bundling-bunching isn't a huge problems at the corners?

    Also, may I ask what heat settings are you using on a clothes iron? I'm sort of gathering that setting at the higher "cotton" setting may be too hot. Thanks, Mark

  14. #44
    Senior Member lgvenable's Avatar
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    I used this same method, but three years ago to mount my speaker cloth from Zilch. I used Weldwood contact cement; which I allowed to dry completely prior to tacking down the grill cloth. I found that I could make a longer piece at each corner, which allowed you to pull it out further (like you were bisecting the angle).

    I used the iron to barely tack each corner, and then worked down each side. You're right you have to carefully work to prevent bundling at the corners. The JBL Navy cloth i got from Zilch (and I assume just like SAEMAN's would stretch enough to allow you to form the corners. At the end of the day, after completely tacking the cloth down; I take a brand new utility blade and cut along a metal rule 36" long, and give nicely trimmed edges. Obviously you cant cut deeply, as the idea is to cut the cloth, not the wood. It took some practice, but in the end I got technique.

    Then I read SAEMAN's technique, which is roughly the same as what I did then. The technique also worked on my L100T's, where I painted the frame with the Weldwood contact cement; except the corners were narrower and worked even better. The inner plastic edge in the L100T works for guiding your blade as well. A word to the wise, take a small piece of plastic and embed your knife tip on it when doing an edge slit, that way the tip wont puncture down into the grill face (on L100T's) as you cut the extra grill cloth off.

    JBL (apparently) on the other hand applied the grill cloth via heat sealing with a press all at one time (on L100T's). I'd guess they had a hot knife edge that trimmed all the way through the grill cloth for a clean trimmed edge.
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  15. #45
    Senior Member markd51's Avatar
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    Again, may I please ask folks, what recommended heat settings do you suggest for the iron? Thanks, Mark

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