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.Originally Posted by voice of the theater
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.
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
Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean! As always though, the usual disclaimers apply to this post's contents.
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.
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.
Well, stayed up late last night and put the last coat of finish on the cabinets, I was impatient to hear the setup.
I am triamping the system with a Pass F5 on the 802g/811, JBL/UREI 6290 (a beast) on either the Heils or the 416's, and a Kenwood KA-8150 switching with the JBL. I am crossing through a Behringer CX3400 at 1100 hz to the horn and at 9300hz. to the Heil. Preamp is a Yamaha C2a and source is a Yamaha DVD player. Quite a combination of gear and level matching is tricky. The garage venue is pitiful for sound stage and all else but, man, what a sound.
The presentation of the low end in the MLTL is nicely balanced and there seems to be no bottom. It is very smooth but can pound your chest, too. It is heads above the stock Model 19 box. I'm throwing a lot of different material at it and everything is good. It is like moving from the back of the crowd at a concert to being right up front. GM, you are a genius. Thanks so much, this is a total success.
I've kind of settled into a good listening schedule with the new boxes and have fiddled around with level matching and such. Also had a few visitors that confirmed we're on a good track with these. I even had my old buddy, Harry, in the room for a while. This is a cat that is over 90 and still recalls a lot of his speaker building days. To him, Sinatra was an upstart, funny stuff.
The woofers have seemed to break back in and other listeners have confirmed this. This is no surprise as I had them in storage for a couple of years. I think I can get the lower end a little "livlier" by removing some of the stuffing. I think it is a little too much for the application. I plan to remove about half the thickness and see if there is any change. I hope to get a little more reinforcement of the really low stuff by doing so. More of what's already present, I guess. Any suggestions appreciated on the stuffing.
Overall, the enclosures are very good, lower notes are reproduced substantially and the venerable 416b is allowed to shine. A board member suggested to get some measurement gear and that is on the schedule. I am weighing options on that.
You also can test the enclosures with your ears, with this CD http://amzn.to/ebCGnn
And of course, and that's very important; only testing in your listening room!!!
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