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Finished LaScalas starting AR-11s, foam question


mark heija

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Hello Folks, so after 43 years of working with the kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs in San Francisco I've retired. Some of you may recall the LaScalas the kids & I refurbished thanks to the wonderful guidance from the Klipsch community (see attached). So now I've brought home from the Club my old stereo (from my teen years) a 70's, a near mint Sansui 9090 and a pair of AR-11 speakers. I'm in the process of refinishing the AR cabinets and while removing the drivers had the foam on the tweeters basically disintegrate in my hands. I haven't been able to find an exact replacement and was told I could use 1/8" felt instead. I don't have any knowledge about the function of the foam so I'm not sure if I should try the felt. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance, Mark

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 I would have used cork rather than felt -

 

but  to keep it original  , why dont you just search for a  section of  acoustic foam of the same density  and thickness and fabricate a round foam piece that you can stick-on  with spray glue ,  I think the thickness/density  of the acoustical foam and the diameter of the punched hole in the center are VIP -

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4 hours ago, mark heija said:

I would like to know the specs of the foam, but even determining the thickness of this gooey material is questionable. I will try to see if this information is available somewhere. Thanks

Mark       ......looks like you're in luck , I just grabbed this ------thread ,  on Audiokarma , sometimes cooperation between forums can be a good thing --

 this member can make them , so he can inform you as to the right material --- he posts regularly on Audiokarma --  Best of Luck

GD70

GD70 AK Subscriber

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/ar-11-tweeter-foam.825462/

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12 hours ago, RandyH001 said:

but  to keep it original  , why dont you just search for a  section of  acoustic foam of the same density  and thickness and fabricate a round foam piece that you can stick-on  with spray glue ,  I think the thickness/density  of the acoustical foam and the diameter of the punched hole in the center are VIP -

 

Jeez...then they won't be ARs...

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I got in touch with the fellow on AK, GD70, and while he didn't give me the specs of the material he is going to fabricate (and send pics) when ready to ship. (pay with PayPal)

I like getting back to as close as original as possible. I may continue looking into the felt option and have spares when this foam breaks down (probable after me;-)

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@mark heija  I bought a pair of the tweeter felt from an AR ebay seller years ago for the AR11's I had but he might not have them now.  Those were some great sounding speakers and I sometimes regret that I sold them.  I bought them from the original owner when I lived in DFW and he had stored them wrapped in some sort of cardboard paper wrap and the grills literally "melted" into the front baffles.  I completely redid them from top to bottom and luckily enough, found another stock pair of the foam grills....which are rare as hens teeth.

 

Here's the guy on Ebay that has the Vintage AR parts.  You might send him a message.  Madisound once had them, too.

 

https://www.ebay.com/str/vintagearpartsandservice

 

Here's my 10 year old thread on the rebuild of the AR11's I had and getting those melted grills off.  Turned out nice and a simple recap too.

 

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/acoustic-research-ar11-recap-with-pictures.370025/

 

 

 

 

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22 hours ago, mark heija said:

Hello Folks, so after 43 years of working with the kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs in San Francisco I've retired. Some of you may recall the LaScalas the kids & I refurbished thanks to the wonderful guidance from the Klipsch community (see attached). So now I've brought home from the Club my old stereo (from my teen years) a 70's, a near mint Sansui 9090 and a pair of AR-11 speakers. I'm in the process of refinishing the AR cabinets and while removing the drivers had the foam on the tweeters basically disintegrate in my hands. I haven't been able to find an exact replacement and was told I could use 1/8" felt instead. I don't have any knowledge about the function of the foam so I'm not sure if I should try the felt. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance, Mark

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IMG_0444.jpg

 

I've been wondering what happened to these. They look awesome! 

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Thanks, We sold this pair for $2000 which covered all materials & parts for the four. The second pair was finished in a more kid-proof fashion and produces some fine audio for the big screen TV in the rec room. Now I'm looking forward to seeing how the old AR-11s turn out. 

ClubKlipsch.jpg

ClubKlipsch2.jpg

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Hello Folks, so after 43 years of working with the kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs in San Francisco I've retired. Some of you may recall the LaScalas the kids & I refurbished thanks to the wonderful guidance from the Klipsch community (see attached). So now I've brought home from the Club my old stereo (from my teen years) a 70's, a near mint Sansui 9090 and a pair of AR-11 speakers. I'm in the process of refinishing the AR cabinets and while removing the drivers had the foam on the tweeters basically disintegrate in my hands. I haven't been able to find an exact replacement and was told I could use 1/8" felt instead. I don't have any knowledge about the function of the foam so I'm not sure if I should try the felt. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance, Mark
IMG-0445.JPG.43b222fdf5b6a8598530128bfdbd2035.JPG
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tweeterFoam.jpg.1072bd8b4458812311dcf86bef7535a8.jpg
Wow that wood grain one looks fantastic. Is there a thread where you documented your restore?

Sent from my ASUS_I001DB using Tapatalk

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Thanks, but unfortunately, while I photographed the steps I was always too occupied with my program to get the time to post... I was busy with weekly instruction in these areas: 

Ceramics, Jewelry, Etching, Screen Printing, Woodworking, Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Photo Lighting, Darkroom Process, Computer Graphics, and Bike Repair (and homework help!).

The walnut veneer on the LaScalas was treated with Rubio Monocoat Pure (a truly wonderful product both in terms of ease of use and in being environmental friendly) and lightly buffed with Rubio Maintenance Oil (adding a slight sheen). Sorry, Floor Plan didn't take to the lower Rez to attach...

 

FloorPlan2mb.jpg

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Hello Bacek, The walnut veneer on the LaScalas was treated with Rubio Monocoat Pure (a truly wonderful product both in terms of ease of use and in being environmental friendly) and lightly buffed with Rubio Maintenance Oil (adding a slight sheen). A white "Scotch" pad cut in a circle works well with an orbital sander to buff the Maintenance Oil.

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Hello Mustang_flht, Thank you for the link to the DIY foam surround. I have some concern about the density of the foam to use (not having anything to compare with except the mush on the tweeters now). I went ahead and ordered a pair on Ebay to start. I also would like to know how best to remove the residual adhesive from the tweeter.

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