Rudy81 Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 I need to replace grille cloth on one frame of a Khorn. I have searched the forum for tips and tricks but did not find much. I would appreciate you knowledgeable guys sending me ideas so I can save myself time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 I have not done K-Horn yet but did do Hersey and i just sprayed the heck out of backer board with spray on 3m 77 super adhisive i sprayed the backer board layed speaker fabric on it flipped it over sprayed the edge and the fold over fabric a little then jusy pressed it on worked great...Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 The original grill cloth is stapled on - with lots of staples. To maintain originality, stapling is the preferred option. Any reasonable quality staple gun will do it. There's a bit of a trick when stretching the grill fabric, but the only way to learn is to do it yourself. Start with one side and tack the other, maintaining an even stretch of the material. Some forum members do this for a living and hopefully will provide some more hints. Certainly an easy way out is to glue - but that wouldn't be my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 When EdwinR says lots of staples he really means LOTS! of staples and they are tiny little narrow ones. I have never seen any that small on a standard staple gun. The OEM cloth is available from Wendell Fabrics, but make sure you have the exact part number because they have stuff that is very similar. I have like 4 sq yds that I still have on the roll wrapped in plastic and unused that I was going to refinish my '62 Cornwalls with but didn't. I am now selling them. The 4 sq yds+ of cloth plus shipping was around $100. To clean the dust off the grills and make them look like new use Bissell Upholstery Cleaner in the blue can with the plastic scrub head brush. It works wonderful and dries quickly. I used it on the side grills of my '77's and my '87 Forte grills that I just got and they look new again. KMart should carry it. I need to do my Academy grill next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardhitter Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 I did a set of older refubished JBL's, (before I was turned on to Klipsch). I also refinished the cabinets, but thats another story. The trick is to staple, and stretch at the same time. Most of the fabrics have a grain. align the grain so that it is even with the edge on one side staple that crap out of it . then stretch tthe other side evenly, you will then understand why you use so many staples! No puckering, or uneven grain. (Grain is the straight line of holes in the fabric) The big question is your corners! fold or stretch? If you can do a good fold and cut, it will look alot better than stretching the corners, stretching will pull the grain out of wack! Take your time and the will end up looking factory. NO GLUE! Glue will soak throught the fabric, and collect dust! When I took my speakers in to my local JBL shop, for crossover work, the reapir guy stated that he never new that JBL had made Decade 36's in black! When I told him that I had done the work myself, he dropped his jaw! He said that he had never seen a re-finish turn out this good. He wanted to know how I got the finish so smooth! Hardwood flooring trick of the trade! And the grills were tips that my Uncle had taught me! Take your time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I dont think glue will soak through at all if you spray the wood it is attached to,,,if you have not tryed glue method dont knock it...why use all those staples when the spray glue is easier and faster Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardhitter Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 You dont ever see the glue, but the materials are so thin that, trust me the glue residue is there. It begins to atract dust, and you get lines that you can not make go away. Stapleing also alows for easier corrections while you are working with the material. If you find that you have stretched the grain too far in area and not enough in another, you can pull your staples, and re-adjust the fabric. If you are using th foam type fabric, glue them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I have done new grilles for the Heresy, Cornwall and Khorn. When recovering Heresy and Cornwall grilles, you CAN and should attach the fabric with contact adhesive just as was done originally from the factory and you can turn out a nice looking, factory fresh job. But with the Heresy and Cornwall you are dealing with a Masonite backer and could not really do it another way(staples)anyway. And as stated previously you achieve the best results by spraying the Masonite surface only. They turn out as good as new. But, the Khorns are another matter entirely. I suppose you could use adhesive, but I would envision one great big frickin' hassle and a mess to boot. If you look at the Khorn logically and with common sense, I think you will understand why it is stapled. The staples are smaller than the run of the mill but are available from Arrow and probably others. I do not remember the number of the staple right off the top of my head. And, oh yes, as previously stated, buy a sh, er, I mean boatload of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I'm still waiting for someone to buy some cane from Wendall and redo their speakers. I'm too chicken to be first!!! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogman Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 Use fabric glue. Sets up fast, drys clear, will not stay soft and migrate like 3M. Staples eventually stain the material, and the material's tension on the frame will slacken. My opinion. Analogman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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