Grill Foam, Cloth and AR10Pi logo plates

[KlausDK]

Hi All

Does anybody know of a source for the AR10Pi-11-12 grill foam front? AB Tech services has discontinued the item and will not have it anymore.

Does anybody know of a source for the white type grill cloth for the AR classic range of speakers (e.g 3a, 5, 6, 7, LST)?

And finally, does anybody have a set of orphan AR 10Pi logo plates in the search for a new home, then my 10-Pi's would be willing to host them in a worthy way, Financial compensation related to this exchange of home address can be offered via PayPal.

Thaks for your help

Klaus

[Guest Bret]

Klaus -

Your news about the foam grills prompted me to try the one place other than ABTech I have bought foam before. He didn't have any and reports that he cannot get more, either.

I find myself wondering if this is a "can't" or a "won't?" I couldn't blame anyone for not wanting to sink $20,000 into foam that will rot before it sells, but I find "can't" a suspect word.

What an incredible, incredible shame. I have need of a pair, too, and I have already spent money on the speakers themselves and some replacement drivers. Now my enthusiasm for the project has diminished to nothing.

I suppose that puts an end to any restoration of the Teledyne models.

Too bad.

I guess I better start learning to like Bose and/or the midrange ring of cabinets made of injection molded plastic - I'll just stick to the ones with "Turbo Bass" stickers by the ports and I should be fine. It'll be that or $10,000 for a pair of speakers.

And now North Creek. . .

Et tu Georgus? Then die fidelity.

Bret

[Guest russwollman]

Some fabric stores may have a cloth somewhat close to the original linen AR used for their early speakers, but I doubt you'll find the real stuff. I searched exhaustively and found very little.

I'd bet that in Europe (Scotland and Ireland especially) you'd find something very close. Funnily enough, a cheap lampshade in my apt is covered with something more like the AR linen than anything else I have seen. But how you'd separate the cloth from the paper body of the shade I do not know. You might end up buying an awful lot of lampshades ;-)

On second thought—maybe a trip to China would yield a result?

You could also do an eBay search for linen fabric. I saw some goods that looked promising, but the photo quality isn't always good enough. There's a ton of fabric listed on eBay along with some very helpful sellers. You could send a swatch—or a good photo—of your existing stuff for a good match. Here's one possibility, though the listing has no photo: http://cgi.ebay.com/100-LINEN-Burlap-from-...1QQcmdZViewItem

I washed the original linen on some ARs with pretty good results. It's a very nice material, handsome and durable, and just right for the purpose.

[Guest Bret]

Hi Russ -

What we're talking about here is a grill made of one-piece black open-celled foam. Sculpted on the inside and beveled on the outside, just right. Take a look at the "Truth In Listening" advertisement in the library and you'll see what I mean.

Sure, you could "fashion" a grill, but then. . . would you restore an Jag XKE with a Volvo P-1500 grill? Of course not. Not even if you could make it fit.

What was that? Do you hear something? I think I just heard the eBay price of Teledyne speakers in need of grill foam skid and begin a whistling plummet.

Bret

[dynaco_dan]

Good hearing, Bret.

[dynaco_dan]

I wished I had added this comment as well.

We all, as in all person's that own hifi speakers, not just members, are wanting to keep our speakers looking as good as possible.

Unfortunately with smoke, and just plain dust, some of our grille clothes are less than desirable in appearance.

It would have been nice, if we all had bought spares when they were cheap, but we didn't.

Now we are all faced with, rotting foam grills, and discoloured cloths.

As far as the foam ones go, someone will have to start up a cottage industry to supply that market, but using more durable material.

The grille clothes, Dynaco, Advent, AR and KLH, just to name a few classic brands, have lighter coloured cloths and we all have no OEM sources, at least that we know of, for replacement material.

Surely there must be a source, for suitable replacement clothes.

Carl did an excellent study and review of grille clothes.

Even with his choices for the study, there was differences, mostly audible deterioration, but they looked good to the eye and they maybe felt good to the skin.

When we receive patch samples, they do not tell us of their sonic neutrality, only how they appeal to our eyes and how the feel to our hands.

We have need of more help from outside our present circle of members, I feel.

Lets see what comes of this topic.

Good luck.

[Guest Bret]

>I washed the original linen on some ARs with pretty good results. It's a very nice material, handsome and durable, and just right for the purpose.<

Not being a seamstress, I don't recall what it is called to fold over the edges of a cloth and sew them together like. . . well, a seam. It's called something when you do it to the edges. Binding?

Whatever it is called, some of the AR linen I washed (had to try something) would have come through that process and the re-stapling really well if it hadn't unravelled a bit (in a hosery bag on "hand wash" in a machine).

The 2ax's I did it to look really good, but man, I had to do some fancy stapling and stretching to get it to cover the same amount of space.

I wouldn't even know who to approach about the foam grills.

Oh, and I blew it. It's a Volvo P-1800 with the grill you wouldn't put on an XKE, not a 1500, which I don't think ever existed.

Bret

[dynaco_dan]

Thank you for your added input, Bret.

Now that you have told us what you did with your grille clothes.

Removing them from the frames, un-stapling, washed in a solution of what cleanser?

Have any members tried washing or soaking them with the frame still attached and staples facing up, not covered by the cleaning solution?

When my daughter and I tried the, "Pink Solution", a few years ago, on a large spot test, on a LST grille clothe, still mounted.

We used a sponge to wipe the solution on.

I look at the clothe almost every day and where it was cleaned it is, how shall I say, like brand new.

The other areas of this one piece that were not touched, are disgustingly blah.

This is the early AR Beige Linen clothe.

The clothes were and are badly smoke stained when I bought them.

There is no trace of stain of the masonite behind it or anything else.

The clothe test area hasn't rotted yet either.

Thanks again Bret for your valuable commentary.

[Guest Bret]

>Removing them from the frames, un-stapling, washed in a solution of what cleanser?<

I tried Woolite. Didn't work. Went back with Oxiclean. Didn't work. Finally did Clorox. That worked.

For everyone reading along; these grilles were really bad with some sort of extremely nasty stain on them. I won't tell you what it looked like beyond "somebody's poodle had a stomach ache."

I would **not** recommend this for lesser troubles.

Bret

[KlausDK]

Hi Bret, Russ and Vern, thanks for your answers.

I hope something turns up for the 10Pi, 11, 12 series.

As for washing grill cloth, it won't do it for me, somebody put a finger through the grill cloth on one of my LST's before I got them, so I have to find a replacement. If there is no known source in the US I might as well try over here, as Russ suggests.

I recently acquired a near mint condition European made, late production AR-6's for a very reasonable price with grill cloth in excellent condition. Replaced foam surround and Cap's and now they play again. Impressive bass range for such a small speaker.

All the best Klaus

PS Sorry to hear about North Creek. Thirty years ago, most people I knew would either have tried to build their own speakers, or at least they know what it was about. Today most people get a blank look in their eyes, when you talk about building speakers. They do not have the faintest idea about what or why. They probably imagine that I am moulding plastic!

[dynaco_dan]

Hi Klaus;

Maybe we need to learn how to darn, just like our mothers did with our socks, when we were kids.

[frankmarsi]

>Hi Klaus;

>

>Maybe we need to learn how to darn, just like our mothers did

>with our socks, when we were kids.

>

>

"NEWS-FLASH"!!!!!

7-12-06, 9:07 PM

Dear Vern, excuse me, but I still sew my own wholes in the toes of my... socks, doesn't everyone? Am I a 'throw-back' to another time? This is why I listen, collect and drool over old AR speakers, isn't it? Go 0n! Admit it!

I'm just another 'throw-back' and all of you are petty much the same. Go ahead say it! Now if it was only as easy to fix my AR speakers and live my life. Maybe I was a seamstress in another life? My mother was…

But seriously folks, any good leads for “AR” fabric grill cloth? There was a guy on this site not too long ago who had a lead, but I didn't get very far with it. The store was in another state, they had too much to chosen from (difficult to choose from a screen), and I like to feel and see something like this before I lay my money down. Maybe even bring a whole grill with me to the store is the best way.But there's another testament to only some of the uniqueness of these units.

"NEWS FLASH"!!! Regarding the building of my 'safety-net' of raw drivers on spare, I now since yesterday am the ‘proud’ owner of 4-12inchers waiting to be re-foamed. I must do the 4 installed ones waiting to be done first, which I listen to every day with caution, and sometimes at 'reckless abandon' volume levels, using 'rubber-cement' as a repair. Yes I am greedy with these woofers, but my penance is the seemingly constant re-foaming to keep them going. Again I must say it; it's just like the mid-eighties for me with my car restoration of 3 old “Rivieras”, an on-going 'work-in-progress'. I was a grand "Riv" collector in the neighborhood and every one who drove past knew it. If you wanna play with old 'junks' (all due respects to my father’s label of them), then you gotta always be working on them. Now if only all of my 'x-paramours’ were as patient with ‘me’ as I am with myself and my endeavors?

“NEWS-FALSH”…. The other night I thought I blew out a woofer or cross-over component or my amp. I was turning the ‘auto-transformer’ quickly at a fairly high volume, suddenly no sound. Stupid of me I realize. After much testing of everything in that line, I lastly determined it was the “FNM-2” fuse. Wow, was I surprised, those fuses are the originals and having lasted all this time through all kinds of use. Well, I couldn’t locate a suitable replacement and ended up using a 21/2 amp ‘people-elevator’ fuse at $3.85 for one. I know this is not safe, so does anyone know of a source for this item as well, or is no one going to speak-up and leave me waiting and listening in a dangerous situation?

Frank Marsi

P.S. And please, admit it! ‘You’ subscribers out there just might be as crazy as I am for playing with old things.

[Carlspeak]

>Hi All

>

>Does anybody know of a source for the AR10Pi-11-12 grill foam

>front? AB Tech services has discontinued the item and will not

>have it anymore.

>

>Does anybody know of a source for the white type grill cloth

>for the AR classic range of speakers (e.g 3a, 5, 6, 7, LST)?

>

>And finally, does anybody have a set of orphan AR 10Pi logo

>plates in the search for a new home, then my 10-Pi's would be

>willing to host them in a worthy way, Financial compensation

>related to this exchange of home address can be offered via

>PayPal.

>

>Thaks for your help

>

>Klaus

Check out my AR post #9803 if you haven't seen it already. It's a study on some potential AR replacement fabrics I have found.

Write if any questions. I have samples available.

Remember, it's all about the music

Carl

Carl's Custom Loudspeakers

[stan461]

I have found some cloth that I am really happy with. I'm also one who has swapped out the disfunctional pots, wax caps and disintegrating fiberglass. If anyone is interested I can let you know the details. Its not original but acoustically transparent and far more attractive.

Anyway, as somebody here keeps reminding me:

"Remember, its all about the music".

[mluong303]

Hi Stan461

I am very interested and would like to find out the details in your rebuilt process and personal listening experience after the changed over compare to the untouched original. Before and after pictures will definitely help also. Thanks.

mluong303@aol.com

[Guest cld]

>

>

>I find myself wondering if this is a "can't" or a

>"won't?" I couldn't blame anyone for not wanting to

>sink $20,000 into foam that will rot before it sells, but I

>find "can't" a suspect word.

It probably doesn't help that 90% of people interested thought they were way over-priced.

When I called about it to AB Tech, they thought the manufacturer was going out of business, last they heard, but didn't even want to look into it.

cld

[Guest mhooven]

I just joined this site. I'm interested in all you have to say-- not only about the cloth but about the old fiberglass and old pots. I found a couple of AR-4X speakers at a sale recently. All drivers are in good shape, the cabinets are OK, but the pots weren't working. I've got them so that I can hear the tweeters now, but they are still really noisy. Also-- I hate to admit this-- I tried removing some spots from one of the grills with bleach. Bad idea. Now I've got two big white spots where before I had just a little bit of staining. So: I'd appreciate some specifics about your cloth, what you replaced the (yech) fiberglass with, and what kind replacement pot you've used. Thanks. Mike

[KlausDK]

Since there does not seem to be a source for the AR 10Pi grill foam any longer, I tried to make it myself. Assisted with measures from Richard (rlowe) I made one from two layers of 12 mm (½inch) foam glued together with contact glue from a spray. Enclosed pictures of a first shot at it. The most dificult part to make (nice) was the angled edge, I will have to work on that one.

Best Regards Klaus