Best speaker repair

[19Seventy7]

I’ve got myself a nice Decca Model 66 radio which I’m currently restoring slowly, bit by bit.

The radio’s working, but with very noisy background noise, whether this is a component fault (running on pretty much all original components, which will be replaced) or the small hole in the speaker cone.

The hole is only about half inch by an inch in size, give or take.

Now for the question

What’s the best way to repair a hole in the speaker? I’ve done some other research but all the answers tend to argue with each other, some saying to use glue then others saying not to use glue but to use nail polish, some say to use coffee filter paper, another i’ve seen use what looked like duct tape.

Any help appreciated
Thanks
‘77

[Electronpusher0]

I have successfully used tissue and wallpaper paste.

Peter

[Station X]

Everyone has their own way of doing things.

I favour tissue paper and PVA woodworking adhesive. The white stuff which dries clear. Stipple it over the patch.

[19Seventy7]

I’ll use tissue paper then, I thought something like that would be alright but wanted to make sure.

I’ve got some PVA so I’ll use that if that works

Thanks for the help
‘77

[Lloyd 1985]

Good old bog roll and wood glue, works well for me! I had a really bad one in a 1930's Ekco RS3 radio, several really bad tears and a hole, for that one I used kitchen paper, as it's a bit stronger, the cone on that speaker was rather fragile too. I coloured it afterwards with black dyed french polish, which wasn't such a great idea! I think I stiffened up the rolled edge too much with it, so it's lost a bit of it's bass response. I may cut it out and re-cone it one day if I can find a cone that fits. Its worth doing on speakers like this as they are very hard to replace.

Regards,
Lloyd

[Gabe001]

I have also used kitchen roll and standard PVA glue. To dye I've used black printer ink applied with a cotton bud.

[crackle]

I'll peal a single ply off kitchen roll and put a piece on both sides (if I can get access the rear) then dab diluted PVA over the patch.

Mike

[David G4EBT]

Remember that toilet paper will instantly dissolve in water and is formulated to do that, so doesn't fare very well with water based glue such as PVA. Kitchen roll is designed to not dissolve when wet, so is a much better bet and has worked well for me.

[OldTechFan96]

Cigarette papers are quite useful for this as they are pre-cut into an ideal size. One packet will repair a lot of speaker cones.

I like to water the PVA down a little before I start spreading it.

[19Seventy7]

Makes me wonder how they even get broken, especially when they look all original and so the backs never been off. Looks like kitchen roll’s the way to go, though the cigarette papers seem a good idea too, possibly a neater repair.

Thanks all for the help, it’s much appreciated, I’ll let you know how it goes
‘77

[Electronpusher0]

As per my post (no2) I use ordinary kleenex type tissues (other brands are available), they are thinner than kitchen roll and if used in layers blend to the surface better so you can't see the join.
I use wallpaper paste as its designed for paper, has a certain amount of slip which makes positioning easier and contains anti fungal agents.

Peter

[Edward Huggins]

Noting the comment Post #5, when I was young and could not afford a proper tweeter, I would hard dope the cone of a small speaker, say a 2.5" unit from an old portable, and connect with a 2uf paper filter cap. It worked - after a fashion!

Fag papers are good for this (as mentioned) available in various thicknesses and sizes even on a roll! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizla

[19Seventy7]

I'll definitely look into all of these, ideally I'm looking more for function over form, but if they all work well enough I might go for one that looks better. Might even go with cigarette papers and just keep a pack for stock

Thanks all for the help, much appreciated
'77

[Vintage_RC]

Model aircraft tissue and dilute PVA works for me

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by Lloyd 1985

Good old bog roll and wood glue, works well for me! I had a really bad one in a 1930's Ekco RS3 radio, several really bad tears and a hole, for that one I used kitchen paper, as it's a bit stronger, the cone on that speaker was rather fragile too. I coloured it afterwards with black dyed french polish, which wasn't such a great idea! I think I stiffened up the rolled edge too much with it, so it's lost a bit of it's bass response. I may cut it out and re-cone it one day if I can find a cone that fits. Its worth doing on speakers like this as they are very hard to replace.

Regards,
Lloyd

Excellent job!

[Dickie]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Copydex. It maintains some flexibility when dry so its good for repairing tears in rolled surrounds.

[Megatron]

Originally Posted by Dickie

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Copydex. It maintains some flexibility when dry so its good for repairing tears in rolled surrounds.

And good for making wharfedale surrounds airtight.

[G6ONEDave]

I have used Evostik contact adhesive (the brown one) and also rubber adhesive, as they both remain fairly flexible when dry.
Dave

[clockman]

I find for a small bit of damage i use nail varnish i have found so many sets were the speaker is total scrap. And hard to replace and also one that fits plus the cost