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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 14th Feb 2011, 11:12 pm   #1
trabant
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Default Alternative speaker cloth

OK, if there are two things you can say about me it's that I'm impatient and cheap. So I'm beavering away, Mrs Trabant's safely at work so I've got the entire kitchen worktop to myself. I've been trying to suss the wiring I undid on the Ekco M23 for a good hour to no avail, so I decide I'll do a bit to the cabinet. Well it's been cleaned, polished, all it needs is a speaker cloth ........ hmmm and there it was looking straight at me - the tesco bag for life!

These come in a few flavours, blue ( no good for anything ), beige ( ish ) with a butterfly in the corner which is a nice tight woven stuff and hessian ( ish ), beigey brown looser weave. We had both the beige efforts so I decided to experiment. If you remove one of the side panels from one of these bags and then peel of the rubbery plastic backing which is really easy to do, you are left with what to anyones mind is speaker cloth!

As it was a bit beige I wafted a can of copper gold craft aerosol over it; spot on match, wouldn't know it hadn't been in there since 1931.

Maybe this will take the boredom out of those shopping trips in future?
Will post pics when my camera decides to work.

Last edited by Darren-UK; 15th Feb 2011 at 1:57 am. Reason: FSK and FPK problems fixed.
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Old 15th Feb 2011, 12:06 am   #2
reelguy
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Default Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

Expensive at £2 though.
I thought of using weed control cloth on some large speakers I have but haven't tried it yet. Available in black or brown .
Probably no good for radios though.
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Old 15th Feb 2011, 1:26 am   #3
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Post Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

Yes, Peter - the black weed control fabric - I've used that for stand-alone speaker cabinet fronts, but you need to go gently with it - it easily stretches out of shape or tears.

Al. / Skywave.
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Old 15th Feb 2011, 9:41 am   #4
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Default Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

Black fishnet tights.. looks fantastic on 80's hi-fi speakers... the red ones even simulate the red mesh Cerwin Vega used for a while on monitors. My other trick on larger boxes is black painted chicken wire (strength) under the kind of nylon mesh they make washing bags out of.. which can either be painted or dyed to suit.. luckily nearby there is a large fabric outlet which sells all that kind of stuff off the roll... in all kinds of colours.

Oddly from what I can tell, most prewar sets used the same sort of cloth used for curtains and furnishings so it's more just a matter of finding something similar.. Charity shop table cloths are a handy resource.

In the past I have used hessian from under old sofas (warning... nasty dust!) .. net curtains .. all kinds of things can be pressed into service. I do like the idea from the shopping bags.. it's more open weave than most (been checking one) and they don't last for life.. the handle on mine broke.
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Old 15th Feb 2011, 10:29 am   #5
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Default Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

I have used lycra before see... https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ighlight=lycra
 
Old 15th Feb 2011, 9:52 pm   #6
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Default Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

These ideas are interesting and may be very useful .. it's surprising what can be used to repair things!


Cheers,
Brian
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Old 16th Feb 2011, 7:20 pm   #7
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Default Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

cushions for speaker fabric on 30's 40's radios, works very well although it's a little thicker than the original.

Jay
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Old 20th Feb 2011, 1:33 am   #8
trabant
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Default Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

Ok finally heres some pictures of one of lord cohens finest shopping transporters being made in to something more usefull. last pic shows cloth much lighter than it is due to camera flash.
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Old 21st Feb 2011, 1:35 pm   #9
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Default Re: tesco speaker cloth for life .

Pity about the lettering- that butterfly logo would look quite good on a speaker cloth.
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Old 12th Apr 2015, 12:24 pm   #10
reelguy
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Default Re: Nail polish organiser (!)

Poundland do some close woven onion bags etc,
I have often wondered if they might do for a temporary speaker cloth for radios etc.
Might need staining though.
Just a thought !
Peter W ....Reelguy.
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