I've got a couple of Sony roadkill 6" drivers, measured Fs ~160Hz, so obviously never used for years, I've been giving them a pounding for the lst couple of weeks in sealed boxes, nearly sent the cones into orbit with Chemical Bros 'Snow" (love it when that low note kicks in - but needs a big system to handle it) Result: Fs this morning was ~ 120Hz, so I'm getting somewhere. These drivers have V-shaped notches across the surround (the marketing BS on the speakers was something like 'Fast Woofer technology") - seems to me like they would only stiffen the surrounds, certainly feel that way.
I recall seeing somewhere here that Armourall was a good treatment for rubber surrounds, so sprayed some on both sides of the surround, massaged it in, gave it a while to dry & a couple of hours of low level playing, Result: Fs~ 110Hz - at least it's going in the right direction, but looks like these drivers will need some more pounding and probably more applications of the magic sauce....
I recall seeing somewhere here that Armourall was a good treatment for rubber surrounds, so sprayed some on both sides of the surround, massaged it in, gave it a while to dry & a couple of hours of low level playing, Result: Fs~ 110Hz - at least it's going in the right direction, but looks like these drivers will need some more pounding and probably more applications of the magic sauce....
I've had some similar experience with rubber surround drivers (specially butyl rubber ones) not used for long time. First what I used to do is clean up the hardened up layer on the surround (on both sides) with Isopropyl alcohol soaked ear cleaning swabs -you will be surprised to see the gunk comes off after years of storage......
You should repeat the cleaning until the swabs look clean after using them, sometimes 5-6 times repeating the process. Then - in my experience- apply a thin layer of glycerine and let it work for a few days. That is a commonly available material in pharmacies, and has "rubber-friendly" properties. In some cases I was able to lower the Fs of a driver with almost 30%. Silicone oil containing material- like Armourall- might work as well too, but I found glycerine is better for this purpose.
You should repeat the cleaning until the swabs look clean after using them, sometimes 5-6 times repeating the process. Then - in my experience- apply a thin layer of glycerine and let it work for a few days. That is a commonly available material in pharmacies, and has "rubber-friendly" properties. In some cases I was able to lower the Fs of a driver with almost 30%. Silicone oil containing material- like Armourall- might work as well too, but I found glycerine is better for this purpose.
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Thank you for the Wintergreen oil suggestion.
Erm..where does one get it .. Pharmacy?
For those that think Armourall is good.. please rethink that notion.
Many Automobile tire makers are now reconsidering warranty coverage of tires that show evidence of Armourall application.
Seems it chemically alters the rubber.. badly.
Erm..where does one get it .. Pharmacy?
For those that think Armourall is good.. please rethink that notion.
Many Automobile tire makers are now reconsidering warranty coverage of tires that show evidence of Armourall application.
Seems it chemically alters the rubber.. badly.
Yes, most spiders are made of synthetic fabric soaked in heat-curing resin then pressed to form in a heated tool. Not much you can do with those, except -in some cases- reach in through the frame openings and gently "massage" them, very carefully not to damage the voice coil .
If you feel and hear a soft crackling that means, the spider is loosening up somewhat. Do this only if you do not care about lowering your driver's Fs, and somewhat increasing its Qts
If you feel and hear a soft crackling that means, the spider is loosening up somewhat. Do this only if you do not care about lowering your driver's Fs, and somewhat increasing its Qts
Having experienced wonderful good results with rubber with ArmorAll over the years, I was surprised to read the cautions about tires (and possibly other uses) posted here.
But I can't find anything in Google in a quick search to substantiate the criticism.
Can somebody please supply a link to the criticism.
Thanks.
Ben
In the motorcycle world, there is lots of black humor about using ArmorAll on tires due to the slipperiness.
But I can't find anything in Google in a quick search to substantiate the criticism.
Can somebody please supply a link to the criticism.
Thanks.
Ben
In the motorcycle world, there is lots of black humor about using ArmorAll on tires due to the slipperiness.
These are some bad examples of Armour All, but nevertheless they are there besides the "outrageously wonderful" kind of comments....
Armor All Protectant Consumer Reviews | Consumer junk.... | Epinions.com
Armor All Protectant Consumer Reviews | Oh my...it is disaster | Epinions.com
Armor All Protectant Consumer Reviews | Armor All is Dangerous | Epinions.com
Armor All Protectant Consumer Reviews | Consumer junk.... | Epinions.com
Armor All Protectant Consumer Reviews | Oh my...it is disaster | Epinions.com
Armor All Protectant Consumer Reviews | Armor All is Dangerous | Epinions.com
If you read carefully.... this is from Wiki on ArmourAll:
"ArmorAll typically contains water, PDMS, diethylene glycol, glycerin, and various other chemical compounds."
"various other chemical compounds" sounds not too good especially for rubber, which is highly sensitive to any kind of petroleum or gasoline related materials (practically slowly dissolving rubber over time)
"ArmorAll typically contains water, PDMS, diethylene glycol, glycerin, and various other chemical compounds."
"various other chemical compounds" sounds not too good especially for rubber, which is highly sensitive to any kind of petroleum or gasoline related materials (practically slowly dissolving rubber over time)
Thanks, although I also found those links when I googled the topic earlier. Always good to read user experience. But I was wondering if there is any authoritative evidence one way or the other before I toss my ArmourAll bottle away.
Ben
Simple experiment: get two identical (natural) rubber pieces -sheets- rub one with A-All, the other with pharmacy grade glycerine, let them rest for a week, then clean them up with an isopropyl alcohol soaked cotton swab..... Then see the residue in both swabs.
Worth to notice that many "rubber" surrounds used in the speaker industry are not pure rubber, but some kind of mix of rubber and "god-knows- what" kind of chemicals.
Maybe the author of this comment knows somewhat more about this subject than me.
Car Care - Rubber Care and Protection
Worth to notice that many "rubber" surrounds used in the speaker industry are not pure rubber, but some kind of mix of rubber and "god-knows- what" kind of chemicals.
Maybe the author of this comment knows somewhat more about this subject than me.
Car Care - Rubber Care and Protection
I'm not entirely sure why I used the Armorall. There was nothing wrong with the surrounds to begin with. Maybe I thought I was doing myself a long-term favor. They were 7's in a pair of ADS two-ways, with metal grilles, and a sort of landscaping fabric material behind that, so they never took any light, let alone strong UV. Now, if you push on a section of the surround, it yields only in the area of pressure and turns a light brown as the material instantly powders. The cone is "locked" by the surround and it sounds like a sealed back mid. The drivers are technically destroyed but no matter, there are much better modern replacements for around 50 bucks, if I ever got around to needing such a speaker again. As you all likely know there are two or three usual rubber materials used in surrounds, and they all may react differently to the "treatment".
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