Jim Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Hello All, I just purchased a set of Forte II and one of the speaker covers has damage that was patched with a similar color cloth, but not matching. So I am either looking for 2 new covers that match, or the cloth and can redo them myself. I don't know if Klipsch sells the cloth or not, but will also try them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwells Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 (edited) http://www.critesspeakers.com/speaker_fabric.html I don't think it is quite the same as what is on your Fortes now but if you did both grills, I think it would work well. Edited September 16, 2015 by mwells Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 http://www.critesspeakers.com/speaker_fabric.html I don't think it is quite the same as what is on your Fortes now but if you did both grills, I think it would work well. Was speaking to him about it yesterday. May go that route for it. Doesn't look like there's anything on the Bay either. Called Klipsch and they were actually pretty rude, had an attitude saying those haven't been built since the 80's why would we carry something like that. How would I attach it to the speaker covers? What type of glue would be used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwells Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Simply Speakers has a nice video on replacing grill cloth. There are others on youtube as well. I did an extra pair of grill frames for my Quartets in an open weave linen that I really like. The fabric is probably not as heavy Bob's grill cloth but I just used a good (3M/Scotch in this case) double-sided mounting tape. It made for a very clean job and has held very well. The nice thing about the Klipsch frames is the large contact area and that channel that gives you a good line as a guide for alignment and trimming the cloth. Where the corners lapped just a little, I used this latex based fabric glue that worked well. As for glues, a lot of folks swear by Aleene's Tacky Glue that you get at Jo Ann fabrics but there are many choices that have been used successfully. Another tutorial... http://www.humanspeakers.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?page=howto/grill-cloth.txt One note.....The glue Klipsch used was pretty heavy duty stuff and I had to do some light sanding to smooth the contact surface a bit. I also cleaned it with some alcohol before applying my tape. I was really surprised how well the mounting tape method worked for me. It is very thin and you cannot tell it from a glued frame other than I did not make a mess. The only thing that I would have done differently on mine is used a 3/4 inch wide tape instead of 1/2 inch for more surface contact. One thread over at AK caused a bit a confusion for me. There were a lot of opinions on the best glue subject but one poster also used the mounting tape method and he liked it as well. Good luck! Mark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Jim, I may have some grill cloth(not heavy duty) at the house that I bought from Parts Express a couple of years back. If I can locate it and it is enough for both speakers, I can send it to you. Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Thanks for the info guys. Bill, if you do have it, I'd be grateful. Just let me know. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Thanks for the info guys. Bill, if you do have it, I'd be grateful. Just let me know. Jim Looks like enough to do the pair. Send me your name and address via PM and I will get it out to you by Monday. Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Thanks for the info guys. Bill, if you do have it, I'd be grateful. Just let me know. Jim Looks like enough to do the pair. Send me your name and address via PM and I will get it out to you by Monday. Bill PM Sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 PM Sent. Replied to. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwells Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) Thanks for pitching in to help out, Bill. Jim, I don't have a lot of experience with speaker grill covering but I have enjoyed working on a couple of projects and learned a few things from my mistakes along the way. If I can be of any help, shoot me a pm. This pic doesn't do my Quartet grills justice but I had a lot of fun with this project and I wish you well with yours. I need a better camera (or maybe better camera skills) but this open weave linen looks a lot nicer in my living room than it does here. I like the irregular texture and I also find the linen to be more acoustically transparent than the heavy Klipsch cloth. The natural color is more appealing to me than black but I still have the original black grills as well. I was hesitant to buy an extra set of frames when they came up on ebay but I am glad that I did now. I can get creative and have fun experimenting. Edited September 20, 2015 by mwells 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Thanks for pitching in to help out, Bill. My pleasure. Jim, PM sent with Fed Ex tracking number. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) Mellotone fabrics from Wendell has a great selection. Check out your local fabric stores too, sometimes you find something you like even more without having to pay shipping charges or waiting for your fabric to arrive only to find out its not right for your project. Edited September 18, 2015 by jason str Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldred Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 mwells.... those look nice...you have a good eye....makes them look old school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwells Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 (edited) mwells.... those look nice...you have a good eye....makes them look old school Thank you, I appreciate the compliment. The lady that I bought the fabric from on ebay said that almost all of this fabric that she sold went to folks who were restoring their vintage speakers. The linen does remind me of the Dynaco A25's that I had. I tried to buy more of it but she sold out of it pretty quick. It was originally a drapery fabric. They don't show except for the edge but I added bronze glass tops as well. I enjoyed adding some personal touches to these that made them a bit different. Mark Edited September 19, 2015 by mwells 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 Mark, Those do look nice. I have some black material coming to me from Bill. I still may want to change it out though down the line, and if I do I'm going to do all the speakers in the room with 2 channel, as well as my 9.2 set up. My OCD for certain things won't let me just do 2 speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwells Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Mark, Those do look nice. I have some black material coming to me from Bill. I still may want to change it out though down the line, and if I do I'm going to do all the speakers in the room with 2 channel, as well as my 9.2 set up. My OCD for certain things won't let me just do 2 speakers. That would be a great looking setup! I shared my Quartet project hoping it may provide a little inspiration towards getting creative and putting your own touch and taste into your grills should you decide to at some point. Once the original cloth is gone anyway, it really opens up a lot of possibilities that allow you to better match your listening environment and personal tastes. It is rewarding and a lot of fun. Bill's help keeps your cost at minimum which is always a plus...especially with first time projects that have a little learning curve. You don't have to be as concerned about a goof. Just go for it and have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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