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JBL L26 Question. Warning - Disturbing pics inside!

rushfan

rushfan

Super Member
I recently passed on a pair of refoamed JBL L26's that were selling locally for $175. When another pair turned up a couple of weeks later for $80, I jumped at the opportunity. The speakers are not for me, they are for a relative of sorts (wife's uncle) who likes country music and classic rock.

As soon as I pulled the grille off the first speaker, I knew that the woofer needed to be refoamed. I half expected it and figured that it was a job that I would have to master eventually as a budding collector. What you see in the photo is the result of my picking away at the old foam to explain to my eight year old daughter what the refoam kit was for. The foam was all there, but cracked.

The second woofer almost made me gag when I saw it. I could have (should have?) offered less money on the spot but was resigned to a refoam job at that point anyway. While $80 might be top dollar for them, I still feel that they're worth that much. As long as I can get this junk off, the net result will be the same. The speakers are otherwise in terrific condition. The cabinets, tweeters and grilles are in great shape. The binding posts look a little flimsy to me so they'll be upgraded too. Parts recommendations welcome! I have taken fellow AK'er Mark's (aka Snade) advice and purchased a quality refoam kit from the 'bay.

Any tips for removing the rubbery material? It appears to be some kind of silicone sealant. It's slick and smooth to the touch. I'm thinking of using a hair dryer to heat the compound to aid in removing it.

Thanks for looking!
 

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Calling "Analog Addict".... New avatar coming soon???

I think $80 is a fair price considering the condition. The refoam was a given....

I had a set and thought they sounded GREAT. I think they will work well for you wife's uncle:yes:
 
The cabs look great and you've got the original woofers still loaded, so I think you did great!

Acetone dissolves silicone caulk. Maybe try some acetone on a Q-tip in a small area to test?

Best of luck!
Philip.
 
Now THAT's a proper mess! Where's that thread with all the ridiculous repairs such as that..??:scratch2:
 
Acetone dissolves silicone caulk. Maybe try some acetone on a Q-tip in a small area to test?
Click to expand...
This is a good idea. Acetone might dissolve or discolor that foam gasket on the front of the frame though too.
 
My advice- just get a good assortment of razor blades and start patiently and carefully scraping. You'll get the hang of it and be done in no time. Keep the shop vac handy while you're working.

Heat under 600 F won't affect silicone and I'm not sure solvents will either. But maybe give the hair dryer or a heat gun a try and let us know what it does, cause you're just trying to loosen its bond to the rest of the woofer.

True confession- I actually tried that with the silicone once. But the old foam wasv worse than I thought so I gave up as soon as it started crumbling and ordered new foams. The siliconized woofer did take a little longer to scrape the junk off of.

I still wonder if there'd be a treatment for woofer foams possible to extend their life and if it would degrade the quality of the sound. I think silicone is too thick. Maybe brushing on diluted latex caulk as has been discussed for restoring cloth surrounds? Oh well, that's another thread.

Have fun and enjoy your speakers!
 
That stuff probably has a death grip on the cone. The paper fibers are most likely embedded into the RTV. Good luck on getting it off without pulling layers of paper with it.

I have seen some pretty silly applications of RTV, but this one takes the cake. I think there was another set of JBL's that a member acquired on AK a while back that looked like they used a tube of the stuff on each woofer. I think they used orange. :eek: I don't remember what happened to them, most likely they had to be reconed.
 
I would try to mechanically remove the majority of that goop. After you get a feel for how hard/easy it is to remove, you can try solvents to remove the remainder. Mineral spirits, denatured alcohol, acetone, laquer thinner, carbon tetrachloride are the ones I have used with the mildest being mineral spirits and the harshest, laquer thinner.
As always, please use any necesary safety precautions when using these sorts of solvents.
 
thefragger said:
Acetone dissolves silicone caulk. Maybe try some acetone on a Q-tip in a small area to test?
Click to expand...

I was thinking of mechanically removing some and testing solvents on it away from the cone. I'm hesitant to use chemicals at all because I'm afraid that treating the cone might alter its composition just enough so that the surround's glue wouldn't work.
 
I have a feelign that that caulking isn't going to come put of the cone. You would probably be better off salvaging the frame and magnet and reconing the speaker (You should recone both for a better matched sound, but just the one is fine if youre on a budget)
 
NicoR said:
I have a feelign that that caulking isn't going to come put of the cone. You would probably be better off salvaging the frame and magnet and reconing the speaker (You should recone both for a better matched sound, but just the one is fine if youre on a budget)
Click to expand...

One peculiarity of the L26 that might turn out to be its saving grace - the surround attaches to the rear of the cone, not the front. I'll clean everything off as best I can but if a little remains behind it might only be a cosmetic issue. As long as I get good contact between the surround and the cone, I'm happy.
 
You only need worry about the cone side, so I would pull the driver and cut once around the outside to loosen the cone assembly from the basket. Once you get access from the back, you can very carefully carve the caulk off right up to the edge of the cone (although silicone caulk isn't easy to work with). I fear the caulk may be embedded in the cone both front and back sides, so peeling a layer of paper on both sides might get you into trouble, mabey not, depending on how think the laminated layers are. Nothing to loose, the only alternative is a recone. if you have to peel a thin layer of paper front and back, you might be able to reinforce the weakened area using the old used dryer sheet trick. Good luck. Those are worth restoring. Nice sounding speakers given the size and original cost.
 
The good news is that generic 8" (or 10", can't remember which this one has) foam from Matelectronics is a good fit and they're dirt cheap at .99 each. The bad news, well you know it already. That stuff is going to be a bitch to take off. The only solution has been given previously and that is to carefully cut it off with a razor blade. Silicone is ungodly fantastic at resisting any kind of solvent, kind of what its known for. A bit of sandpaper perhaps to take off the last bits that did not come off with the blade or just leave it on. In the end, it will look a bit hacked, but it will probably sound find (if you do the refoam right and center it properly). Once you put on the grilles (nice to have them, mine did not come with them and I paid $50) you'll never see the ugliness, but I have to admit this type of thing gnaws at the back of my mind and would probably end up unloading them to regain my mental health.
 
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