djcheung Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Hi all, Just want to get some pointers in how to remove the glue to get to the caps. The glue is s still very sticky and rubbery. Best regards, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcheung Posted December 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 If its hot melt glue then isopropanol will soften it and allow you to remove it. You don't need a lot to get the job done. Dribble the solvent on and allow it to soften the glue. Use a small screwdriver to carefully pry the glue away from the masonite and components.The older hot melt doesn't soften as fast as the newer glue. However, looking at your picture, the glue does not appear to be normal hot melt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcheung Posted December 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 I don't think these are normal hot melt glue. I have been going at it for more than 2 hours and still not getting anywhere fast. They stuck to the components as if they are fused together. I have just tried some acetone on some of the glue that I managed to remove and nothing. I suppose if I can't find a faster method to remove them, I just have to pick on them bit at a time until I get them cleaned! This may be the longest repair job I have ever come across. Best regards, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Don't use acetone. It may make it worse. Try naphthalene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcheung Posted December 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Well, with the heat from a hair dryer, the glue seems to have return to its original form :-) . Although still very sticky, now I can remove them using a screwdriver. Still some way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Careful with the hair dryer and acetone. Its possible that the heater coil if it gets too hot might put off enough infrared radiation to ignite the acetone. I worked in the adhesive business for many years and with many types of solvents. Looks like you're making some good headway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcheung Posted December 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Thanks for the warning. I am not getting that hair dryer anywhere near the acetone. I am only warming the glue so it is soft enough for me to scrape them off. The consistency of that glue makes me think it is rubber cement. Why would one want to cover that with glue. Insulation? I will keep digging at it until I can free the caps to replace them. Best regards, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 I think I would just snip the leads, mount the new caps somewhere else and close it up. It's not as if leaving them there is going to change the cabinet volume and affect woofer performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 41 minutes ago, djcheung said: .......................The consistency of that glue makes me think it is rubber cement........................ Me too. That's why I recommended naphtha . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcheung Posted December 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 I would have done that if the caps and all connections are not sealed in the glue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 I know exactly what you are going thru. This fall I rebuilt the crossovers on some ultra rare Technics T-400 speakers for my brother-in-law. The crossover components were set in what seemed to be asphalt roofing cement and hot melt glue. The poly fill was added before the black material cured. What a mess. Wound up picking the poly fill off and using a heat gun and scraping tools to remove the black asphalt material. Talk about slow going. Check out the exploded white cap in the center. In the end they turned out fine and ready for another 40 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted December 21, 2016 Report Share Posted December 21, 2016 Nice neat job Larry. I'm amazed at how clean you were able to get that entire area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted December 21, 2016 Report Share Posted December 21, 2016 This is what it looked like after all the goo and such was removed. That is a piece of self stick 2mm foam from Michael's cut into a circle. New binding post, caps and resisters, Reused original coils and switches. Had to reverse engineer everything due to no information on this particular speaker. I do not wish to step on djcheung's thread, just want to encourage him to take the time to satisfy what he feels is right on his crossover project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.