Me, my woofers and some dope.....

[Guest filedog]

While doing some of the other work on my 2ax woofers, I noticed if I looked thru the surrounds at a light, in an otherwise dark room, they were quite porous, in other words, it was like looking thru a very tight screen. I read everything I could find on the subject, and there seemed to be no preferred solution, other than armorall. I figured I would try it, and while it did soften them a bit, they were still porous. It read some suggest redoping, or sealing, but I could not find any of the products recommended. I know applying an untested product is risky, but on the other hand, they needed to be sealed, otherwise they would leak quite a bit of air.

Since I had already applied armorall (water based silicone), I figured I would stay in that family, and mixed a batch of sealer from siliconized latex caulk (clear), some water, and a few drops of black water-based paint. I applied one thin coat over the surrounds, and I can no longer see light thru them. I think this should be pretty close to what the designer was aiming for, a light, thin, flexible coating that bonds well to the cloth. Looks pretty good too.

Between fixing a coil wire on one, and gluing the spider and masonite surround ring on the other, I've spent quite a bit of time on them. In the past a pair like this would probably be passed over, which is why they were gathering dust at the repair shop, As they say, "high water floats all boats" and as they become scarcer, they also beome worthy of more effort. Spent some time on the cabs today, a coat of stain before the tung oil, they're coming right along!