CapZark Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I'm about ready to to make some homemade grills for a pair of La Scalas. Does anyone have any suggestions on attaching the fabric to the back of the masonite board I purchased. It's too thin for regular staples. Do you use contact cement for this kind of thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbon_66 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 It's all right here> http://community.klipsch.com/forums/t/110684.aspx?PageIndex=1 I'm making La Scala grills this weekend also. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 I used another technique. Call it my invention. It is to use hot glue, with the typical hot-glue gun. The glue is just a thermal plastic. This means it melts and flows at high temperatures and gets into the pores of the wood and fabric. You'll be wrapping the fabric around the board and you need a stip of about 1 inch of adhesive. What I did was to lay down a bead or two of hot glue along the length of the board and let it cool. Then put the cloth on top. Then use a clothes iron to heat the fabric enough to re-melt the hot glue underneath. There are some issues. You have to get a heat setting on the iron which will not melt the fabric if it is a synthetic. Also, you can use a piece of aluminum foil between the iron and the fabric to prevent the melted glue from fouling the iron. I used an old steel plate iron. A Teflon iron might not need it -- but I suspect it will. In any case you can clear the heated surface by letting the gunk heat up and scrub it with a paper towel. There can be some messiness with fine strings of hot glue but they can be trimmed easily.. Some experimentation is needed but you get the overall thought. It is like the iron-on veneer where there is a solid layer of hot glue on the thin piece of wood (which is like the fabric) which is melted by heat. We're just reversing which of the two surfaces is treated with the thermoplastic. Similarly: When glueing on veneer, we can put down yellow glue, or what Joewoodworker sells, on the underlying structure; let it cure, and then melt it so that it flows into the pores of the thin stuff we are trying to attach. Best, Wm McD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 i use the spray can of glue super 77 with good results. home depot has it if you need oem grill cloth #17 black contact BEC ( bob crites ) he has what you need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel's wife Posted February 13, 2010 Moderators Share Posted February 13, 2010 You can also use a low temperature glue gun....I know it sounds like it wouldn't work as well as the typical "hot glue". It actually works better because it is made to use with fabrics. It's a smaller glue gun and doesn't make as much "stringy" stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapZark Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 Thanks to everyone for all the advise. I went with 3M 77 adhesive which worked okay, but it was a real bear getting the synthetic fabric to lay down and stay down. I used a heat gun to set it a bit and then kept pressing it down until it took. My fingers were covered with 77 and I had to use paint thinner to clean them off many times over. Finally, I used a hot glue gun to run a bead of glue along the edge of the fabic and then it stayed down for good. I'm glad I read the link above because I would have never thought to spray the front of the masonite with the glue. That's critical because it hold the fabic to the front of the grill and keeps it from flapping in the wind.. They lturned out nice and I am very happy with the results, but I'm not sure I would want to do it again. I can't imagine doing a pair of Cornwall grills. Okay, I might try Heresey grills, but only after I foget how much work the La Scalas were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 ..... but I'm not sure I would want to do it again. I can't imagine doing a pair of Cornwall grills. Okay, I might try Heresey grills, but only after I foget how much work the La Scalas were. .... and that's why I use contact cement for the fold-over part...... [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapZark Posted February 21, 2010 Author Share Posted February 21, 2010 I tried that first and it didn't stick at all? Maybe I didn't let it dry long enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Correct. It has to dry for approximately 15 minutes and will be very "sticky" if you touch it. Very sticky... You also need to put some on the flap itself as described in the thread. 10-15 minutes wait, then fold, pull with fingers and press down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapZark Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 Next time I'll get it right, Groom. Your post is excellent by the way. Thanks for showing us the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.