GM's MLTL with 416-8B

[voice of the theater]

[B][SIZE=2]You're welcome, though I've never tried either the candle or smoke test, just have read of others doing them. I've always used Windex or generic equivalent as it blows nice bubbles and doesn't hurt any wood/finish I've sprayed it on

I'm sure using a liquid like Windex is a more precise test than the candle test--just like trying to find a leak in an inner tube with a liquid. Since the bottoms of the Model 19's (and 14's) are finished, I could spray some Windex there (that would be an inconspicuous test area) and leave it on there for 20-30 minutes, wipe if off and check to make sure it didn't have any adverse effect on the walnut finish before performing air leak tests on the visible portion of the cabs......

[GM]

...........and leave it on there for 20-30 minutes........

Why so long? If it's going to blow bubbles it will happen just as fast as whatever frequency the woofer's being driven at and if you're worried about any liquid damage, just sprinkle some baby powder or similar to soak it up quick and brush it off with an old paintbrush.

GM

[voice of the theater]

Why so long? If it's going to blow bubbles it will happen just as fast as whatever frequency the woofer's being driven at and if you're worried about any liquid damage, just sprinkle some baby powder or similar to soak it up quick and brush it off with an old paintbrush.

GM

You're right--It's not like I'm going to be testing all 6 cabs at the same time--the most the Windex needs to be on any individual surface is couple of minutes or so--long enough to watch for bubbles, wipe it off, and move on to another area..... :doh:

[westend9]

You're right--It's not like I'm going to be testing all 6 cabs at the same time--the most the Windex needs to be on any individual surface is couple of minutes or so--long enough to watch for bubbles, wipe it off, and move on to another area..... :doh:

I believe Altec used an oil based finish on the veneer, correct? If so, the cabs should be oblivious to water and alcohol, IIRC. GM's idea about baby shampoo and alcohol would then be the quintisenntial mix. I know Windex doesn't bubble all that well, maybe introducing a teaspoon of dishsoap or shampoo to the bottle would bring more suds. The only thing I've ever leak tested is pipes and ducts so this is all new to me.

[westend9]

I spent the better part of yesterday sanding the cabinets, filling, and finishing. Nothing remarkable for this, sand with three grits, remove dust, and apply oil finish.

I had an unsightly fissure in one of the panels, the front of one cabinet, and wanted to fill this crack.I tried mixing 5 minute epoxy and sawdust reclaimed from the sanding but results were terrible. The epoxy mix was very dark, basically unsandable, and wouldn't absorb any finish. Other glues and sawdust combined for a better color but, again, sanding and finish absorbtion was not good. I was thinking of what kind of binder I could use to attain color and functionality when I remembered that flour set up quite well when mixed with water (paper mache) so I combined some dust and a little flour and hit upon a recipe of 2 parts sawdust to 1 part of flour. It worked quite well and the Tung oil is able to penetrate the mix. The filler should attain a durability identical to the rest of the wood once I have multiple coats of finish on top of it. From a couple of feet away, the crack is unnoticable.









The sleds now have four coats of finish and the cabinets will soon have two coats. We are getting close. I will spend some time, today, making up a new testing "clicker". I found an older toggle that should work well for this.

[GM]

It's not the veneer to worry about, but water blistering any exposed MDF, though if there's a leaky joint it might seal it up. Hmm, a new way to seal MDF cabs by spraying/'floating' a little water along all inside seams, he asks half seriously.

Really? I admit I haven't used genuine Windex since the store brands became available decades ago, but these bubble up good enough for me, though I guess the best would be the kid's bubble blowing solution if it's not been banned by the govt.. Google returned a DIY solution when searching for it though: http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/bubble/form.html

Got to try this on a so far bubble free, yet slow leaking, tire that even the local car repair/tire emporium has repeatedly failed to find, but refuse to replace as defective. Guess who won't get any more of my vehicle related sales...............

GM

[westend9]

It's not the veneer to worry about, but water blistering any exposed MDF, though if there's a leaky joint it might seal it up. Hmm, a new way to seal MDF cabs by spraying/'floating' a little water along all inside seams, he asks half seriously.

Really? I admit I haven't used genuine Windex since the store brands became available decades ago, but these bubble up good enough for me, though I guess the best would be the kid's bubble blowing solution if it's not been banned by the govt.. Google returned a DIY solution when searching for it though: http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/bubble/form.html

Got to try this on a so far bubble free, yet slow leaking, tire that even the local car repair/tire emporium has repeatedly failed to find, but refuse to replace as defective. Guess who won't get any more of my vehicle related sales...............

GM

I don't know, the Windex I use doesn't seem to make a lot of bubbles but I've never used it to do that. For pipe inspection, I mix a couple of teaspoons of dish soap and a pint of water in a spray bottle.
Next time you spray the tire for inspection, GM, give the inside of the rim a thorough coating, too. I've had leaks through the welds in the center of a rim a couple of times.

[Vint_age]

Just put one of these in the box and seal the port.

http://www.harbormodels.com/site08/m...ges/smoker.htm


And if you are really adventurous, pull the woofer and seal the hole with a plywood disk, put a tire valve on the plate you seal the port with and add compressed air to speed things up.