AR 2ax woofer separating from frame

I've been gathering bits and am ready to start my first comprehensive speaker restoration... rebuild crossovers, new pots, new grill cloth, refinished cabinets etc. I've seen threads on how to do all this and more, but haven't seen anything on dealing with my first problem. The woofer cones are separating from the frames. What is a good glue to fix these? Surrounds are the cloth type on both speakers - so no need to replace them.

My take on this would be to first focus on the VC and getting it centered/shimmed and re-glue the masonite ring to the basket. Next, glue the top masonite ring to the basket frame.

It could be the opposite, but to me, centering the VC is the most critical part of the repair.

Regarding which glue to use, I might go with epoxy, but others may have better suggestions.

Good luck!

I'm sure that there are multiple members with experience at repairing that problem on those woofers, but hopefully RoyC will chime in. He is certainly one of, if not the most, knowledgeable members on AK as regards AR speakers (and various other topics as well!).

I've had similar issues with the older AR woofers, in which the masonite rings were lifting up, but had not separated all the way round. I used one of the Aileen's tacky glue products (quick drying), and it seemed to work quite well. Has been holding for over two years on a set of AR2a's (and they get near-daily play, at significant volume).

Good luck!

I was tempted just to use wood glue as I have some handy, but I'd rather not be going into these again any time soon. I suppose I can get on with cleaning the pots until I hear a definite "use this" response.

As I have not had personal experience with this issue, I can't offer any specifics. What I will offer is good luck on this restoration and look forward to following your progress!

In my experience the re foam glue kits on eBay have worked great. I was skeptical using it when I bought new surrounds, but it bonds well to metal and has a long set time which allows you to center the VC. Once you attach the spider to the basket, the cone will naturally want to center itself. Use one finger to press down and up on 4 opposite sides of the cone and listen for rubbing. Adjust as needed while the glue sets. I've had no need for shims or to pull off the dust cap. Also, for the first 5 minutes or so, after your glued, apply light pressure to the joints with a finger to assure there is no lifting. This process has always worked for me, and I've never had any blow outs.

I wouldn't use an epoxy because there is little room for mistake. once set, there is no going back or you will destroy the Masonite trying to pry it up. Its also messy and could run into the gap. Then your in serious trouble. This glue is easy to use and can be removed if needed. Hope this helps.

Sal

It sounds as if you are describing replacement of surrounds? The OP has a different problem...although I do agree that surround glue (white, clear or brown) will work fine to re-attach the masonite rings to the basket. By far more important than glue choice is making sure that the rings are glued precisely where they originally were, so as to assure proper alignment of the former/coil.

kcbluesman said:

It sounds as if you are describing replacement of surrounds? The OP has a different problem...although I do agree that surround glue (white, clear or brown) will work fine to re-attach the masonite rings to the basket. By far more important than glue choice is making sure that the rings are glued precisely where they originally were, so as to assure proper alignment of the former/coil.

Click to expand...

Yes, my point being that the glue would be sufficient. The critical part of the project will be properly aligning the spider to the basket before aligning the cone. I hope it works out.

I asked the guys at Madisound what they would use and they recommended silicone adhesive, so I bought some at Ace along with a sanding block and some paper to restore the veneer.

Sal -you answered a lot of my next question - which is: how do I make sure the VC is centered?

Last night, after inspecting it for a few minutes before bed, I had decided to desolder the VC leads from the terminals so I could remove the cone entirely (they are all that is left holding it together), then pull the inspection cover off the magnet so I could clean it out (this thing is very dusty) and use paper shims to center the VC.

You make it sound like I don't need to do this, that I can center it by feel. Any other opinions on this?

Shim it. No reason not to, since you have the cone off anyway. You will still need to be careful to get the upper ring (connecting the surround to the cone) placed correctly, as the weight of the ring can keep it from centering. Personally, I would use shims for that step as well, but you would need to open up the dustcap to do so. No big deal...you can carefully cut around the outer edge, with a blade angled in parallel with the cone. Leave a quarter inch tab uncut, and fold back the dustcap. This allows you to easily align it for regluing after other work is done.

Do what you are comfortable with. The silicon will give you plenty of time to work but also take much more time to set. Things could move if a constant pressure is not held. You might find a bowl in the kitchen with the same diameter to place on the Masonite. If you decide to shim, be careful cutting between the dust cap and cone, you may not realize that your cutting into it. Do a dry run first and get a feel for the position of things and where the VC rubs. Maybe make some pencil marks for alignment. You will realize that its not so complicated and may decide against cutting the dust cover. Good luck!

Yes, do what you are comfortable with. From my own experiences with speaker repair, I am a strong advocate for shimming even when just replacing surrounds, especially in cases with very close tolerances. But I know that some people seem to do fine just doing it by feel, and I know that running a 30Hz (or so) tone can be quite effective for finding the right position as well. But I've never reset a coil without shimming...I certainly admire anyone who can do this more delicate task just by feel.

I had the same problem and used a volt or two of DC to raise and center the cone and spider.
After cutting the power, the speaker settled in the correct position.

There seems to be a fairly forgiving VC gap with that woofer.
Just push down on the cone to test it before the glue dries.

I shimmed the VC true, then took a long Q-Tip and a bottle of "Goop" re-glued the spiders and all went fine!
DC