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Author Topic:  Best way to repair a punctured speaker cone?
Matthew Walton


From:
Fort Worth, Texas
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 12:18 pm    
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Hi all,

What is the best way to repair a speaker cone? I have an amp that I'm trying to sell, but I noticed a fairly small puncture in the cone (see picture).

I've read something (I think on this forum) about soaking a coffee filter or paper towel in wood glue to act as a sort of patch. Is that still the best way or is there something better to do?



Thanks!
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Larry Dering


From:
Missouri, USA
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 12:37 pm    
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I repaired a couple by using wood glue and a paper towel single ply. Do both sides. Afterwards sprayed with flat black paint. Check out some YouTube videos on the subject.
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 1:11 pm    
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Glue and tissue will certainly work.. Personally, I use black RTV silicone.. Plain old black auto repair stuff.. Smooth the original paper back in shape as best you can, and apply the black RTV over the tear.... let it sit a day.. It will never break around that spot again, and the speaker will sound as good as it ever did,, Over many decades, I have used black RTV on speaker rips and tears, and its always worked perfectly for me... bob
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 1:28 pm    
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Same as Bob C. Here's a shot of one I repaired with RTV. A dumb move trying to pick it up by the rim and it rolled around on my knuckles due to the weight.

I repaired it with RTV and it sounds fine. It's been like this for 5 or 6 years and I can't hear any difference. I didn't bother to paint over it. Unsightly yeah, but my concern is with the sound.

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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 2:19 pm    
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That rip in the speaker will certainly decrease the value of the amp.
I don't know what amp you are trying to sell but if it is a valuable amp I would suggest you recone the speaker.
Erv
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Fred


From:
Amesbury, MA
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 2:29 pm    
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If you can smooth it out so it’s closed up a little bit of clear nail polish will seal it. Saturate the paper and wipe off the excess.

Fred
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Matthew Walton


From:
Fort Worth, Texas
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 2:39 pm    
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Fortunately it's not a valuable amp. It's a Yamaha DG80-112. It's pretty cool in that it has motorized pots that move to the preset positions. Somebody gave it to me because I thought I'd use it, but I never did and I just want to get rid of it.

I hope to get $400 for it, and I might be a little over-optimistic at even that price. Hopefully if I repair the cone and clean the speaker grille a little bit.
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 3:03 pm    
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What Bob said is what I've used for decades. I even repaired a 15" JBL that had the suspension ring torn almost all the way around. I coated the ring with black silicone RTV, then cut a strip of thin nylon fabric and laid it into the suspension ring, working it into the grooves with a dull pencil. Then I overcoated the repair again lightly with the RTV. I played that speaker for about another two years, and finally the voice coil blew (from playing too loud with a fuzztone). Laughing

If you can't find some black RTV, "Shoe-Goo" will work, too.
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Paul Sutherland

 

From:
Placerville, California
Post  Posted 27 Jan 2020 3:27 pm    
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Anything you use on a speaker cone to repair damage will affect the tone. The cone will have a different weight and will not vibrate/oscillate evenly. The bigger the repair the more it won't sound the same.

I've repaired a few speaker cones and always been dissatisfied with the results.
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Matthew Walton


From:
Fort Worth, Texas
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2020 7:12 am    
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Paul Sutherland wrote:
Anything you use on a speaker cone to repair damage will affect the tone. The cone will have a different weight and will not vibrate/oscillate evenly. The bigger the repair the more it won't sound the same.

I've repaired a few speaker cones and always been dissatisfied with the results.


That's too bad. I think I'm still going to do it just because I want this amp out of my life and out of my living space, and I guess I need to put in a little more work to make this happen.
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Len Amaral

 

From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2020 1:49 pm    
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I just watched a fascinating video on recconing a JBL speaker. This fellow sells recone kits for various speakers. Very informative and entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6CCrLz-Zts
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Matthew Walton


From:
Fort Worth, Texas
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2020 2:03 pm    
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Very cool! I've always thought that vintage speaker and pickup repairs are one of the most practical applications of the Ship of Theseus thought experiment.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2020 2:13 pm    
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I've reconed several JBL speakers.
I just did a 15" for a Fender Vibrasonic amp. Very Happy
Erv
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Thomas Stone


From:
San Francisco
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2020 2:28 pm    
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Like Larry Dering, I cut a patch out of a paper towel, then split it into two plies. Dilute white glue about 20%, then use an artist's brush to paint a thin layer around the hole. Apply one patch, then paint more glue over the patch. Turn the speaker over and repeat the same procedure on the other side. Let dry, then paint if desired. Have done several this way, they sounded fine and never gave any future trouble.

Last edited by Thomas Stone on 28 Jan 2020 3:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jon Light


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2020 3:38 pm    
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I'm grateful for this thread. I was just about to do the paper & Elmers patch that I've known of for years -- first heard of it via Ted Weber and I have confidence in it. But I much prefer the idea of RTV silicone and that's what I'm going to do.

I also need to paint/dope the surround where it got very frayed and weakened when it stuck to the baffle when I pulled the speakers. I'm going to use brushable roof patching sort of stuff -- liquid rubber, I guess. I didn't just pull that idea out of thin air -- did a bit of research and found this to be a popular solution.
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Sandy Inglis


From:
Christchurch New Zealand
Post  Posted 30 Jan 2020 1:14 am    
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In my early days, I repaired some damaged speakers using ADOS contact adhesive as it remains flexible (like RTV). I never noticed any issues, but back then everything was distorted anyway!
I feel that a wood glue would stiffen up the cone and eventually cause further damage.
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 30 Jan 2020 2:34 am    
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If anyone is afraid of the RTV/liquid rubber fix, there are a LOT of speakers out there that come new from the factory with a rubber coating of some sort right around the ridges in the speaker paper where they attach to the frame.. Soaks right into the paper, and prevents fraying over time... RTV, or some sort of brush on rubber is the most common way to repair speakers these days, and in my opinion I don't think anyone will notice deterioration in the sound.... bob
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Stephen Cowell


From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 30 Jan 2020 11:19 am    
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RTV is not what they dope the edges of the speaker with... it's something (like butyrate dope!) that will soak in.

I like carpenter glue and Yellow Pages for the flat part of the cone... I tend toward more flexible solutions on the surround.

Mostly... be careful when stabbing the speaker over the bolts! And removing it, of course.
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 31 Jan 2020 7:21 am    
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Stephen Cowell wrote:
RTV is not what they dope the edges of the speaker with... it's something (like butyrate dope!) that will soak in.

I like carpenter glue and Yellow Pages for the flat part of the cone... I tend toward more flexible solutions on the surround.

Mostly... be careful when stabbing the speaker over the bolts! And removing it, of course.

Actually in my reply I said a "rubber coating of some sort".. never said RTV was used on new speakers. It isn't of course. However, it does work pretty well on repairs... bob
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Matthew Walton


From:
Fort Worth, Texas
Post  Posted 1 Feb 2020 7:41 pm    
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Thanks for the info y'all! When you mention RTV, is there something specific I need to get, or would any ol' 100% silicone caulk do the trick?
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If something I wrote can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.

1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 1 Feb 2020 8:37 pm    
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You can buy a 3 oz. tube of automotive grade black rtv silicone at your home center for about $5 or less.

That's what I would recommend. I use the heavier ultra black oil resistant black Permatex but that's because I use it for other things too. It's costlier and heavier and dull in color while the other one is gloss.

clickhere
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 2 Feb 2020 9:09 pm    
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Matthew Walton wrote:
Thanks for the info y'all! When you mention RTV, is there something specific I need to get, or would any ol' 100% silicone caulk do the trick?

I would use black auto grade... bob
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Tom Gorr

 

From:
Three Hills, Alberta
Post  Posted 10 Feb 2020 10:53 pm    
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Erv Niehaus wrote:
I've reconed several JBL speakers.
I just did a 15" for a Fender Vibrasonic amp. Very Happy
Erv


That's pretty cool. I need a coach Smile

I picked up a JBL D130F speaker with fried, possibly melted voicecoil as the speaker doesn't move back and forth.. and also has a dried out damaged and punctured cone, It was used in a homemade PA system build by the seller for his band 50 years ago, and has been sitting on a shelf in his garage for 30.

Don't really know what to do with it, or if its possible to fix. But thought if I could recone it, I might see the $20 value out of it.

Is it possible to repair? Where to buy a kit?

Is this easy enough for me to do, or should I take it to a local speaker rebuilder?
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 11 Feb 2020 8:09 am    
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Tom,
I get my repair kits from www.soundspeakerrepair.com
They have JBL repair kits that mimic the original JBL speakers. Very Happy
Erv
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Tom Gorr

 

From:
Three Hills, Alberta
Post  Posted 11 Feb 2020 10:30 pm    
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Erv Niehaus wrote:
Tom,
I get my repair kits from www.soundspeakerrepair.com
They have JBL repair kits that mimic the original JBL speakers. Very Happy
Erv


Thanks.

Any thoughts on using the D130 frame to get a few more watts by using a K130 kit?

(I never saw Watt ratings on any of these)
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