I made a boo boo...

[Pestilent Sleep]

So I was fed up with the crummy Vintage 30s in my Mesa 212 and decided it was time to finally swap them out. I was putting in a Swamp Thang and then it happened...a screw was uneven and I accidentally put in through the bottom of the speaker. I was pissed, but I decided to go through with the installation. So far, it hasn't really sounded any different. I guess I should note that it wasn't really a, "tear," just a hole, so I'm not sure it's going to rip anymore.

I just can't believe I made such a rookie mistake! Has anyone ever done this before? If so, how long did the speaker last?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: I made a boo boo...

If I were you, I'd have the hole repaired before playing it too much more.

There's probably an online tutorial. That way it won't spread into a tear.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: I made a boo boo...

Nail polish. Use clear nail polish to keep it from tearing further. Black is also good.

 

[Pestilent Sleep]

Re: I made a boo boo...

Thanks for the advice! I'm looking it up right now, but it seems like most are for holes that are further in, closer to the center, where it's a flatter service. The hole in mine is right alone the outside, where it's "rippled" if you will, making things a little more complicated.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: I made a boo boo...

STEP AWAY FROM THE NAIL POLISH.

The rippled part is called the "surround".

I recommend Ted Weber's tissue paper repair method. If you dig far enough, you can find this in a old post by Ted on the Weber speaker forum. For your convenience:

"If it has doping on the surround, use acetone and a cloth to remove as much of it as you can around the hole. Spread some elmers glue around the hole. Lay down a small piece of tissue paper. More glue, more paper. Do that 5 times and make sure the paper is smoothed out all over and saturated with glue. Let it sit overnight."

Actually, I hadn't seen the part about doping before I looked it up tonight. I bought a Celestion with a tear in the surround, and patched it with TP and Elmer's without removing the doping, and it's held up fine. In fact, it's the speaker I use in my DIY 18 Watter combo.

Upon re-reading Ted's words, I notice he says "tissue" paper, which probably means the kind of paper you line gift boxes with. I previously took it to mean Kleenex-type tissues, but I used plain old toilet paper. (Many nose-blowing tissues have lotion of oil in them and they just won't work. Toilet paper is a safer bet.)

Unlike simply painting the cone with nail polish, what you end up with is a composite of glue, toilet paper, and speaker cone paper, all bonded together. It's about as close to an undamaged cone as you're going to get, and I have NO concerns about the longevity of speakers I've patched this way. Any tonal difference is going to be insignificant.

One refinement I made to Ted's method: since I was using the small paint brushes from my kids' water-color set, I decided to paint the patch with a bit of the black water-color paint. After gluing up a few layers of TP, I brushed on a bit of black, heavy on the paint and light on the water. It melts into the glue and stains it gray, so it blends in with the speaker cone.

 

[d1dsj]

Re: I made a boo boo...

I read somewhere once that candlewax works fine for small tears or rips although I haven't ever seen it myself.

 

[wixedmords]

Re: I made a boo boo...

Actually, I hadn't seen the part about doping before I looked it up tonight. I bought a Celestion with a tear in the surround, and patched it with TP and Elmer's without removing the doping, and it's held up fine. In fact, it's the speaker I use in my DIY 18 Watter combo.

Upon re-reading Ted's words, I notice he says "tissue" paper, which probably means the kind of paper you line gift boxes with. I previously took it to mean Kleenex-type tissues, but I used plain old toilet paper. (Many nose-blowing tissues have lotion of oil in them and they just won't work. Toilet paper is a safer bet.)

Unlike simply painting the cone with nail polish, what you end up with is a composite of glue, toilet paper, and speaker cone paper, all bonded together. It's about as close to an undamaged cone as you're going to get, and I have NO concerns about the longevity of speakers I've patched this way. Any tonal difference is going to be insignificant.

I use the tissue paper/Elmer's glue method also. After it is dry I tape it off and touch up the color with flat spray paint. Just a little paint.

Watercolor may be better (Good thinking Rich), but I have run into no issues doing it this way.

 

[cakire82]

Re: I made a boo boo...

I had read in a book that this was no of the ways to get dirt for the tone in the old days where OD pedals and high gain amps were not common They used nails and razor for different types of distortion.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: I made a boo boo...

Yep. Nail polish is only good when it's in the paper only part of the cone. Anything near the surround is going to require the "tissue" method outlined above. I didn't know it was the surround that was damaged or I would have offered different advice.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: I made a boo boo...

Meh...

I put a screw-driver through one of the vintage H30s in my Marshall 1960B (speakers came from an old Sunn 4X12) a few years ago. I just patched a peice of masking tape over the hole and rubbed it well. Then used a black marker to color the creme color to black. It's my go-to cab and gets a LOT of loud use. Every time I check it, the speaker is fine and hasn't torn any more. I supposed someday when I'm bored I should repair it correctly. But I suppose I'll manage to just make it worse and that I should just leave it alone.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: I made a boo boo...

Has anyone ever done this before?

Bo Diddley, Roy Buchanan, Ray Davies of The Kinks. cakire82 is right.

 

[Pestilent Sleep]

Re: I made a boo boo...

Bo Diddley, Roy Buchanan, Ray Davies of The Kinks. cakire82 is right.

Haha, well, I knew they did (well, some of them), but I meant not on purpose!

Thanks again everyone. Someday when I'm not being lazy I'll fix it, or I'll pray I have the same luck as Red_Label.

 

[rammer69]

Re: I made a boo boo...

STEP AWAY FROM THE NAIL POLISH.

The rippled part is called the "surround".

I recommend Ted Weber's tissue paper repair method. If you dig far enough, you can find this in a old post by Ted on the Weber speaker forum. For your convenience:



Actually, I hadn't seen the part about doping before I looked it up tonight. I bought a Celestion with a tear in the surround, and patched it with TP and Elmer's without removing the doping, and it's held up fine. In fact, it's the speaker I use in my DIY 18 Watter combo.

Upon re-reading Ted's words, I notice he says "tissue" paper, which probably means the kind of paper you line gift boxes with. I previously took it to mean Kleenex-type tissues, but I used plain old toilet paper. (Many nose-blowing tissues have lotion of oil in them and they just won't work. Toilet paper is a safer bet.)

Unlike simply painting the cone with nail polish, what you end up with is a composite of glue, toilet paper, and speaker cone paper, all bonded together. It's about as close to an undamaged cone as you're going to get, and I have NO concerns about the longevity of speakers I've patched this way. Any tonal difference is going to be insignificant.

One refinement I made to Ted's method: since I was using the small paint brushes from my kids' water-color set, I decided to paint the patch with a bit of the black water-color paint. After gluing up a few layers of TP, I brushed on a bit of black, heavy on the paint and light on the water. It melts into the glue and stains it gray, so it blends in with the speaker cone.

good to know, thanks

 

[PVFan]

Re: I made a boo boo...

I can finally respond to this and confess how it angered me so.

Cuz it's a Swampy Thingie. And I just got all into one. Thread seriously P'd me O.