removing/preventing corrosion on aluminum basket

[Maak]

Hi

I just pulled my speakers out of storage [about3-4 years] and decided to refinish the cabinets to match new surroundings.
I Found the baskets of the driveres [8"vifa p120] to be very corroded....a big fluffy white mess

well i very carefully scraped and vacumed the corrosion away...But HOW do i prevent it happening again

They were not stored in damp conditions at all

Please help...

Maak

[MarkMcK]

Maak,

I have seen the same gummy but fluffy white mass on Vifa cast AL woofer baskets. I have no clue what the substance is and so I have no good idea about how to prevent it.

The stuff I have seen is water soluble and can be dissolved. Just be careful about where the water is going. Since it dissolves in water, a coating of a hydrocarbon based lubricant should prevent it from coming back, but that is just a guess and needs to be tested.

For me, I only worry about it if is on the part of the basket that can be seen when the driver is mounted. If it is inside the cabinet I do not worry about it.l

Good designing and good building,

Mark

[Mr Evil]

The best thing to do would be nothing. The oxide which forms on aluminium is usually nice and impermeable, preventing further corrosion of the metal underneath. It may not look pretty, but who cares what the basket looks like.

[chipco3434]

Polish it up a little with s Scotchbrite pad and hit it with a little lacquer out of a spray can.

Finished.

[johninCR]

Chipco,
I don't think a spray anything is a good idea near your drivers.

Maak,
My concern would be the cause of this corrosion. Was silicone used to seal the enclosure. If so, maybe it wasn't fully cured when the drivers were mounted and the acetic acid released settled on any exposed metal it could find and you should be sure to get it all off before remounting them.

[Maak]

no silicone used...paper....and a real good fit.

as to the guy who sed it was impermeable and to leave it....it was freaky fat and like furry fungus and it seemed to have caused tiny pieces of the paint to mix with the corosion dust and sit all around the driver in the dampening material like salt and pepper...

... i was most worried about this getting inside and wearing moving parts.

strangely enough the paint still seemed mostly ok under the corrosion????

i guess ill just paint it againor some non drying but solidish butimen goop might be good...what you think?

Maak

[johninCR]

Scary,
I'm glad I use OB's or I'd want to pull out and check any aluminum basket drivers I have. Sh**, got one in the Jeep. Gotta remember to pull it out soon.

I'd say something that dries. Varnish, maybe if it sticks to aluminum ?, a paint like rustoleum made exactly for that purpose would probably be better. Then damp those baskets while you have them out to prevent ringing, which is one of those almost mandatory DIY things anyway.

[Mr Evil]

Be wary of paints designed to prevent rust on ferrous metals, as they may react unexpectedly with aluminium.

[Maak]

so for safety of the driver i cant spray or use rust inhibitor..and rust paint may do worse to aluminium...what can i use ...maybe i'll try nailpolish

Maak

[BassAwdyO]

Aluminium is a fairly inert metal and should not corrode under normal conditions. I'd say the drivers are being exposed to some sort of acid or base which corrodes aluminium. There would be no other reasonable explination that I am aware of.